Temple University Athletics
Temple University
Pitt
Gymnastics Set to Battle Pitt on the Road on Sunday
2.12.21 | Women's Gymnastics
OWL ABOUT TEMPLE
After four weeks of competition, the Owls have moved up to 43rd overall in the NCAA Rankings. Temple has shined on vault and floor this season, with its floor average of 48.925 ranking the team 25th in the nation and its vault average (48.688) ranking 34th. The Owls have increased their team total in each week of competition, with a 194.850 in their last outing.
Three Owls have landed on conference rankings, led by junior Julianna Roland who is ranked in the top ten in two events. She's eighth in the EAGL on vault (9.800) and ninth on floor (9.800). Senior Faith Leary is fourth in the conference on floor with a 9.838 average, while junior Ariana Castrence is 10th on vault with a 9.775.
LAST TIME ON THE FLOOR: 3rd/3 at Denver (with Oklahoma) - 194.850
Temple held its own in a top-10 matchup on the road, as the Owls scored a season best 194.850 in a tri-meet at Denver. The #5 Oklahoma Sooners won the meet with a 197.800, while #8 Denver finished second with a 196.725.
The Owls beat their previous season best by more than a point, and the 194.850 tied as the 13th highest score in team history. Temple had its highest beam rotation of the season, scoring a 48.825, while five different Owls tallied season best scores on events.
Freshman Brooke Donabedian highlighted the meet with two 9.825 scores, on beam and on floor, leading the Owls on both events, while Julianna Roland notched a 9.800 to lead the vault squad.
SCOUTING PITT
Just over a third of the way through the season, the Panthers are ranked 47th overall. Pitt has a 193.069 average on the season, and hit a season-best 195.700 in their home tri-meet on January 31. Pitt's highest ranked event is beam this season, with their average of 48.556 ranking 34th in the NCAA.
Last season, the Panthers finished second in the EAGL. The team returned nine gymnasts from that team, two of whom earned all-EAGL honors: Olivia Miller (FX) and Ciara Ward (Vault/Bars).
LAST MEET FOR PITT
Pitt finished fourth in a quad meet at NC State with a 192.125. NC State won the meet with a 196.025, followed by #24 North Carolina (195.600) and Towson (194.475). Sophomore Emily Liszewski and junior Olivia Miller each had podium finishes, tying for third on vault. The Panthers had the second highest vault total at the meet with a 48.725, while their best event was beam where they scored a 48.825.
UNTIL WE UNITE
Sunday's meet is themed #UntilWeUnite, which spotlights Pitt Athletics' mission to promote an environment of inclusion for student-athletes, coaches and staff through education, dialogue and through the celebration of our differences. In support of Pitt's student-run "Until We Unite" initiative, the Panthers will debut BLM leotards at Sunday's meet.
The Pitt gymnastics program curated a social media campaign that includes a team PSA, spotlights on local organizations that support the Black community as well as Pitt's required antiracism course, called "Anti-Black Racism: History, Ideology and Resistance."
OWLS FOR JUSTICE
Temple's own student group in support of Black Lives Matter efforts is named "Owls for Justice." This new student-athlete led organization was created to advocate for long-lasting and substantial reform for racial equality in this country. In support, all Temple teams now wear patches on uniforms or warm-ups with BLM and OFJ showcased.
Owls for Justice founding member and Temple Gymnastics' student assistant coach, Jackie Terpak, explained, "Owls for Justice formed in June when a few of us reached out to the Athletic Department wanting to do more about the injustices our country has been facing. We started with a small group and had a five-hour zoom call. From there a statement was made about where we stand, and action was taken." Since its formation in June, the organization has grown to a leadership team of 30 and includes over 150 general body members.
Players Mentioned
