Gymmen, gymwomen pommel competition

Leopoldus and teammates in all-around zone

In all sports, there comes a time when an athlete performs at such a superior level that people say he or she is in "the zone." The concentration level is to the point that it exceeds everyone else's in the field of competition.

Saturday night, Penn State junior gymnast Missy Leopoldus was in this state.

A week after barely missing her career high in the all-around, Leopoldus not only set her top mark in the all-around but shattered the Penn State record with a 39.625. She also tied the school's all-time record on bars with a 9.925 (shared by junior Ellen Casey) and on beam with a 9.95 (shared by Nicole Malinak). Her record-breaking night was completed as she set a career high on floor with a 9.925.

"She's awesome, we're lucky to have her," Penn State coach Steve Shephard said. "I tried to coach her and she said to me, 'That's all right,' so I just left her alone."

Leopoldus' accomplishments highlighted the Lady Lions' opening meet at Rec Hall as they cruised by Illinois 194.9-191.925 in front of 2,691 people.

The competition was also a homecoming for Fighting Illini coach Lynn Brueckman, who was a Lion gymnast from 1988-92. She was happy with her team's performance and was encouraged about how it will fare in future meets.

"They did actually really well and we definitely improved upon last weekend's performance," she said. "We had a few falls on balance beam, which we need to take care of in the future, but overall it was a great job and a good away meet for us."

Illinois had two gymnasts who placed in the all-around. Freshmen Phaedra Dixon (38.325) and Gina Wiechmann (38.225) finished second and third, respectively. Dixon tied Casey on bars (9.825) while Wiechmann and teammate Kim Berres tied for third on beam (9.85).

Although Penn State had some shaky moments on its first event, vault, the team put it all together from the second rotation on.

"I was very pleased," Shephard said. "I think we showed a lot of promise but we still have room for improvement, which is encouraging. To score 195 and still have room for improvement, I think that's a good sign at this stage of the game."

After receiving a 9.825 on vault, Leopoldus took her gymnastics to another level. As she was about to complete her routine on bars and beam, the anticipation of a great finish was in the air. Once Leopoldus executed her dismount, the crowd erupted while the team rushed to congratulate her.

"I was very relaxed last week, and this week going in I was trying to be the same way," she said. "I was a little more nervous than I was last week but once we got started I was fine."

Leopoldus was not the only Penn State gymnast to have a fantastic evening. Sophomore Nikki Smith tied her career high on floor with a 9.875 and also was awarded the Ann Carr Award, given to the gymnast who provides the most inspirational performance at each home meet. Smith also scored a 9.775 on bars and a 9.875 on beam.

The scores which Smith attained on beam and bars were crucial because freshman Gemma Cuff suffered falls on bars and beam. Her performance under pressure was evidence that Smith could thrive under tough circumstances.

"Smith's a show-off," Shephard joked. "She loves to perform so it's easy for her, and I think that she really showed her true potential today."

In their debuts at Rec Hall, Cuff and fellow freshman Maria Taylor had more downs than ups. While Cuff had troubles on bars and beam, Taylor received a 9.2 on bars, which included a fall, and a 9.425 on beam. However, Shephard is optimistic that they will learn from this meet.

"You have to be confident and consistent in pressure situations and I think they fell a little short," he said. "But I think the good news is that they have some seasoned competitors on the team that they can look to and give them some helpful tips on how to do it when the pressure's on."