While the majority of Temple’s student body spent the week of March 10th in friendlier climates, the women’s gymnastic team spent their week competing to retain their number two ranking.
With two meets in less than a week ,the team had little time to prepare.
“We went to Cornell the weekend that everyone went on spring break, and we went to Penn State on Thursday,” Senior Cicely Warrington said.
“There’s really no spring break for athletes if you’re events are in the spring.”
Despite the short prep time, the Owls did manage to defeat Cornell by the narrowest of margins: 187.875-187.800 at Teagle Gymnasium.
Junior Paige Ozaroski came in first in the beam behind a 9.675 score while sophomore Lexis Zafferes won the vault with a score of 9.675.
The team realizes that ups and downs can be expected when you’re, engaged in a high level of competition and reaching for the top of the mountain.
But senior Brynne Hillman thinks that the Lady Owls are more than up to the challenge.
“Andrea [McGary] and I have been watching this team get better for [over] four years,” Senior Brynne Hillman said.
“It’s the best team Temple has seen in 10 years, and it’s a nice to feel like a apart of that.
The Owls aren’t just at the top of the mountain; they’re also topping the school’s record lists.
According to coach Ken Anderson, the high scores and the school records go hand in hand.
“Last year we broke half the school records, but this year, our average is the highest it’s ever had been,” Anderson said.
“The fact that we came real close to the records that still stand keeps our average high. So, [with the remaining meets] we still have a chance to pull that [average] even higher.”
Hillman also attributes focus to their success.
“We try to focus on our selves during meets,” Hillman said “We don’t worry about what other teams are doing, and just focus. That was hard at Penn State, though, because of the big atmosphere.”
The Owls are currently preparing for the Atlantic 10 Invitational, which they will be hosting.
However, before they can look that far ahead, the Owls will face Penn State on the 22nd.
Senior Andrea McGary is excited about the match.
“We’re really forward to the meet with Penn State,” McGary said.
“They’re a big rival, and were looking forward to kicking some Penn State butt.”
Calvin Gorrell can be reached at cgorrell@temple.edu
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