Gymwomen head to L.A.

PITTSBURGH -- Being a No. 1 seed may have its advantages, but Penn State women's gymnastics coach Steve Shephard said it is something he does not like.

"You can't avoid it, it's a pressure cooker for them," he said.

"That was the goal of the meet, to qualify for nationals," junior Ellen Casey said. "Last year, it was a relief and this year, more than the other years, we expected to win it."

Despite an opening 8.3 by senior Joanna Knox, the team strung together five solid performances, not counting a fall on any of them.

Freshman Gemma Cuff got the Lions back on target, sticking her passes and receiving a 9.75. Redshirt freshman Heather Duggan had a confident look as she did her routine and her passes were met with cheering from her teammates.

After Duggan's 9.725, sophomore Nikki Smith followed with a 9.75. Casey nailed her passes on her performance, gaining a 9.775 and junior Missy Leopoldus finished the night with her routine, performed to Garth Brooks, and earned a 9.85.

Leopoldus said she knew she had to hit and that made her a little nervous.

When all the teams were finished for the night, most of the fans knew who would be traveling to Los Angeles. Chants of "We Are . . . Penn State" started resonating from the Lion faithful at Fitzgerald Field House. As the team took its spot on the first place stand, they sang "Fight On, State."

Before the final team standings were announced, Penn State had a lot to cheer about as freshman Gemma Cuff took the all-around title with a 39.2. She was the second Penn State winner in three years as Leopoldus won it in 1996, also as a freshman.

"I was shocked," Cuff said. "I hadn't thought of the all-around because I didn't think I was going to be in the running."

Leopoldus said Cuff has shown the potential all season to hit her routines under pressure.

"It's one of the first times she's put it together all year," she said. "She handled the pressure very well and we're all excited for her."

Cuff also won on vault as she recorded a score of 9.9. At first, however, she was first given a 9.7 which seemed harsh because she stuck her landing.

"We were irate with that score," Shephard said. "We thought that was unbelievable."

It was discovered that the judge not only flashed the wrong start value score but penalized Penn State two tenths for calling the wrong vault. Meet referee Carole Ide noticed the discrepancy, told Shephard and assistant coach Jessica Bastardi about it and got the score changed.

"She went to bat for us," Shephard said.

Senior Carey Hoyt played an integral part for the team when she competed on bars. After feeling confident all week in practice, she looked calm and relaxed before opening the rotation for the Lions.

The execution was nearly flawless and when it came to the dismount, Hoyt nailed it.

"It was important and that was the thing we were working on all week, sticking our landing," she said. "I was very pleased when it all came together."

Shephard said he could sense that Hoyt's confidence after Big Tens may have been a little low because she posted a 9.125 on the event. He thought Hoyt was worried about being pulled from the lineup but Shephard knew her experience was too valuable. The coach kept her in and the team reaped the rewards.

"I was very proud of her doing the job like that," Shephard said.