Gymnastics earns second-place finish

Things fell apart in Providence, R.I., for the Penn gymnastics team this weekend. After barely losing their Ivy opener against Yale a week ago, 189.45-188.25, the Quakers were looking forward to Sunday's match at Brown to get their first Ancient Eight victory. Despite leading by 0.3 half-way through the match, Penn was unable to tame the Bears, who put up a mark of 187.5-185.775. But these numbers tell only half the story. Penn (6-3, 0-2 Ivy) was plagued by an uncanny combination of illness and injuries to some of its peak performers, causing coach Tom Kovic to put in some gymnasts who weren't ready to perform. "We just pulled kids in who weren't prepared to compete," freshman Becca Aronson said. "They stepped up for the team and gave it their all, but we could definitely feel the loss of those top girls." Sophomore Alexandra Chalat was forced to stop mid-routine in the floor competition after spraining her ankle. "Lex [Chalat] is an integral player on the team," Aronson said. "We really need her to get healthy soon." Moreover, freshman Jessica Fuerst pulled her groin during warmups, while freshman Desirae Gaspero was sidelined due to illness. "Desirae normally gets high scores on beam and floor," Aronson said. "Having her healthy would have been great." At full strength, the team is confident it would have come away with a victory. "I really think we would have beat them if everyone was there," Aronson said. "The morale was there, the support was there, but so many unexpected things happened." Despite the loss to the home team, Penn was able to defeat the other two teams at this multi-meet -- SUNY-Brockport (177.65) and Bridgeport (184.075). This meet marked the second time the Red and Blue defeated Division III's second-ranked SUNY-Brockport, as the Quakers beat the Golden Eagles 186.35 - 180.325 on Jan. 17 at Towson. Leading the way individually for Penn on Sunday was sophomore Leah Moon. Moon paced the Quakers in the all-around competition (37.7) and the beam (9.475). Sophomore Yael Sollins had Penn's highest score on the floor with a career-best 9.5. The Quakers overall scored a 46.725 on the floor. Penn's vault team was impressive, scoring a season-high 47.6, led by sophomore Laura Bouchelle's season-high 9.7. "We had the most amazing vault," Aronson said. "Our lowest individual score was a 9.575. That's so, so good." On the bars, the Quakers were led by last week's Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week, freshman Emily Petkun (9.375). Penn scored a combined 46.075 on the bars and a 45.35 on the balance beam. "We lost it on the beam," Aronson said. "Some girls nailed it but it wasn't enough to make up for several girls falling." On Friday, the Quakers will travel to city rival Temple to take on the Owls, as well as Wilson college.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.