Gymnastics enjoys team and individual success

The Panthers traveled to the University of Missouri last weekend to compete in the Callaway… The Panthers traveled to the University of Missouri last weekend to compete in the Callaway Cat Classic, which featured team scoring as well as individual event finals.

On Friday, which was day one of the competition, Pitt finished second to Missouri with a team score of 192.050. Several Panthers performed well enough to move on to the individual finals.

“I was pleased with the outcome, especially on the beam,” head coach Debbie Yohman said. “I don’t think we went in expecting to beat Missouri, but in gymnastics it is important to compete against the better teams. You never learn how to look and perform confidently and nail routines unless you do. That was the goal this weekend.”

Andrea Arlotta represented Pitt in the all-around competition, finishing second with an impressive 38.875 score. Arlotta also qualified for individual event finals on the vault, uneven bars and the floor exercise.

“Andrea was probably the strongest gymnast in the entire meet. She hit everything and was just a hair away from beam finals,” Yohman said.

On the first event of the opening night, the uneven bars, Pitt scored a 47.450 to capture third place. Arlotta came in eighth overall with a score of 9.650. Following Arlotta were teammates Kaitlyn Harrison and Alix Croop, who achieved a career high, with a 9.600. These scores allowed all three gymnasts to move on to compete on Saturday.

The Panthers’ work to improve upon their beam performances paid off as they completed the second event of the night with a 48.00, their second-highest beam score this season. Samantha DeBone and Anya Chayka tied for seventh place with a 9.700, qualifying them to move on to the individual finals. Arlotta was right behind her teammates with a 9.625. Nicole Drane was next with a score of 9.575.

Yet another example of why Pitt is known for its strong floor routines was evident on Friday when four gymnasts qualified for the individual finals. The Panthers scored a 48.400, just missing the first-place spot. Arlotta, who finished third, led the team with a 9.800, followed by Victoria McGuigan-Carl in fourth place with a 9.760, her best performance this season. Jessica Garber came in eighth place at 9.650. Robyn Marszalek was close behind with a 9.625 for 10th place. All four gymnasts represented Pitt in the finals.

Pitt, Missouri and Ball State were the only teams to make it to the event finals on Saturday because of their top 10 scores.

On vault, Pitt finished with a score of 48.200. Arlotta once again led the team with a 9.800, her second-highest score of the season. McGuigan-Carl came in sixth with a 9.775. Both gymnasts moved on to the final event.

On Saturday, the individual competition began. McGuigan-Carl placed sixth overall on the vault with a score of 9.675. Arlotta came in third on the vault with a 9.750. Missouri’s Jodie Heinicka claimed first with a 9.800.

Three gymnasts represented Pitt on the uneven bars. Harrison scored a 9.475, bringing her average to a 9.516 for the season. Croop set her second career high of the event with a 9.625 for fifth place. For the fourth time this season, Arlotta tied her season-high score of 9.800 to take third place. First place went to Missouri’s Sarah Zigler who scored 9.850.

Despite the Panthers’ performance on Friday, the squad could not manage to stay on the balance beam on Saturday. DeBone scored an 8.6 after two falls during her routine. Chayka, who also fell once, finished with a 9.3 effort for seventh place. Amanda Pezullo of Missouri took first with a 9.825.

Last, on the floor exercise, Drane started things off with a 9.65. Garber scored a 9.150, despite a fall in her final tumbling pass. McGuigan-Carl achieved a 9.0, a score that would have been higher if she did not fall during her routine. Arlotta pulled through for the Panthers with her third place score of 9.75. Once again Missouri took first place with Whitney Carter’s 9.875 effort.

“Victoria had been a little nervous since we were competing in such a big arena with a lot of people and noise. It is a completely different attitude when you compete individually and you don’t have [your] team to encourage you before your routine,” Yohman said. “This was a very good experience for Victoria because it can only make her stronger.”

At the end of the entire competition, the six highest-ranked gymnasts on each event were honored. Among these gymnasts were Pitt’s Arlotta, Croop and McGuigan-Carl.

This weekend the Panthers will be on the road again, heading to North Carolina for a quad meet against the host Tar Heels, West Virginia and Penn.