Temple University Athletics
Women's Preview: Gymnastics Team Hope for Fresh Start
12.19.99 | Women's Gymnastics
(Dec. 19, 1998) -- Last season proved to be a tough one for the Temple women's gymnastics (3-19 overall, 0-6). Injury hampered the Owls' efforts and by seasons end only seven of thirteen Owls were able to compete in the A-10 tournament.
"It was pretty tough. The fortunate thing is that I have 10 athletes coming back from last year," said Head Coach Ken Anderson,
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With the addition of seven new freshmen, Temple which has had a long list of talented gymnasts, will field one of its largest teams.
"There is a great amount of depth on this team. I see this season as being a great opportunity to turn the program around and get it back to what it used to be. Looking at the team's balance, I think this year's team will be the strongest team Temple has seen in a while," Anderson said.
Coach Anderson has set several goals this season, including a qualifying spot in the NCAA Regional championship.
"It will be a little tougher this year because they have changed the qualifying rules. Now they only take the top six but I think we have the potential to do it," Anderson said.
Vault
The Owls have struggled on the vault in previous years, but they are well equipped to make a significant impact this season. With the variety of talent and depth of the freshman and returning gymnasts, the Owls should do well.
Seniors Bree Hagan and Elizabeth Shymkiw will lead the Owls' efforts on the vault. Hagan has a career high of 9.475 while Shymkiw posted a career best 9.500 in the event last season.
"Bree has been performing on the vault for years," said Anderson. "We are working to get Liz consistent on her vault and use our freshmen to add difficulty to the event."
Bars
With some new developments on the bars, the Owls expect to improve in this area. Shymkiw is working two major releases on bars and Anderson will also look to senior Julie Gallagher, junior Melissa Gramiak and sophomore Heidi Hendrickson. "They are all high level gymnasts and very consistent," Anderson said.
"Julie is a specialist in this event, she has a high-level routine and is upgrading her difficulty. I think she will be strong," Anderson said.
Freshman Catherine Patton, who just recovered from an injury, is coming on strong and freshmen Tori Scarborough and Maggie Tolerico will press for position.
Beam
The Owls continue to impress on the balance beam. Last season they defeated two of the three top-ten teams they competed against on the event at the Penn State Invitational. The Owls return all but one of their participants from that event.
Shymkiw, Hagan, Gramiak and juniors Anne Koerner and Danielle Corbin, and sophomore Erin Hill will all perform in the line-up this season.
Senior Lindsay DeAngelis held the school record during the 1997 season until the end of the year posting a career best 9.775, while Gramiak and Shymkiw have a 9.750 on the beam.
Freshmen Maggie Tolerico and Becky Bubeck will also help out this season on the beam. "We have the depth and the experienced people to do well in this event," Anderson said.
Floor Exercise
The floor exercise is also expected to be a pretty strong event for the Owls.
"We have a wide range of performers this season who are returning athletes along with a few newcomers," Anderson said.
Corbin performed with an ankle injury last year, but is working on her difficulty and tumbling. Seniors Lindsay DeAngelis and Shymkiw, along with junior Koerner and freshmen Tolerico, who was PA State Floor Champion, Becky Bubeck and Kiva Williamson will all be included in the line-up this season.
"Anne has been an anchor for the team in this event, while Liz is a solid, clean performer. Becky has also been a very pleasant surprise and she's a great tumbler. We also have a good solid freshman class to back up the returning gymnasts," Anderson said.
All-Around
This event will be the toughest for the Owls this season. The all-arounders will most likely include Shymkiw and Gramiak, who were both NCAA qualifiers in past seasons.
"This is the year I have the opportunity to unleash a secret weapon," Anderson said. "I will rely heavily on senior Lindsay DeAngelis, she is extremely strong and powerful. She had held the balance beam record briefly during the 1997 season until it was broken at the Atlantic 10 Championship that year. She is coming back strong from an injury."
