PITTSBURGH, Jan. 28, 2002 -- The Penn State women's gymnastics team defeated Pittsburgh, 193.500 to 191.000 Sunday night in Pittsburgh. The Lions took the top three spots in the all-around competition, with junior Katie Rowland (Georgetown, Ontario) posting a meet-high score of 39.475.

Rowland, the 2001 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, set season-high marks on the vault (9.900) and balance beam (9.925) en route to the all-around title. Junior Leslie Bair (Lancaster, Pa.) placed second in the all-around with a score of 38.800, aided by a 9.775 performance on the vault and a 9.850 showing on the floor exercise. Junior Katie McAvoy (Winnepeg, Manitoba) rounded out the Nittany Lion trio with a 38.775 score in the all-around. McAvoy tied her season-high of 9.825 on the uneven bars and set a new season-high on the vault, scoring a 9.825.

As a team, Penn State recorded a season-high 48.450 on the uneven bars, a 48.750 on the balance beam and a 48.800 on the floor exercise for their highest team score of the season.

The Lions return home for a double-dual meet on Saturday, Feb. 2 against the Illinois Fighting Illini. A joint meet with the Penn State men's team, competition begins at 1:00 p.m. at Rec Hall.

 Penn State Final Team Results: Total: 193.500 Vault: 47.500 Uneven Bars: 48.450 Beam: 48.750 Floor: 48.800 Penn State Top Individual Scorers: Vault: Katie Rowland, 9.900 Uneven Bars: Katie McAvoy, 9.875 Beam: Katie Rowland, 9.925 Floor: Katie Rowland, 9.875