March 16, 2002

PITTSBURGH- For the fourth time this season, the Pittsburgh gymnastics team registered a team top ten score with 194.275 points in the final home meet of the year against Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon at Trees Hall. It was the second highest point total for the Panthers this year and eighth-best in school history.

The fact the Panthers did it without senior Raya Mullin (Runnemede, N.J./Triton), who missed the first meet of her four-year career, gave even more merit to the accomplishment. Mullin fractured her elbow in practice on Monday and will miss the rest of the 2002 season. Junior Heather Launse (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) led the way with her first all-around performance since the beginning of the season and recorded a career-high 39.05 points, which was also a season-high for the Panthers. Launse finished second behind Bowling Green's Marny Oestreng with 39.35 points and Pittsburgh finished second behind the Falcons in the meet by 0.65 points.

Senior Day also featured Colleen Crisi (Woodhaven, Mich./Carlson) and Rebecca Singleton (Poland, Ohio/Boardman) and the two seniors didn't disappoint. Crisi had a season-high 9.6 on the uneven bars and added 9.725 points on the balance beam while Singleton earned a 9.825 score from the judges on the beam.

Launse registered three career highs, including the all-around, with a 9.7 on the uneven parallel bars and 9.85 points on the balance beam. In addition to finishing second in the all-around, she placed fourth on floor and bars and third on the beam. Also competing in the all-around for the Panthers were Marcy Blitz (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield) and Diandra O'Connor (Owasso, Okla./Owasso). Blitz had a career-high 9.875 points on the floor exercise and finished in a tie for second place in that event. O'Connor had a team-high and career-high 9.925 on the beam to finish first in the event. It tied her for second on the Panthers' all-time individual performance list on the balance beam.

Blitz and sophomore Alyse Zeffiro (Holbrook, N.Y./Sachem) tied for third on the vault with identical 9.75 scores behind Bowling Green's Oestreng (9.875) and Pia Sjovall (9.8). The top three scores on the uneven bars were all recorded by the Falcons as Mindy Untch (9.875), Kari Elste (9.8) and Oestreng (9.775) swept the podium.

Between O'Connor's first-place finish and Launse's third-place performance was Bowling Green's Untch with a 9.875 on the balance beam for second place. Oestreng won the individual floor exercise competition with a 9.9, followed by Blitz and Melissa Popovich of the Falcons with a 9.875.

Pittsburgh dropped to 8-11 on the season while Bowling Green improved to 16-1. The Panthers will compete in the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Championships on Saturday, March 23, at Towson University.