She stands at just 5'2", but to opponents competing against her, she often mirrors an unstoppable giant.

This awe-inspiring figure is Lynn Crane, whose stellar performance Saturday against Ohio State enabled the women's gymnastics team to not only win its home opener but also avenge its NCAA Northeast Regional setback.

From the outset, things went well for Crane. In her first event, the vault, she attempted a front-front (a front handspring onto the vault followed by oneand-one-half front flips), a move which she had never tried before in competition.

On her first attempt, Crane nailed a seemingly perfect vault and received a 9.70 for the effort -- eclipsing her career best.

"It set the tone great (for the rest of the meet)," Crane said. "I've been working that vault all summer and it was a great feeling to do it for the first time and nail it like that. I didn't really think about nailing it, it just happened."

Crane's momentum carried through into the uneven bars as an agressive but smooth routine including a near flawless dismount culminated in a 9.45 and another first-place finish.

The balance beam, though, created great difficulty for Crane. About midway through her performance, she lost her balance after a back flip and fell off the beam. Because of that fall, Crane received a dissapointing 8.90.

"That's what killed me. The team all needs a lot more work. Our confidence level is just a little bit lower on that event," she said. "It's still early in the season and we're really going to bust our butts in the gym."

However, Crane did not dwell on that misfortune. A sparkling display of entertaining and athletic tumbling and dancing during the floor exercise including a layout pike with a double back flip and a one-and-one-quarter Arabian (a half twist and a quarter front flip) put the crowd on its feet and brought with it a response of 9.55 from the judges.

Crane's all-around performance was rewarded as she was given the Anne Carr award, an honor given to the gymnast who provides the most inspirational performance at each home meet.

Future opponents should take notice as Crane plans to have a couple of new tricks up her sleeve. By season's end she plans to include back-to-back back flips on the floor exercise.