Saturday, January 13
Pittsburgh, Pa.
6:00 PM EST
Pitt
vs
Oregon State
Photo by: Alex Mowrey/Pitt Athletics
Pitt Opens 2018 Season Against Oregon State
1/12/2018 5:27:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
Head Coach Samantha Snider Set for First Meet with the Panthers
Meet Notes | Live Scoring | ACC Network Extra | Purchase Tickets
PITTSBURGH – First-year head coach Samantha Snider and the University of Pittsburgh gymnastics team will compete in its first meet of the season at the Fitzgerald Field House this weekend against Oregon State.
THE MEET
MEET PROMOTIONS
THE SERIES
SCOUTING OREGON STATE
SNIDER HEADS NEW STAFF
EAGL PRESEASON POLL
BLUE-GOLD INTRASQUAD
CORE RETURNING CAST
NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
FROM EASTERN MICHIGAN TO PITT
A LOOK BACK AT 2017
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
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PITTSBURGH – First-year head coach Samantha Snider and the University of Pittsburgh gymnastics team will compete in its first meet of the season at the Fitzgerald Field House this weekend against Oregon State.
THE MEET
- Pitt will face the Oregon State Beavers, Saturday, Jan. 13 in Pittsburgh at the Fitzgerald Field House. Action is set to begin at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.
- The Panthers and Beavers will both be competing in their first regular season meet of the year Saturday.
MEET PROMOTIONS
- Panthers Unite
- Free pizza for students, while supplies last
- Giveaways
- 10.0 Pitt gymnastics rally towels for first 500 fans
- 2018 Pitt gymnastics schedule magnet for first 500 fans
- Ticket Deal
- Bring your Pitt men's basketball ticket from the January 13, 2 p.m. game versus Georgia Tech to the meet and get free admission
- Post-Meet Autographs
THE SERIES
- Pitt and Oregon State will meet for the first time in program history during the regular season, however the two teams have faced each other before at the AIAW Championships.
- The Panthers fell to the Beavers 134.550-133.850 at the 1979 AIAW Championships. Pitt's all-time records only include regular season and EAGL Championship meet results. NCAA Regional/National meets, in addition to AIAW Nationals & EAIAW Regionals are not included.
SCOUTING OREGON STATE
- After closing out the 2017 season with an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, Oregon State enters the season ranked 12th in the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) Preseason Poll released in December.
- The Beavers will be led by seniors Dani Dessaints, who was a Pac-12 Co-Champion and an All-American on vault in 2017, and Shireen Khamedoost, who earned 2017 Pac-12 All-Academic First Team honors and has hit 38 out of 39 career routines.
- OSU will be returning 11 letterwinners from last season's squad, while welcoming six newcomers, which includes five freshman and a transfer.
SNIDER HEADS NEW STAFF
- Samantha Snider was named the head coach of the Pitt gymnastics team this past June, becoming just the third head coach in program history.
- Prior to Pitt, Snider spent the past nine seasons at the University of Arkansas in various roles and was named the 2016 NACGC/W South Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
- Shortly after her hiring, Snider announced the addition of Dave Kuzara and Ryan Snider to the coaching staff. Kuzara comes to Pittsburgh from Michigan where he previously served as an assistant coach. Ryan Snider served as a volunteer assistant coach also at the University of Arkansas.
EAGL PRESEASON POLL
- Pitt is projected to finish the 2018 season fourth in the EAGL, the league announced December 20.
- George Washington is predicted to finish first in the conference, followed by New Hampshire and NC State.
BLUE-GOLD INTRASQUAD
- The Panthers held their Blue-Gold Intrasquad meet December 18 at the Fitzgerald Field House.
- The event, which was open exclusively to season ticket holders, concluded the Panthers preseason which featured months of conditioning and training sessions, along with four intrasquad meets dating back to August.
- Pitt saw action from 14 of its 17 gymnasts, including senior transfer Catie Conrad and all three of the squad's freshmen.
- The Panthers showcased lineups on all four events starting with vault. Pitt's top performances came from junior Kensleigh Owens and sophomore Deven Herbine, as both earned a 9.800 on the event.
- Up next was bars, which saw sophomore Rachel Dugan and junior Lucy Brett tie for first on the event. Both Panther gymnasts put up a 9.850.
- Pitt continued the evening on beam, where the team posted its highest team score, led by Taylor Laymon. The senior posted a near-perfect 9.900, while Brett followed with a 9.850.
- Sophomore Alecia Petrikis and Owens rounded out the Panthers' top scores at the intrasquad, both tallying a 9.800 on floor.
CORE RETURNING CAST
- The Panthers will be returning 13 members from last season's squad, including NCAA Regional qualifier and senior Taylor Laymon. Fellow senior Dani Hall will also be returning. They are joined by five juniors and six sophomores.
NOTABLE NEWCOMERS
- The Panthers welcome four new faces to the 2018 squad, including senior Eastern Michigan transfer Catie Conrad, who is expected to play a large role for Pitt in her final season of eligibility.
- Freshmen Sophie Bochenek, Haley Brechwald and Jordan Ceccarini are also expected to make an immediate impact for the Panthers.
FROM EASTERN MICHIGAN TO PITT
- Senior transfer Catie Conrad comes to Pittsburgh as a true senior, having spent the past three years with the Eagles.
- Conrad found success at Eastern Michigan, earning Second Team All-MAC honors and MAC All-Tournament accolades in both 2016 and 2017.
- Last season for the Eagles, she earned career high scores on bars (9.900) and floor (9.850), and in the all-around (39.350) at the MAC Championship. Conrad also posted a new best on beam (9.900) versus Kent State earlier in the season. Her score on bars earned her a share of the MAC title, while she finished third in the all-around.
- Conrad also achieved at a high standard in the classroom, earning Academic All-MAC honors twice, while making the Dean's List four straight semesters. She also earned NACGC/W Scholastic All-America honors following her freshman season and was selected to attend the NCAA Career in Sports Forum this past June.
A LOOK BACK AT 2017
- Pitt finished the 2017 season 9-19 overall and 1-6 in EAGL competition, but had two gymnasts qualify for the NCAA Regional Meet.
- Current senior Taylor Laymon qualified on bars, while former Panther Tracey Pearson earned a spot in the vault rotation.
- At the 2017 EAGL Championships, Pitt closed out the season with a fifth place finish in the six-team meet, despite winning the title in 2016.
- The Panthers recorded a season-best score of 195.375 in a tri-meet at home against WVU, Michigan State and Towson.
LOOKING TOWARDS THE FUTURE
- On November 9, 2017, head coach Samantha Snider announced that four student-athletes will join the University of Pittsburgh gymnastics program as a part of the squad's 2018 recruiting class.
- The Panthers will welcome Katie Chamberlain, Caitlyn Kline, Olivia Miller and Kiley Robatin.
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