Gymnasts finish third in home meet

Nobody uttered “Thank goodness it’s Friday” when two nationally-ranked gymnastics… Nobody uttered “Thank goodness it’s Friday” when two nationally-ranked gymnastics powerhouses tumbled into Pitt for a quad meet at the Fitzgerald Field House Friday.

The Panthers (1-2, 1-1 Eastern Atlantic Gymnastics League) hosted No. 9 Michigan State, No. 11 West Virginia and unranked Maryland in their first official meet of the season. Pitt edged out Maryland for third place with 190.725 points, as West Virginia (193.150) topped Michigan State (192.150) to take the competition.

“We were real excited about this performance,” Pitt head coach Debbie Yohman said. “Our kids looked great. It was great getting our first meet under our belts.”

The meet began with a team competition on the vault. Pitt led after the first rotation with freshman Dani Bryan placing fourth in the event and sophomore Victoria McGuigan-Carl taking 10th.

Bryan’s 9.8 helped the Panthers total 48.375 points, besting Maryland. Bryan missed first by 0.5 points, as Michigan State’s Rochelle Robinson landed a 9.85 to take the event.

“[Bryan] is a great vaulter,” Yohman said. “She’s had a lot of experience competing at high levels, and she definitely showed it Friday.”

Two falls on the uneven bars damaged Pitt’s chances, as the Panthers were forced to count one of the two mistakes toward their overall score in the event. Senior Andrea Arlotta swung into a fourth-place tie with a 9.75 tally, missing first by one point to Robinson, who took her second consecutive event of the evening.

“[Arlotta] has been limited by injuries in most of her events,” Yohman said. “It didn’t affect her on the bars, so she still had a nice routine that was easy for her. We expect to keep improving.”

In spite of the two falls, the Panthers held first place after the second rotation, leading West Virginia by 0.3 points.

“It was good for our team to be competitive,” Yohman said.

But Pitt wobbled on the balance beam, falling four times as a team. According to Yohman, it wasn’t the pressure of the event on her young team.

“It’s still a learning process on the balance beam,” Yohman said. “You can’t be too conservative and too careful on the beam. We just have to be more aggressive, and with that, their confidence will build.”

Junior Samantha DeBone tied for third on the balance beam, managing a 9.75 total. Michigan State’s duo of Nicole Curler and Katlyn Roggensack gridlocked first place with 9.775 finishes.

The Panthers’ demise, matched by the ascent of both West Virginia and Michigan State, pushed Pitt back to third place, as the Mountaineers leapfrogged into first and the Spartans slid into second.

“[DeBone] is capable and talented, obviously,” Yohman said. “The fall to third got our team stirred up and ready for the floor. We went to the event determined to get the lead back.”

McGuigan-Carl returned to action in the final event, snatching first place on the floor. Her 9.8 score toppled West Virginia’s Tynisha Dennis, who settled for second with 9.725 points.

“[McGuigan-Carl’s] routine and performance were just ridiculous,” Yohman said. “She was absolutely fantastic on the floor.”

Bryan grabbed a third-place tie on the floor with her 9.7 rating. She edged out teammate Shannon McConnell, who took seventh with a 9.65 score. According to Yohman, she expects her freshmen to perform well against Pitt’s big-name opponents, which riddle the Panthers’ schedule throughout the season.

“We expect to be even with the top teams around,” Yohman said. “We upgraded our schedule this year to compete against some nationally-recognized programs, and we will get better for it.”

The Panthers remain home Saturday when they take on New Hampshire and Air Force at the Fitzgerald Field House. The meet begins at 7:30 p.m.

“We left [Friday’s meet] knowing we’re better than our performance,” Yohman said. “We are already working on things and getting ready for next week.”