Ailing Gymnastics finishes fourth

The Penn gymnastics team fought through another injury-plagued meet to capture a fourth-place finish at the Towson Invitational on Saturday. The Quakers finished with a cumulative score of 189.325, one spot ahead of Temple. The Owls bottomed off the five-team field with a 186.900. It was the Penn gymnasts' second-highest total of the season, with the Quakers' only better performance being the school record 191.250 they established in their first meet of the season against Cornell. "We feel that we did really well this weekend,"Penn freshman Anna Wilson said. "We were able to overcome some of our obstacles, even though we had [to use] our non-starter [gymnasts] because people are still injured." The Quakers had to face some of their toughest competition of the season -- including nationally-ranked Towson and George Washington without some of their top gymnasts. Christy Green, Sarena Syma, and Lauren Hittner -- who is also a photographer for the Daily Pennsylvanian -- did not compete last weekend. The No. 25 Colonials were the overall meet champion for the second consecutive year, setting a meet record with a score of 195.175. They were led by junior Devin McCalla, who won the all-around title for the second year in a row. Host Towson, ranked 32nd in the nation, finished second with in 194.125. The Tigers had won 14 of the previous 16 Towson Invitational titles. James Madison -- a team that Penn will see in March at the ECACChampionships -- finished third with a 190.675. Wilson was once again the lone bright spot for the injury-ridden Quakers. She set a school record on the bars with a 9.775, finishing fourth in that event. Wilson also finished fourth on the vault with a 9.725, on her way to a fifth-place finish in the all-around with a 38.725. Wilson was the only Quaker gymnast to place in the top five overall and to compete in every event. Her performance on the bars Saturday broke the previous Penn record of 9.750, a mark that she established against Temple on February 9. For Wilson, her first year of collegiate gymnastics has been one filled with numerous accomplishments. She now holds the school record in three out of four possible events, with the exception being the balance beam. "I'm just working harder and trying to do better, so that Ican set high expectations for the team,"Wilson said. In addition to Wilson, the Quakers were led by senior tri-captain Jenn Capasso, who finished sixth in the balance beam with a 9.775. "We're confident going into the [Ivy Championships]," Wilson said. "This weekend was very good as far as preparation goes, and we should do well once we get some more of our people back." Freshman Christy Green, who suffered a mid-foot sprain against Ursinus, should be back in time for Saturday's meet, according to Wilson.

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