Pitt Gymnastics to Open 2019 Season with Quad Meet

PITTSBURGH – The Pitt gymnastics team (0-0, 0-0 EAGL) will kick off its 2019 campaign by hosting a quad meet at Fitzgerald Field House, welcoming No. 22 West Virginia (1-2, 0-1 Big 12), Utah State (0-0, 0-0 MRGC) and Eastern Michigan (0-0, 0-0 MAC) Saturday at 2 p.m. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m.

HOW TO FOLLOW

The meet will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra, available via WatchESPN.
Live scoring will be available via PittsburghPanthers.com.
Fans can follow along with live updates on Twitter and Instagram @Pitt_GYM.

PROMOTIONS

Giveaway: Sling Grips to the first 250 fans in attendance
Students: Enter to win reserved Oakland Zoo seats for the Pitt vs. Duke men's basketball game (Jan. 22)
Post-Meet: Autographs with the gymnasts

A LOOK BACK AT 2018

The 2018 squad amassed an astonishing 19 top-10 program marks, both individually and as a team, en route to an appearance in the NCAA Regional Championship, a feat the Panthers hadn't achieved since 2013.
As a team, the Panthers broke into the Pitt record book in every single event. The 2018 squad boasted an astounding five top-10 marks on bars, which included four of the top five scores and the top mark in program history. The team held three of the top 10 program scores on beam, one of which is tied for first place with the 2003 and 2004 Panther squads. The squad also posted two top-10 scores on vault, including the second-highest mark in program history, and one top-10 finish on floor.
The Panthers' success in each event led to the squad posting four of the top 10 team scores in Pitt gymnastics history, which includes a second-best mark of 196.475.

RETURNING FOR THE PANTHERS

Pitt brings back six Panthers who earned EAGL All-Tournament honors in 2018, including sophomore Haley Brechwald, senior Lucy Brett, sophomore Jordan Ceccarini, and juniors Deven Herbine, Alecia Petrikis and Megan Tripp.
Brechwald looks to follow up on a 2018 season in which she earned three of the top 10 all-around scores in school history, while also being named East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Rookie of the Year after earning an EAGL-record six Rookie of the Week honors and 12 individual event titles throughout the season.
Brett also made her mark on Pitt's record book last season, as she tied the second-highest bars score in program history after posting a 9.925 in the event.

FRESH FACES

Joining the Panthers this season are freshmen Katie Chamberlain, Rebekah Jenkins, Caitlyn Kline, Olivia Miller and Kiley Robatin.
Chamberlain, out of Simi Valley, Calif., competed for Paramount Elite Gymnastics. She qualified for the Women's Junior Olympic Nationals in 2017 (senior C) and 2015 (junior C), and finished first on floor in the 2016 Southern California State Championships (levels 8-10). Chamberlain arned a first-place finish on bars and beam during the 2008 Southern California Level 4 State Championships with Gymnastics World club.
Jenkins hails from Crofton, Md., and competed for Docksiders Gymnastics. She is a two- time Level 10 Junior Olympic National Qualifier (2016, 2017) and was crowned the Level 10 vault and bars champion while placing third in the all-around at the Region VII Championships (2017). She placed first on vault at the Maryland State Championships (2017) and most recently recorded a first place finish in the all-around at the Gymstrada Invitational, Christmas on the Chesapeake Meet and Brestyan's Invitational (2018).
Kline is a Mountain Top, Pa., native, and competed for Northeast Gymnastics Academy. She reached Level 10 State and Regional Championships as a junior (2017), and qualified for the Level 9 State, Regional and Eastern Championships as a freshman and sophomore (2015, 2016). Her older sister Victoria, also attends Pitt.
From nearby Monroeville, Pa., Miller competed for Gymkhana Gymnastics. She was first on bars at the 2017 Pennsylvania Senior B State Championships and was named 2016 Junior Olympic Nationals Champion (senior A). She finished the 2016 Junior Olympic Nationals (senior A) with a third place finish on vault and placed third on bars during the Region 7 Regional meet in 2016 (senior A). Miller earned a second-place finish on bars in 2015 Pennsylvania State Championships (junior B).
Finally, from Sunbury, Pa., Robatin competed for Artistic Sports Academy Plus. In 2014 and 2015 she was a Level 9 Region 7 Qualifier and was a Level 10 Region 7 Qualifier in 2016 and 2017. She earned first place on beam and third place in the all-around during the 2017 Buckeye Classic, and was named the 2016 Chows Challenge (junior A) vault champion while finishing third in the all-around. She participated in three events during the 2015 Level 9 Pennsylvania State Championships (senior A), with a first place finish on vault, second on beam and third in the all-around.

WCGA PRESEASON POLL

As voted on by the coaches of the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA), Pitt earned a national ranking of No. 36 in the 2019 preseason poll (Dec. 10). The Panthers received 247 points.
Six of Pitt's 2019 non-conference opponents earned rankings, including No. 11 Nebraska, No. 13 Denver, No. 20 Arizona State, No. 23 Minnesota, No. 31 Maryland and No. 35. West Virginia.
Three fellow EAGL teams appeared in the poll, including No. 25 NC State, No. 26 George Washington and No. 34 New Hampshire. North Carolina and Towson each received votes in the poll.

