STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Penn State women's gymnast Katie McAvoy (Winnipeg, Manitoba) will be forced out of the 2001 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships on April 19-21 in Athens, Ga., due to a broken leg she suffered in practice last Thursday.

"Katie was practicing on the beam and working on some things for next season when she was injured," Penn State head coach Steve Shephard said. "It is a very unfortunate situation for Katie after working hard all season long to qualify for NCAAs."

McAvoy was one of the Lions' top all-arounders during the 2001 campaign and tied for the South Central Regional title on vault en route to qualifying for the NCAA Championships in the discipline.

The injury to McAvoy leaves sophomore Katie Rowland (Georgetown, Ontario) as the squad's lone representative at this weekend's NCAA Championships. Rowland is scheduled to compete on the floor after a breakthrough season, which saw her tie or break three school records and honored as the 2001 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year.

The Nittany Lions finished fourth overall at the NCAA South Central Regional and notched a second-place showing at the 2001 Big Ten Championships.