Zeffiro breaks Pitt record in loss

Junior Alyse Zeffiro broke a school record and Pitt tallied its seventh-highest point… Junior Alyse Zeffiro broke a school record and Pitt tallied its seventh-highest point total in school history on Saturday, but neither achievement would be enough as the Panthers lost their bout against Michigan State on Saturday evening, 195.25-194.65.

Zeffiro’s score of 9.95 on the floor exercise is the highest total for that event attained by a Pitt gymnast since Lisa Fronhofer posted a 9.925 in both 1999 and 2000. Zeffiro also placed first overall on the balance beam with a 9.825.

The Panthers’ performance in the floor exercise was strong across the board, as five of their six competitors scored a 9.75 or better, including a career high 9.90 from junior Erika Goldberg.

Pitt’s 49.225-49.025 victory in the floor exercise was one of the two events in which the Panthers managed to outscore Michigan State. The other was their 48.7-48.225 win on the balance beam.

However, Michigan State’s performance on the uneven parallel bars proved the deciding event of the meet as four of the top five scorers were Spartans. Michigan State’s Diana Crea placed first on the bars with a score of 9.925 and Sarah Alexander added a 9.875.

Freshman Lindsay Swan placed third in the event with a 9.85 total, .075 points better than her season high.

Alexander led Michigan State in the vault with a 9.9, followed closely by teammate Christy Linder’s 9.8.

The loss drops the Panthers’ record to 6-11, but they will have a chance at a rematch when they travel to East Lansing, Mich., next week to take part in a tri-meet at the University of Michigan. The meet is scheduled for Saturday at 7 p.m.