Gymwomen face Utah at home

For the Penn State women's gymnastics team, it may seem like an eternity since its last home meet. In reality, the last time the Lady Lions were in the friendly confines of Rec Hall was just over a month ago.

Penn State (6-5) is eagerly awaiting the start of a two-meet home stand, starting at 7 p.m. tomorrow against No. 4 Utah (6-1). The Utes will be at the end of a grueling stretch of three competitions in seven days.

Injuries have taken their toll not only on Penn State but also on Utah. Junior All-American Traci Sommer is doubtful for the meet due to back spasms, while sophomore All-American Sarah Northrop will not be in the lineup because of a strained tricep.

With the help of a solid meet last weekend at Ohio State and with some of his gymnasts healthy again, Lady Lion coach Steve Shephard is optimistic about the weekend.

"They're doing great in practice," he said. "I expect them to have a good meet."

Sophomore Missy Leopoldus said the confidence level of the team increased with the Lady Lions' solid performance in Columbus, Ohio.

"I think that was a great meet for us," she said. "We proved to ourselves that we could hit. We know what we have to do and what to hit."

Being at home could also be a recipe for victory for the Lady Lions. Sophomore Janae Whittaker said some of the gymnasts have put up flyers to increase publicity for the meet. Shephard also is hoping for a big crowd to support the team.

The past few weeks on the road have enabled Penn State to analyze its weak spots and correct them. Sophomore Ellen Casey said the time has brought a sense of unity to the team.

"I think that even though we've had a rough time with injuries we pulled together as a team," she said. "It made us a lot stronger and gave us an opportunity to improve our routines."

The Lady Lions should be at almost 100 percent on all events. Shephard said junior Joanna Knox is continuing to improve and showing considerable progress, especially on bars. He said she also is close to being ready on vault.

Leopoldus will be on bars and beam but her participation in the other two events -- vault and floor -- are still in question. Leopoldus practiced some light tumbling on vault yesterday and today to see if she would be able to compete on the apparatus.

"Missy's feeling a lot better," Shephard said. "We're going to play it by ear. We will let pain be the guide."