Temple University Athletics
Owls Set for Season's Start
1.18.07 | Women's Gymnastics
Jan. 18, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - It's been a long preseason, but the Temple women's gymnastics team is set to make its season debut - and for first-year head coach Aaron Murphy, his debut as the Owls' mentor - this Friday, January 19. The Owls head to Collegeville, PA for a tri-meet versus host team Ursinus, and conference-rival Towson.
Head coach Aaron Murphy has just set the line-up for the competition, and will be looking to his experienced upperclassmen to set the tone for the season. Senior co-captain Jillian Kornett will be doing the all-around while fellow captain Sarah Liebowitz will compete on both the uneven bars and balance beam. Kornett, who took a scary fall on a double full just a couple of weeks ago, is healthy and set to embark on her final year with the Owls.
"Jillian was heading into her final tumbling pass on floor, and before we knew it, she was lying on the ground. I heard a loud snap, and thought for sure it was going to be a serious injury," said Murphy.
An MRI revealed that she had strained her MCL, so Kornett took some time off from heavy landings to heal. Although she's shown her readiness to compete in the all-around, Murphy was still a little skeptical about putting her in.
"We'll see how warm-ups go, and if she's ready, then great. If not, I feel confident with the depth of team to post strong scores," said the first-year head coach.
Murphy will also look to senior All-American Noelle Moore to contribute big numbers on the vault, balance beam and floor exercise. Juniors Alycia Petitto, Desiree Meredith and Nicole Catrambone will provide a much needed backbone for the team. All have been very impressive in workouts as of late, and will be looked upon to provide some big scores for the Owls. Sophomores Winter Sneed and Nikki Berrian will compete on two events while freshman Tiffany Shepherd, Monica Zuber and Danielle Viens will get a taste of what it's like to compete on the NCAA scene.
Overall, Murphy feels that workouts have been going very consistent thus far. While depth on any team is of a concern early on, he doesn't lack confidence in his team's improvements as the season grows old.
"We still have a lot of time to get stronger, and there's no shortage of talent on this team," asserted Murphy. "Right now, I'm looking to experiment with the line-up and see which mix of competitors can post the highest event scores."
