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Life > Athletics > Gymnastics > 3/3/07
PIONEERS PERFORM WELL AGAINST POWERFUL SOONERS
 NORMAN, Oklahoma (Mar. 3) – Strong efforts on bars and beam helped the Texas Woman’s University Pioneers to a solid 192.425 team score in their dual meet Saturday night in Norman, Oklahoma against the University of Oklahoma Sooners.
The Sooners, who began the night ranked ninth in this week’s NCAA poll, responded to the Pioneers impressive performance by posting a season-best team score of 196.725 to win the meet. OU also claimed the top three positions individually on all four events. Additionally, the Sooners’ Brittany Koncak-Schuman won the all-around crown with a 39.575 score.
TWU started the meet on bars, and the quartet of sophomore Kelsey Nixon (9.500), junior Nicole Poling (9.625), sophomore Brittany Parker (9.750), freshman Keri Miller (9.750), and senior Courtney Arno (9.850) combined to give TWU its top bars score of the season at 48.600. Arno’s sparkling routine was good enough to help her to tie for fourth place individually on the event.
Using a slightly revised lineup, the Pioneers beam workers recorded a 48.150 score. Arno again had the top TWU result on the event, scoring a 9.800 to finish fourth in the individual beam results. Freshman Rachel Zimmerman (9.750) and sophomore Brittany Parker (9.700), pictured at right, also had quality beam routines for TWU.
On the floor exercise, junior Nicole Poling scored a TWU team high 9.700. Zimmerman and sophomore Tonya Pipkorn also showed well on the floor for the Pioneers with matching 9.600 scores.
Parker was the stand out on vault for TWU, earning a 9.700 score as the Pioneers anchor on the event. Sophomore Amy Hulbert chipped in with a valuable 9.600 vault effort as well for the Pioneers.
TWU head coach Frank Kudlac was satisfied with his team’s results against the Sooners.
“Our goal coming into this meet was to score high enough to allow us to drop the 185 we had in our first meet of the season (at BYU on Jan. 12). We were able to that, thanks primarily to our work on bars and beam. We’ve been improving all season long on bars and I was excited to see us come out with a big score on that event. On beam, we just continued to be consistent. Our beam scores have been steady this entire year, and tonight was no different than usual,” stated Kudlac.
The focus for the Pioneers will now shift to next Saturday, March 10, as they host their final home meet of the 2007 season in Magee Arena against Bowling Green, Kentucky and Southeast Missouri State. The meet is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. but the festivities will kick off at 6 p.m. with a live musical performance from the Rivers West band.
For additional details, please contact the TWU Sports Information Office at (940) 898 - 2373.
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