March 2, 2007

PITTSBURGH - The Pitt Gymnastic team will take on No. 19 Missouri and Central Michigan on Saturday, March 3, at the Fitzgerald Field House. The tri-meet is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Panthers hope to add another win to their record following their high scoring meet against Kent State last Friday. Pitt recorded a season-best 193.375 against the Golden Flashes and also set top team scores on the vault and floor exercise.

Central Michigan is Pitt's second MAC opponent this season. The Chippewas currently leads the series against the Panthers with a four-meet win streak. Missouri also leads the series against Pitt, and last season they picked up their most recent win when they hosted the Cat Classic.

Pitt continues to improve each week on the vault, having topped the previous meet's score for the last three competitions. Dani Bryan Germantown, Md./Northwest) continues to be the team's leading vaulter, scoring a 9.850 last weekend for second. She holds the second-highest regional qualifying score (RQS) in the league and is 30th in the NCAA standings. Bryan has scored above a 9.775 in every meet this season with a personal-best 9.875 against Ohio State.

On the uneven bars, the Panthers remain in the nation's top 25 with an RQS of 48.450. Senior co-captain Andrea Arlotta (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) is third in the league and won the event title last weekend with a 9.800. She scored a career-high 9.875 at Rutgers in early February. But Arlotta isn't the Panthers' only threat on this event. Junior Samantha DeBone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) is in the NCAA's top 100 with a 9.740 RQS. DeBone and teammate Alix Croop (Allentown, Pa./Bridgeway Academy) tied for fourth on the uneven bars at Kent State with 9.700s.

The Panthers have struggled a bit on the balance beam in recent weeks, but they come into this week focused and ready to regain their competitiveness on this event. At Kent State, sophomore Andrea Konesky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) was the team's lead-off gymnast, and she scored a career-high 9.800 for third place. Arlotta and DeBone have also achieved this score earlier this season.

With one of its top performers sidelined with an injury, the Pitt's floor exercise squad has rose to the challenge this season, scoring above a 48.750 in the last two competitions. Arlotta recorded a 9.900 in her last two meets to win the event. Bryan set a career-high 9.825 against the Golden Flashes for fourth. Additionally, freshman Shannon McConnell (Allison Park, Pa./North Allegheny) scored a 9.800 in her last two meets, bumping her average up to a 9.713.