Feb. 9, 2002

PITTSBURGH-The rebuilding effort that Head Coach Debbie Yohman stated was in the process of being completed came to its fruition on Saturday evening at Trees Gym when Pittsburgh's gymnastics team tied its fifth-best score in 28 years of competition with 194.35 points and gained victories over Rutgers, James Madison and Wilson College.

A school-record 48.75 points on the vault began what turned out to be a night of broken records for Pittsburgh as it moved up to 5-5 for the season and 1-2 in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League with the win over Rutgers, which finished second with 192.125 points. James Madison was third with 189.15 points and Division III Wilson College posted a season-high with 160.75 points.

Junior Nathalie Sulpher (Ottawa, Canada/Franco-Quest) set a school record on the vault with a score of 9.85 just minutes after sophomore Alyse Zeffiro (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem) tied the record with a 9.8 from the judges. Both gymnasts' previous high scores were 9.775, set in 2000 for Sulpher and in 2001 for Zeffiro. Diandra O'Connor (Owasso, Okla./Owasso), Heather Launse (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) and Marcy Blitz (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) all scored a 9.7 on the vault to help break the school record on the apparatus set in 1997 with 48.65 points.

"We've done well on vault all season and really put it together for the meet tonight," Yohman said. "I'm so proud of what we were able to accomplish as a team."

On the uneven bars, Pittsburgh tied its season high with 48.1 points led by a season-high 9.825 by Raya Mullin (Runnemede, N.J./Triton). O'Connor also posted a career high on the bars with 9.8 points from the judges. Sulpher also tallied a career high on the apparatus with 9.775 points.

The Panthers came within two tenths of a point from tying the school record on the balance beam with a team score of 48.9 points. All five Panther scores were between a 9.75 and 9.8, led by two 9.8 scores from junior Lisa Yarosh (Seymour, Conn./Seymour) and senior co-captain Colleen Crisi (Woodhaven, Mich./Carlson).

Pittsburgh finished strongly on the floor exercise with 48.6 points led by Zeffiro's 9.75, but the event was won by Rutgers' Courtney Turner, who earned a 9.85 from the judges. Turner also tied for third on the vault with a 9.75.

O'Connor won the all-around competition with a total of 39 points on the four events to help the Panthers to the season-high score.

The Panthers will host Central Michigan and Ursinus on Saturday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. The meet will be held at Fitzgerald Field House.