PSU tops Pitt in gymnastics opener

Whether swinging violently around the uneven bars or teetering on the edge of the balance beam,… Whether swinging violently around the uneven bars or teetering on the edge of the balance beam, Panther gymnasts fought more than just the Nittany Lions on Saturday. They also battled their nerves. The return of two injured gymnasts and the debut of two freshmen failed to propel the Panthers past No. 13 Penn State as Pitt dropped its season opener 194.800-191.675. ‘What needs to be improved is confidence,’ said Pitt coach Debbie Yohman. ‘The kids have been doing a super job in practice, but when we ran into a problem or two at this meet, they let down a little bit. They don’t need to do that.’ ‘We can still work on consistency and confidence,’ said senior co-captain Alix Croop, who competed in three events. Nerves and rust struck at inopportune times for the squad, including uncharacteristic stumbles by veteran members and underclassmen alike. ‘It’s our first meet of the season,’ noted Croop. ‘Some of the younger girls don’t know what to expect.’ Two freshmen made their collegiate debuts against the Nittany Lions. Alicia Talucci scored a 9.775 on vault and a 9.675 on floor routine, while Amy Varela had an atypical fall on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.150. Mistakes by underclassmen, damaging on Saturday, might fade as the younger gymnasts gain experience. ‘[Varela] should be one of our top bar scores, and she had a fall on bars,’ said Yohman. ‘We don’t expect that again.’ The team agrees that the performance against Penn State is a building block and part of a process. ‘I think it was a good start to our season,’ said Croop. ‘We’re way ahead of where we started last year.’ ‘It wasn’t a bad start, definitely better than last year,’ added Yohman. Dani Bryan and Jessica Byich, who both suffered season-ending injuries last season, returned to compete in the opener, reaffirming themselves as key contributors to the squad. Bryan placed third on vault, second on floor routine and also had Pitt’s second highest bar score. ‘[She’s] back in the lineup on three events and close to being on four, and the three she competed in yesterday she was very successful on,’ said Yohman. Byich tallied a 9.700 on balance beam and a 9.225 on bars. Pitt’s next meet, its home opener, takes place Saturday at 7 p.m. against New Hampshire, Air Force and Bridgeport in the Pittsburgh Invitational at the Fitzgerald Field House.