University of Pennsylvania Set to Host 2012 ECAC Division I Women's Gymnastics Championship
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. - The University of Pennsylvania is set to host the 2012 ECAC Division I Women's Gymnastics Championship that features seven ECAC members from across the membership footprint. Competition is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. at the historic Palestra located on the Penn campus in Philadelphia.
2011 champion Cornell University topped Penn by a five tenths of a point while Towson University finished third. Cornell gymnasts topped the competition in three of four events while Penn All-Arounder Dana Bonincontri claimed the overall individual title with a score of 38.850. The 2012 All-ECAC team will be determined as well, with the top three in each event earning first team honors and places 3-6 claiming second team recognition.
The ECAC will also honor its end of year award winners after tomorrow's competition. As voted on by the seven participating coaches, the ECAC will honor an Athlete, Rookie, Specialist, Coach, and Assistant Coach of the Year. The ceremony will also honor those student-athletes excelling in the classroom as four Scholar-Athletes of the Year will be honored as well as the 2012 ECAC All-Academic Team comprised of student-athletes earning a cumulative 3.2 GPA or higher.
2011 ECAC Season Award Winners
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The Palestra -
Site of 2012 ECAC Division I Women's Gymnastics Championship
Penn men's and women's basketball games, volleyball
and wrestling matches are played at the historic Palestra, the most
storied gymnasium in the history of collegiate athletics.
The Palestra has hosted more games and more visiting teams than any other facility.
Located on the University of Pennsylvania campus, The Palestra was given its name by Greek professor Dr. William N. Bates, who felt the name logical because in ancient Greece, young men would compete in a variety of events in a rectangular enclosure attached to the gymnasium to the view of all who would come -- a Palestra.
The name was widely accepted by the organizing committee for it fit the specifications: authenticity, dignity, descriptive, and novel. So, in 1927, The Palestra was opened.