Temple University Athletics
Owls Take Flight For Cornell And The ECAC Title
3.28.07 | Women's Gymnastics
March 28, 2007
PHILADELPHIA - The Temple women's gymnastics team (10-13), will look to add yet another chapter in its story-book 2007 season with a strong showing at the 2007 ECAC Championships on the campus of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The championship meet is scheduled for Saturday, March 31 at 12:00 p.m. in Newman Arena.
Under the tutelage of first-year head coach Aaron Murphy, the Owls have come into their own since a rocky start to their 2007 campaign. The team has continued to progress throughout the season, and according to Murphy, has really started to hit its stride.
"We held a mock competition on Saturday, the 24th, and I must say that we are just about at our peak. All of the girls stepped up and performed some incredible routines, and capped it off by hitting eight out of nine beam routines at the end of the day," boasted Murphy.
When asked about his decision in choosing the line-ups, Murphy proclaimed, "I feel the decisions that I'll have to make for this weekends competition will be some of the toughest yet. The depth that we have right now is so big, and not one of these girls has given anything away during practice. But as we've seen all season, consistency at the actual meet will prevail."
Murphy is perhaps most impressed with sophomore Natasha Crawford, who has really stepped up her game as of late. She may very well contend for a spot in the vaulting line-up, and her uneven bars and balance beam has been top notch for several weeks.
Also looking strong is fellow sophomore Winter Sneed. During Tuesday's practice, Sneed once again caused the gym to stop what they were doing to watch her electrifying floor exercise routine. It's become very clear that her consistency in work-outs is paying off. She'll definitely be one to watch at Cornell this weekend.
For the team to be successful this weekend, they'll have to rely heavily on the leadership of senior co-captains Sarah Liebowitz and Jillian Kornett. Both gymnasts were all smiles in the gym on Tuesday, and along with senior Noelle Moore, will look to lead this team to a season best performance at the conference championships.
Another Owl gymnast that is set to compete is freshman standout Tiffany Shepherd. After suffering a bruised heel at a dual-meet with West Chester, Shepherd was forced to sit out during the final two competitions of the regular season.
"Coach Murphy and I have worked hard at getting me healthy for ECAC's. Since I'm a freshman, he really wants me to have the experience of competing in the high energy and intense environment that a conference championship brings," added Shepherd.
Just a few short weeks after the ECAC Championships will be the 2007 USAG National Collegiate Championships. Although nothing is set in stone just yet, the Owls will most likely advance to the three day competition held in Seattle, WA from April 17 -19. If the season continues to unfold as it has been all year, we'll be sure to see the Owls compete for national honors.
