As April Polito's arms flew up to conclude her floor routine, the cries from her counterparts in the bleachers -- members of the men's gymnastics team -- gave her a 9.9 long before the judges confirmed it.

Huddled together in their designated section of the bleachers the Lions react to a fellow Lady Lion performance with screams, shouts and attempts to begin a Rec Hall wave. This is the motivation the team looks for in order to perform at its best.

"We like that it is so loud during the meet," senior co-captain Coby Silver said. "It boosts our confidence to see them there cheering us on."

These screams and shouts are not foreign to the gymnasts. The two teams consider themselves to be a very close group. They practice together daily and always yell encouraging phrases while others are rehearsing for an upcoming meet.

"We work out everyday, so it's great when they're there because they know how hard we work," Lion Brandy Wood said.

While the women consistently show their enthusiasm both during practices as well as meets, the men prefer to save their efforts for the actual performances.

"The guys usually don't cheer for us at practice," Michelle Manzolillo said. "That's why we like to hear a lot of reaction at our meets."

The support appears to be beneficial. The women scored their season high against Florida Saturday night, despite a narrow edging by the Gators, 193.95-193.00.

With Big Ten Championships being held at Rec Hall this weekend, both teams are hoping that this inter-team support will lead them to their season's best.

"We need some extra support for Big Tens," Lion Lee Rickets said. "The bigger the crowd is, the better we perform."