Staff Reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
March 2, 1998

Sidelines

The women's gymnastics team made a strong showing over the weekend but still could not overtake the Penn State Lions.

The Wildcats finished second with a season high 194.475 to the Lion's 195.725 in the four-way meet. West Virginia and Temple finished third and fourth with scores of 192.925 and 186.775 respectively.

The gymnasts showcased their best effort on the uneven bars, scoring a total of 49.2 points. Freshman Nicci Filchner started off the bar lineup with a 9.675, followed by Rose McLaughlin's 9.75, Nancy Milberger's 9.825, Kara Fry's 9.875, Tenli Poggemeyer's 9.85, and junior Kristin McDermott's 9.90, which earned her first place.

Fry, a freshman, tied for second on both the bars and the beam with 9.875 on both events. Her all around score of 39.250 was good enough for third place.

The Wildcats return home this weekend for the final home meet which will honor head coach Jim Gault, who will retire at the end of this season after 18 years at Arizona.

Briefly

Walk into a Tucson elementary school and you might find more than an active interest in the Arizona men's basketball team.

However, these students are not merely fans of the National Champions. Teachers throughout the city are using the Wildcats' traveling schedule as a means of teaching geography.

Over 423 classrooms participate in this program, which calls for students to follow the men's team as it travels from state to state playing games. The Sporting Geography Program is sponsored by Circle K and caters to over 20,000 children throughout Tucson.

According to UA assistant director of public relations and special events Phoebe Chalk, the program has received high marks from teacher surveys and shows that athletes can benefit the educational process.

By the Numbers

51:

The number of individual conference tournament games that will be televised on ESPN and ESPN2 during it's annual Championship Week coverage preceding Sunday's announcement of the NCAA Tournament bracket.