Feb. 9, 2010

PITTSBURGH -

Following Pitt’s win over No. 13 Iowa State, Rutgers and Brockport, Panther sophomore Alicia Talucci has been named the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Gymnast of the Week and freshman Meaghan Biros is the EAGL Rookie of the Week.

Talucci (Coatesville, Pa./Coatesville) scored a 39.200 in the all-around competition for her fourth consecutive all-around win of the season. In addition to hitting all four routines, Talucci’s floor score of 9.850 marked a career high for the accomplished gymnast. On the floor, Talucci finished first and captured third on the balance beam with a 9.825.

As a freshman, Talucci was named the EAGL Gymnast of the Week once, and earned Rookie of the Week honors twice. At the conclusion of the season, she was named the EAGL Rookie of the Year.

Biros (Chicago, Ill./Mother McAuley) earned her first Rookie of the Week honors after an outstanding performance on three events. Biros was held out of the all-around competition due to illness during the week, but recorded a career-high score on the uneven bars at 9.775, and finished fourth on the vault with a 9.800. Her final score of the night came in a 9.675 on the beam.

Talucci’s and Biros’ performances helped lead the Panthers to their win over No. 13 Iowa State, which marks the highest-ranked team Pitt has defeated in school history.

The Panthers return to action Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. when they host in-state rival Penn State at Fitzgerald Field House.