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PITT'S ANDREA ARLOTTA QUALIFIES FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS AS TEAM TAKES FIFTH AT REGIONAL MEET
April 14, 2007 ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The Pitt gymnastics team qualified for the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships for the third consecutive year, placing fifth with a 192.550. Senior Andrea Arlotta earned her first berth into the NCAA Championships as an all-around competitor. Winning the team competition was No. 1 Florida with a 197.325. The second team to qualify for nationals was host Michigan with a 196.050. Arlotta (Cincinnati, Ohio/Northwest) is the team's first qualifier since Leila Tait on the balance beam in 2005. She additionally continues to lead the Pitt record books with the most career points at 1,570.380. She passed up the former leader, Robyn Senior, at the EAGL Championships last month. Pitt had two all-around competitors in Arlotta and freshman Dani Bryan (Germantown, Md./Northwest). Arlotta placed fourth in the all-around with a 39.050, and Bryan recorded a 38.300. Pitt started the evening off on the balance beam with a 47.325 after counting two falls towards the team score. Andrea Konesky (Pittsburgh, Pa./Bishop Canevin) was the team's first competitor, scoring a 9.000 with one fall. Up next was freshman Jessica Byich (Nicktown, Pa./Bishop Carroll) who scored a 9.700, her second highest balance beam score this season. Pitt's third competitor was Bryan who counted a fall for a 9.075. Anya Chayka (Germantown, Md./Richard Montgomery) was next with an 8.950 after a fall. Things got back on track as Samantha DeBone (Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield) scored a 9.750 and Arlotta tied her season-high 9.800. Next up for Pitt was the floor exercise where the team scored a 48.625, a tenth higher than they scored at the conference meet. Getting things started was Chayka who recorded a season-best 9.750. Nicole Drane (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape) also had one of her best routines. Senior Jessica Garber (Manheim, Pa./Lancaster Country Day School) closed out her career with a 9.175 after a fall in her final tumbling pass. Freshman Shannon McConnell (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) came through with a 9.700, and Bryan recorded a 9.800. Bryan has scored above a 9.800 in her last three meets this season. Arlotta anchored the event with a 9.775. The Panthers scored a 48.475 on the vault to move into fourth place in the team competition. Chayka was the team's first competitor, scoring a 9.550, and freshman Kirsten Dahlberg (Gibsonia, Pa./Pine Richland) went next with a 9.575. Byich had to count a fall and scored a 9.225. McConnell continued to have a solid meet, scoring a 9.750 to set up the team's final two vaulters. Arlotta had the team's top score, tying her season-high 9.825. Bryan was the last competitor, coming in at a 9.775. The last event of the night for the Panthers was the uneven bars where they scored a 48.125. Leading off the competition was Byich with a 9.500, and Bryan finished next with a 9.650. Kaitlin Harrison (Manchester, N.H./Manchester Memorial) was the third competitor on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.525. The next three competitors all scored a 9.650 and included Alix Croop (Allentown, Pa./Bridgeway Academy), Bryan and Arlotta. The Women's NCAA Division I Gymnastics Championships will be hosted by Utah from April 26-28. Information is available at www.ncaasports.com. Final Team Standings:
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