EAGL PRESEASON POLL

For the second consecutive season, the Panthers were picked to finish fourth in the EAGL according to preseason rankings (Nov. 28). Pitt earned 21 points with one first-place vote.
Reigning EAGL champion NC State was predicted to repeat for the title, earning 32 points with two first-place votes. New Hampshire was picked second, followed by George Washington in third. North Carolina followed the Panthers in fifth, and Towson rounded out the rankings in sixth.

PITT VERSUS NO. 22 WEST VIRGINIA

On Saturday, Pitt will meet West Virginia for the first of three times in 2019, two of which are at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh.
The Mountaineers hold a 61-14-2 advantage against the Panthers, winning four out of the last five contests between the teams.
The last time the teams met at Fitzgerald Field House, Pitt claimed a 196.475-196.075 victory (March 4, 2018).

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS

West Virginia (1-2, 0-1 Big 12) debuted at No. 22 in the first Road to Nationals Rankings of the 2019 season. This marks the third consecutive year the Mountaineers have sat in the top 25 of the first national rankings of the season.
WVU's ranking is based on its 194.15 score earned in a third-place finish at the Cancun Classic on Jan. 4, in Cancun, Mexico. The Mountaineers share the ranking with Minnesota and sit 0.125 points behind Iowa State, who ranks 21st and finished second at the Classic.
The Mountaineers also are ranked No. 8 on floor exercise (49.05), No. 15 on balance beam (48.775) and No. 17 on vault (48.8). Only three teams from the Southeast Region competed last week. WVU ranks No. 2 overall and on each event but uneven bars (47.525).
Individually, senior Kirah Koshinski owns three national rankings. Following her winning, 9.925 floor performance at the Cancun Classic, the Berwick, Pa., native ranks No. 8; her score was the second-best mark awarded last weekend. Koshinski also ranks No. 42 in the all-around (38.25) and No. 48 on vault (9.8).
Senior Jaquie Tun follows Koshinski in the floor rankings and checks-in at No. 25 (9.825), while junior Abby Kaufman precedes Koshinski in the all-around rankings and sits at No. 41 (38.375).

PITT VERSUS UTAH STATE

According to Pitt records, the Panthers are 1-0 all-time against the Aggies, winning the lone meeting in 2009 on the road. Pitt defeated Utah State by a score of 194.550-192.675.

SCOUTING THE AGGIES

Guided by second year head coach Amy Smith, Utah State (0-0, 0-0 MRGC) begins its 2019 season Saturday in Pittsburgh. Last season, Smith directed Utah State to a 9-11 overall record, including 3-2 at home and 2-4 in the Mountain Rim Gymnastics Conference. USU placed third at the MRGC Championships with a team score of 195.825.
Five returning Aggies competed at the 2018 NCAA Regional Championships in Minneapolis, Minn. Those five – Madison Ward-Sessions, Emily Briones, Brittany Jeppesen, Autumn DeHarde and Mikaela Meyer – went a perfect 7-for-7 on their routines.
Utah State returns 13 gymnasts from last year's team, while welcoming seven newcomers for the 2019 campaign.

PITT VERSUS EASTERN MICHIGAN

The Panthers will meet the Eagles for the fourth consecutive season, facing off each year since 2016. EMU holds an 8-4 lead in the all-time series, winning the last four meetings. Last season, the Eagles edged the Panthers, 194.950-193.125, in a quad meet at Michigan State.
Pitt is 2-2 when hosting Eastern Michigan at Fitzgerald Field House. The Panthers' last home win against the Eagles came Jan. 20, 1996.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES

Eastern Michigan (0-0, 0-0 MAC) was picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference, as part of the MAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The Eagles competed in an exhibition quad meet hosted by the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sunday, Dec. 2. The Eagles finished with a final score of 192.0, besting the likes of Central Michigan (191.85) and Western Michigan (191.725), while coming up short against the Wolverines (195.125).
EMU's best event of the day came during the final rotation on vault. The Eagles posted an event score of 48.6, led by senior Ciara Gresham, who posted Eastern's highest score of 9.775 in her first time back into the official lineup since Jan. 13, 2017. Junior Emili Dobronics and sophomore Cali Harden also turned in solid performances, each recording a 9.725 to tie for 12th overall.
Dobronics laid claim to EMU's highest individual score of all performances on the day, marking a 9.8 on floor to place fifth overall in the event. Redshirt sophomore Allie Smith also had a strong routine, tying her career-best floor score with a 9.75 to finish 10th.

UP NEXT

The Panthers will make their first road trip of the season, visiting New Hampshire for a quad meet against the Wildcats, Temple and Bridgeport, Friday, Jan. 18, in Durham, N.H.

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Pitt Gymnastics to Open 2019 Season with Quad Meet

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haley Brechwald

Lucy Brett

Jordan Ceccarini

Katie Chamberlain

Deven Herbine

Rebekah Jenkins

Caitlyn Kline

Olivia Miller

Alecia Petrikis

Kiley Robatin

Megan Tripp

University of Pittsburgh Athletics

Pitt Gymnastics to Open 2019 Season with Quad Meet

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Haley Brechwald

Lucy Brett

Jordan Ceccarini

Katie Chamberlain

Deven Herbine

Rebekah Jenkins

Caitlyn Kline

Olivia Miller

Alecia Petrikis

Kiley Robatin

Megan Tripp

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