Pitt Ready for 2016 EAGL Championship Meet
3/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Live Stats | WATCH: ESPN3 | Meet Notes
PITTSBURGH – The University of Pittsburgh gymnastics team is set to welcome George Washington, New Hampshire, NC State, North Carolina and Towson to the Fitzgerald Field House on Saturday, March 19 as it hosts the 2016 EAGL Championship Meet at 2 p.m.
MULTIMEDIA
EAGL Championships will be featured live on ESPN3 with Kevin Wheeler and Erica Baum-Coffey on the call. Live stats will also be available via PittsburghPanthers.com.
LAST TIME OUT
Pitt fell narrowly to West Virginia to wrap up the regular season on Sunday by a score of 195.825-195.675 at the Fitzgerald Field House.
The Panthers were led by Lindsay Offutt on Senior Day as she recorded a career-high 9.950 score on floor, which contributed to Pitt’s season-high floor score of 49.425. Offutt finished the day with a first-place finish in the all-around with a 39.250. Fellow senior Lisa Soto and freshman Brittany West tied Offutt’s beam score of 9.850 to finish in a three-way deadlock at the top of the leaderboard.
DEFENDING BEAM CHAMP
Offutt returns to the EAGL Championship to defend her title on beam from 2015. Offutt earned a career high 9.950 on beam – the second highest score on the event in school history – to win the individual championship. She went on to tie for sixth place on beam at the Morgantown Regional after earning an individual bid to compete in the 2015 NCAA Regionals.
EAGL SENIOR GYMNAST OF THE YEAR
Offutt was named EAGL Senior Gymnast of the year, as announced by the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Friday, March 17.
EAGL Award Winners
Gymnast of the Year: Cami Drouin-Allaire – George Washington
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Lexi Capalli – North Carolina
Rookie of the Year: Danielle Doolin – New Hampshire
Senior of the Year: Offutt – Pitt
Head Coach of the Year: Margie Foster-Cunningham – George Washington
Assistant Coach of the Year:Colleen Johnson & Bob Starkell – NC State
SCOUTING THE COMPETITION
According to current Regional Qualifying Scores (RQS), George Washington is the only school safely locked into NCAA Regionals entering EAGL competition this weekend. The Colonials lead all EAGL teams and sit 13 spots above the regional cutoff line in 23rd with an RQS of 195.905. They average a 195.695 per meet this season and are nationally ranked in the top 25 in every event.
New Hampshire and N.C. State sit on the bubble to make the field at 32nd (195.400) and 33rd (195.375) in the nation, respectively. The Wildcats and Wolfpack – sporting average meet scores of 194.707 and 195.022 – will both need strong performances Saturday to lock up spots for regionals.
Towson and North Carolina hold on to the fourth and sixth spots in the EAGL and the 48th and 54th spots nationally according to RQS. Both have been mathematically eliminated from NCAA contention, but will look to achieve conference championship goals in the last meet of the season. The Tigers and Tar Heels own average meet scores of 193.615 and 192.647, respectively.
NATIONAL RANKS
As a team, Pitt’s highest national ranking comes on floor, ranking 41st overall (48.905) while averaging a score of 48.423. The Panthers high on the event was a 49.425, which was earned last weekend against West Virginia.
Pitt sits inside the top-50 in the all-around (49th), vault (47th), bars (44th) and beam (47th).
Individually, Offutt ranks in the top-50 in three different events, including all-around (28th), floor (T-29th) and on beam (T-41st).
FRESHMEN IMPACT
Five freshmen have all seen time in the starting lineups for Pitt, including Lucy Brett, Krista Collins, Meagan Oscar, Kensleigh Owens and West.
Making the biggest impact for the Panthers is West, who has earned a start in at least two events since the first meet of the season.
PROMINENT PANTHERS
Five Panthers were named to nine different first and second All-EAGL teams, including seniors Offutt and Miya Dotson, juniors Tracey Pearson and Kelly Burak and sophomore Taylor Laymon.
Offutt received first-team accolades for her showings on all four events as well as in the all-around. The senior was the only gymnast in the EAGL conference to accomplish this feat.
Pearson also received first-team honors on both vault and floor, as well as second-team in the all-around. Dotson competed her way to first-team recognition on the bars for the second consecutive season and received second-team All-EAGL honors for her performance on floor. Laymon (bars) and Burak (beam) also earned All-EAGL second-team honors.
Pitt also placed a conference-high 16 of its 19 student-athletes on the All-EAGL Scholastic Team. With the announcement, 10 of the 16 gymnasts earned at least their second appearance on the scholastic team.
TICKET INFORMATION
General admission seating for adults is $15, while youth/senior tickets are $10. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets at a rate of $5 per ticket.
Tickets to the event are now available on PittsburghPanthers.com or through the Panthers Ticket Office at 1-800-643-PITT (7488). General admission tickets are available online, while youth/senior tickets are only available by calling the Panthers Ticket Office or at the door on the day of the event. Group rate tickets must be purchased in advance.
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