Columbus, Oh., March 23, 2002. The No. 21 Penn State Women's Gymnastics team finished in 7th place tonight at the Big Ten Championships. Junior
Katie Rowland (Georgetown, Ontario) placed first in the individual all-around competition with a score of 39.500.
The team posted an all-around team score of 192.550. Michigan took first place with a score fo 196.475, followed by the University of Minnesota with a score of 195.775. The University of Iowa took third place with a score of 195.550, and host team Ohio State took fouth place with a score of 194.725. Michigan State finished in fifth place with a score of 194.652 and the University of Illinois edged out Penn State by a score of 192.825.
Penn State posted team scores of 48.150 on vault, 48.200 on bars, 47.425 on beam and 48.775 on floor.
Penn State was without one of its mainstays in their rotations. The NCAA rules allow six routines per event with the lowest score on each event being dropped. Because Katie McAvoy (Winnipeg, Manitoba) could not compete due to an ankle injury, the Lions did not have the leniency of performing six routines on every event and having a score dropped.
Rowland scored a 9.900 on beam and floor, a 9.950 on vault and a 9.750 on bars to lead her team. She was the top scorer on vault, tied for second place on floor and tied for third place on beam.
Freshman Kate Stopper (Reinholds, Pa.), who was expected to miss all season because of a toe injury, stepped up for the Lions and scored a 9.400 on uneven bars. Junior co-captain Leslie Bair (Lancaster, Pa.) took ninth place in the all-around competition with a score of 38.900. Junior Dana Cuomo (Robbinsville, N.J.) scored a 9.825 on bars, which tied her for sixth in the competition.
The Lions return to competition in two weeks on April 6th as Rec Hall hosts the Northeast Regional Championshps at 6 p.m.
