Gymwomen host one of their own

Not only will tomorrow night mark the first home meet of the season for the Penn State women's gymnastics team, but it will be a homecoming for a former Lady Lion gymnast.

When the Lady Lions compete against Illinois at 7 p.m. at Rec Hall, Lady Illini coach Lynn Brueckman will revisit her old stomping grounds. A 1992 Penn State graduate, Brueckman was a member of the Lion gymnastics team for four years and was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference team in 1988, 1989 and 1991. She said coming back to Happy Valley is always special but knows she must keep her team focused on the meet.

"It's certainly nice to come home to my alma mater," she said. "We want to go to State College and give them a run for their money."

Although Brueckman has moved on to Illinois, she still maintains her ties to Penn State. She said she keeps in contact with Penn State assistant coach Jessica Bastardi, who was her teammate in 1988, and Penn State coach Steve Shephard, who was the assistant coach when she competed as a Lion. Brueckman credits them for being supportive as she embarked on her coaching career.

"Steve was a good mentor for me," she said. "They have been helpful in getting my career going at Illinois."

Through her effort and positive personality as a gymnast, Brueckman's name lives on in Penn State gymnastics tradition. The Lynn Crane Attitude Award was first awarded to Brueckman in 1991 by former coach Judi Avener. It is given to the gymnast who displays a consistently upbeat attitude in and out of the gym.

"She was always positive, always upbeat, very coachable and willing to work," he said. "All those qualities is what Lynn tries to instill in her athletes."

The Illini gymnastics team has made great strides under Brueckman, now in her fifth year as head coach. In 1996, it set school records in all but one event and established four of the five highest cumulative scores in Illinois history.

"She has brought a higher level of difficulty," Shephard said. "I think the kids on her team are happy and working hard. I think she has done a super job."

Coming off a 190.35-186.6 victory over Bowling Green, the Illini are focused coming into tomorrow night's meet. The squad will rely on the veteran leadership of juniors Becky Ashton and Kim Berres and the emerging freshman duo of Gina Wiechmann and Phaedra Dixon, who finished first and second, respectively, against Bowling Green.

"(The meet) certainly built their confidence," Brueckman said. "The kids are very pumped and motivated. They want to go to Penn State to prove that they are a good team."

The Lions, meanwhile, are entering the competition on a confident note after a opening weekend victory at New Hampshire. During the week of practice, junior Ellen Casey's back injury has improved enough to allow her to compete in three events instead of two.

Senior Joanna Knox said the home crowd will be an advantage to the team as it competes against the Illini.

"I think we always feel more confident at Rec Hall," she said. "It will help everyone out as they are competing."