Ties that bind

Gymnastics coaches with common pasts renew Lady Lion, Wolfpack rivalry

Penn State women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard and North Carolina State women's gymnastics coach Mark Stevenson go way back.

Both have been good friends for years and both worked at the Woodward Gymnastics Camp where Shephard was the director during the summer of 1981. However, a rivalry exists between them that dates back to the 1970s.

"It was so long ago I don't even remember," he said.

Recently, the rivalry has been renewed as the Lady Lions and the Wolfpack have competed against each other the past three years. Penn State escaped last season with a 190.625-190.575 victory in Raleigh as they defeated N.C. State in the final rotation.

Stevenson's squad, ranked 20th in the nation, hopes to avenge last season's heartbreak as they face the No. 3 Lions at 7 p.m. tomorrow at Rec Hall.

"We decided to renew the competition we had way back when," Shephard said. "It's been a good rivalry. (Stevenson) has put together a good team."

While Stevenson did not focus so much on the rivalry aspect of the meet, he was eagerly anticipating the trip to Penn State. It will be a chance to see his relatives who live in Bellefonte while meeting up with some old friends.

"I enjoy going to Penn State because I have friends up there and people that I know," he said.

Stevenson, now in his 18th season at N.C. State, said this year's team is the best he has had. In their opening week victory against Radford, the Wolfpack used several freshmen along with proven veterans. The fact that the team will not have just one or two gymnasts who dominate will help them, according to Stevenson.

"We have some strong kids that will perform well for us this year," he said. "We've actually have depth and we have gymnasts who perform at a high level of gymnastics."

For the second week in a row, a former Lion will return to State College on the side of the opponent. Bridget Foley, a 1996 Penn State graduate, has been the graduate assistant coach for the Wolfpack the last two years.

Stevenson said Foley is in charge of the choreography of the beam and floor exercise routines and performs various office duties. He feels she has brought experience into the program and knowledge of how to get to Nationals.

"We feel really good about Bridget here," Stevenson said. "It was a nice move to have her come down here."

Penn State senior Joanna Knox described Foley as a "hard working and team-spirited gymnast." Like last week when former Lion gymnast and current Illinois coach Lynn Brueckman came back to Rec Hall, the Lions know they have to keep their minds on the meet first and take care of business.

"We'll be excited for Bridget but we'll be focused on the competition," Knox said.

The Lions will be stronger than they were last year when they faced the Wolfpack. The reason for this is the added depth in each event and the lack of injuries they have sustained thus far. In the meet last season, the Lions only had five gymnasts on bars so all of their scores counted.

Knox said the team has taken to its goal to reach the Super Six and has grown sure of its potential at this stage of the season.

"I think we're gaining some more confidence in our ability," she said. "I think it's a very positive feeling of how we're doing right now. I think people actually believe we're going to do it (make Super Six), which is very encouraging."