Pitt
Blue-Gold w/ Kent State
Panthers Host Blue-Gold Scrimmage with Kent State
12/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
PITTSBURGH — The University of Pittsburgh women's gymnastics team got its first taste of competition Friday evening as they took on Kent State in the Fitzgerald Field House in their annual Blue-Gold exhibition.
A total of 16 gymnasts competed for the Panthers as they unofficially kicked off the season at home. Senior Tracey Pearson was the lone Pitt gymnast to compete in all four events and finished with a 38.625 in the all-around. The Baltimore, Md. native received an individual bid to compete in all-around at the Ann Arbor Regional last year, placing 14th.
It was Pitt's first time competing as a team since they won the first East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) title to close out the season. It was the Panthers' first EAGL title in program history, as the 2016 campaign marked an historic one for 31-year head coach Debbie Yohman and her staff.
"We're never satisfied, but I'm really pleased with where we are this year at this point in time," said Yohman. "I think we ran out of gas at the end on floor, but that is easy to fix. Our floor is a lot better than we showed tonight. However, I was really pleased with our vault and very pleased with our bars."
Pitt compiled a total of 192.150 points in the four events. The Panthers were most productive on vault, posting a 48.750 mark. They scored 48.450 on beam and 48.275 on bars. In floor they managed a 46.675.
It was the underclassmen that impressed the coach most, especially on vault and beam.
"Lucy Brett did a superb beam routine and Krista Collins, who didn't get to compete with us last year showed improvement," added Yohman. "All of our freshman were impressive too. They all did one or two events, but they were very strong in them."
VAULT
Pitt began the meet on the vault and saw a pair of key performances. Pearson and sophomore Meagan Oscar both tied for third on vault with scores of 9.825. Sophomore Krista Collins, senior Ellie Pikula and sophomore Brittany West earned a 9.700, all tying for sixth in the event.
BARS
Junior Taylor Laymon and sophomore Lucy Brett both posted 9.775 on the bars, claiming the title in the event. Other impressive displays included freshman Rachel Dugan who finished fifth with a 9.650 and sophomore Dani Hall who placed sixth with a 9.625.
BEAM
Pitt was paced by West on the beam, who finished third in the event with a 9.825. Collins posted a 9.700 while Pearson and Brett both earned a 9.650.
FLOOR
Pearson had the most noteworthy performance on floor, finishing third on the event with a 9.750. Erika Reichert placed fifth on floor with a 9.650 and freshman Alecia Petrikis made her collegiate debut with a 9.525.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will officially begin their EAGL title defense when they open their 2017 season at home and welcome Ohio State to the Fitzgerald Field House on Jan. 7. The Buckeyes participated in the NCAA Regionals last year, placing fifth in the Minneapolis Regional. The meet is slated to begin at 6:30 p.m. between the Buckeyes and Panthers from Fitzgerald Field House.
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