Better late than never.
The Penn gymnastics team brought down the house yesterday, seizing the Ivy Classic Championships with a score of 191.550, the first time this season the team has broken the 190 mark. Cornell took second (190.600), followed by Yale (190.550) and Brown (186.975).
Penn dominated the bars, its first event of the day, propelling the team forward the rest of the meet.
The Quakers were so dominant in that event that four out of their five scores placed in the top six overall. Junior Stephanie Ortiz took fourth (9.625), freshman Marissa Rosen placed third (9.700), junior Kimberly Chin placed second (9.725) and freshman Lizzie Lowe tied for first with world champion Alicia Sacramone of Brown with a 9.775.
Lowe's best performance of the year was exactly what the Quakers needed, according to coach John Ceralde, who had mentioned victory at the Classic as one of the year's goals. He felt that the team's "Penn pride really showed through."
Assistant coach Jessy Smith was equally proud of the team and of Lowe's performance.
"Lizzie, as a freshman, has stepped up to the plate 100 percent," Smith said. "We're so proud of her, . so to come out and be Ivy Classic bar champion is a great story."
Penn placed four more girls on the beam - sophomore Stefanie Navarro placed sixth (9.575), sophomore Jordan Brewer fifth (9.600), Ortiz second (9.725) and Rosen tied for first with Sacramone (9.750).
Brewer, who has been a strong contributor all season, relished the win in front of a thunderous hometown crowd. With so much at stake and plenty of nerves, Brewer thought her team was confident and well prepared.
"The nerves were big, but we knew we could hit," she said.
On floor, Rosen killed her routine by placing second (9.775) to secure a second-place finish in the all-around (38.925).
Even with mistakes, the team pushed for the meet. Sophomores Kerri Lutfey and Sarah Wexler had shaky beam routines but rebounded on the floor.
Lutfey remembers losing last year to Cornell by two-tenths of a point, and felt it just made this year's win that much better.
"We were very close last year, and of course that was a big disappointment," Lutfey said. "But to come back this year and get our highest score of the season . is such a great feeling I can't even describe it."
Navarro set the tone for the entire meet when she kicked off the bars with a tight routine.
"Navarro is not only is a supporter but she starts us off on two events, so she has the most important role," Smith said. "She's always the first one to hug and support her next teammate and I think the girls look up to her . She really makes people tougher."
Ortiz's performance was also impressive, as she placed on every event but vault and took fourth in the all-around (37.975).
"For being a junior and [having] a slight back injury and for someone to mentally put it together with that kind of injury and still do the all-around is amazing," Ceralde said.
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