Gymwomen record highest score ever
By HOLLY HORN
Collegian Sports Writer
Finally
The women's gymnastics team did
more than achieve its goal Saturday
night of performing well before a
home audience. It performed extraor
dinarily well and marked a 191.95, the
highest score in team history.
The Lady Lions (16-3) swept all four
events, defeating Rutgers (10-12) and
Temple (12-14 ).
"We've been performing so much
under our potential at home this sea
son," Coach Judi Avener said. "They
wanted to crack that jinx and prove
that they're a good team. -
The team's previous high score was
a 191.5, set a month ago at Ohio State.
Before Saturday's meet, the Lady
Lions were performing inconsistently,
scoring better on the road than at
home.
With this new high score, the Lady
Lions could increase their seeding into
the Northeast Regionals and NCAA
Championships. After next weekend's
Atlantic 10 Championships at George
Washington, a team average is deter
mined by averaging the scores of two
home meets, two away meets, and any
other meet.
Penn State's performance may have
had something to do with Saturday's
competition being the last meet of the
regular season and the last home meet
for the seniors.
Team salutes seniors at final home performance
By ANDREW C. BIRD
Collegian Sports Writer
As many times as she has been through the
bittersweet excitement of seeing her seniors
graduate, women's gymnastics coach Judy
Avener still cries after the last home meet of
their college careers.
"I cry every time, especially when they made
as much contribution to the team as they have,"
said Avener, who has coached the Lady Lions for
17 years.
Paula Bright, Lynn Crane and Kira Rohm
competed in the last home meet of their college
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"I think the seniors did a great job,"
Avener said. "It's a bittersweet thing;
It's sad to see them go but it makes me
proud."
The Lady Lions competed first on
the vault. Paula Bright and Coby Sil
ver tied for third with a 9.6. Silver also
tied her career high. Lynn Crane took
second with a 9.65 and Allison Barber
took first with a 9.75. Rene Lyst scored
a 9.5 and April Polito a 9.3.
Moving to the uneven bars, Penn
State acheived a combined score of
47.9, setting a new school record. The
previous record was a 47.8, set against
New Hampshire last season.
Polito scored a 9.6 on the bars for
third place and a new career high.
Crane took second with a 9.65 and Kira
Rohm took first with a 9.8, achieving
her highest score this season and tying
the school record.
"We took out the release move that
was giving me trouble and we worked
on some new tricks to go for a higher
score," Rohm said.
Laurie Russo competed on the bars
for the first time, scoring a 9.5. Jada
Hiltabrand scored a 9.35 and Barber
took a 9.1 because she overextended
and fell off.
"I really wanted to make my routine
but I stopped thinking about my
`cues,' " Barber said. "The only words
that came to my head were 'l've got to
be aggressive.' "
On the balance beam, Lyst took
third with a 9.65, Polito scored a 9.7 for
careers at Penn State Saturday night in Rec
Hall.
Each was given a blanket by the coaches
because they completed all four years of their eli
gibility and they were given bouquets by their
parents in a pre-game ceremony.
Before the meet, Crane also received the first
Lynn Crane Attitude Award. The award, like oth
ers that Avener has created, honors "personal
qualities that make an athlete successful," Aven
er said.
"I've only seen her in a bad mood twice; once
when she was hurt and once when she was in a
car accident," Avener said.
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Penn State's Rene Lyst performs her floor exercise routine on Saturday night. Lyst scored a 9.25 as the Lady Lions record
ed their highest team score ever a 191.25 to defeat Temple and Rutgers.
second and Barber scored a 9.8 for
first, both tying career highs. Mari
anne Kreisher scored a 9.5, marking
a career high, while Crane took a 9.15
and Laurie Russo scored an 8.95
because she fell off.
The Lady Lions showed personality
and excitement on the floor exercise.
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Hiltabrand took third with a 9.65, tying
her career high. Barber took second
wiht a 9.7 and Bright placed first with
a 9.75, also tying her career high.
"Every meet I've been scoring high
er," Bright said. "I think Judi put me
in at the end to try for an even higher
score."
"No matter what she did, she did it with a
smile. Forever more we'll be looking for that
kind of person."
Avener said she won't give the award every
year. She will only give the award when an ath
lete exemplifies the same personal qualities
Crane has.
After the meet Rohm won the Anne Carr
Award, given to the female gymnast with the
most inspirational performance of the meet.
Besides the awards, Saturday's final home
meet had special meaning for the three Lady
Lions.
"It felt great. It's always been my dream to
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Also on the floor, Crane scored a
9.55, Rogers a 9.5 and Lyst a 9.25.
In the all-around, Temple's Sandra
Mitchell took third place with a 37.85.
Crane took second with a 38.0 and Bar
ber placed first with a 38.35.
Rohm received the Anne Carr
award.
first compete in Rec Hall and second to make it
four years and get the blanket," said Bright, who
grew up in the area.
Bright might not have been there, though,
because she considered retiring from competi
tion after suffering a knee injury last March. She
has been wearing a knee brace for the entire sea
son.
But it hasn't affected her performances. Sat
urday she won the floor exercise, which she con
siders her best event, with a 9.75, her personal
best.
"Judy sat down with me and made me believe
I could get back," Bright said.
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231 1.1411
nsi
Connors
defeats
Riglewski
By STEVEN WINE
AP Sports Writer
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. Jimmy
Connors is back, and Boris Becker is
still around barely.
Connors won for the first time since
October 1989 when he beat German Udo
Riglewski in a fast-round match yester
day at the International Players
Championships.
Becker, facing qualifier Steve DeV
ries in his opening match, lost the first
set, fell behind 5-2 in the third set and
trailed 4-1 in a third-set tiebreaker. But
he rallied, rallied and rallied to win 5-
7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5).
The 38-year-old Connors, trying to
come back from surgery on his left
wrist last October, beat Riglewski 6-4,
6-4 in a match that took nearly 24 hours
to play because of rain delays.
It was suspended Saturday night at 3-
3 in the first set, and play was halted
briefly yesterday at 4-4 in the second
set.
Connors' ranking has dropped from
No. 14 last year to No. 961. The winner
of eight Grand Slam titles was 0-3 in
1990, and he lost to Jaime Yzaga three
weeks ago in his only previous match
this year.
Connors, who entered the tournament
as a wild card, took a 3-0 lead in the sec
ond set against Riglewski, ranked
No. N. Then he lost four consecutive
games before rallying for the victory,
his first since beating Gilad Bloom in
Tel Aviv on Oct. 21, 1989.
The left-handed Connors' wrist was
heavily bandaged but gave him no trou
ble.
Becker, ranked second, was expected
to have little trouble against DeVries,
a doubles specialist from Cincinnati
who had played just three singles
matches in tournaments since 1989. But
DeVries, ranked No. 270, took advan
tage of his strong serve and Becker's
inconsistency to nearly pull off the
upset.