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Penn State Women's Gymnastics Takes Third at Big Ten Championships
Click here for full results at www.bigten.org. CHAMPAIGN, Ill., March 29, 2003 - The Penn State women's gymnastics team posted a season-high score of 196.650 en route to placing third at the Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Illinois. Michigan claimed the overall team title with a score of 197.450 while Iowa placed second with 196.850. Minnesota claimed fourth (195.425), Ohio State came in fifth (194.975) with Illinois (193.575) and Michigan State (193.425) placing sixth and seventh, respectively. Senior Katie Rowland (Georgetown, Ontario) was named the Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and captured the individual vault and all-around titles with scores of 10.000 and 39.625, respectively. Her 10.000 on vault marks the second perfect score in that event this year and her third overall. Rowland was also Penn State's lone representative on the first team All-Big Ten squad. As a team, Penn State recorded scores of 49.150 on the vault, 49.150 on the bars, 49.250 on the beam and 49.100 on the floor. Rowland claimed the overall title on the vault with a 10.000. Senior Katie McAvoy (Winnipeg, Manitoba) placed second in the event with a 9.900, her second-highest score of the season on the vault. Sophomore Kate Stopper (Reinholds, Pa.), freshman Michelle Ilg (Colonia, N.J.) and freshman Jennifer Orlando (Herndon, Va.) tied for 16th with a 9.750 and senior Nikki Bongiovanni (Meriden, Conn.) scored a 9.575 to finish in 37th. On the bars, Rowland and McAvoy shared the seventh-place spot with a 9.875 as Iowa's Alexis Maday scored a 9.950 to take home the title. Senior Dana Cuomo (Robbinsville, N.J.) posted a 9.825 to finish tied for 16th while junior Kelly Streicher (Colorado Springs, Colo.) placed tied for 19th with a 9.800. Senior Leslie Bair (Lancaster, Pa.) scored a 9.700 to place 31st. Rowland and Stopper were Penn State's top finishers on the beam, as both scored a 9.900 to finish tied for fourth. The score marks a career-high for Stopper, who previously scored a 9.800 on March 8, 2003, at Minnesota. Michigan's Janessa Grieco claimed the individual beam crown with a 9.950. Bongiovanni and freshman Meredith Hoover (Dublin, Ohio) both finished tied for eighth as they each scored a 9.850. Bair and McAvoy finished 22nd and 38th, respectively, scoring a 9.750 and a 9.300. Michigan's Calli Ryals and Iowa's Stephanie Gran each posted a 9.950 to share the title on the floor, with Rowland scoring a 9.850 to place tied for eighth. Stopper and McAvoy both tied for 14th with a 9.825 while Hoover, Bair and Ilg all tied for 20th with a 9.800. For more information on the Penn State women's gymnastics team, visit www.GoPSUsports.com, the official site of Penn State Athletics. Big Ten Gymnast of the Year
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