PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Junior Lindsay Poplaski finished first on the balance beam and took second place in the all-around as the Tigers (15-1) won their 11th consecutive decision with a dual meet victory over the University of Pennsylvania at Hutchinson Gym on Friday evening.
The Tigers, who barely beat Penn at their own Shelli Calloway Memorial Invitational two weeks ago, won the meet with a 191.925 team score while Penn had a 189.600 team score.
Penn was coming off a first place finish at the Ivy Classic last week.
Poplaski won the beam competition with a seasonal high 9.725 score. She also took second place in the all-around with a 38.35 score. She also earned a 9.575 score on vault and a 9.675 on floor exercise.
Led by junior Kacy Catanzaro, the Tigers took a slight lead after the first rotation as they earned a 47.275 team score on bars. Catanzaro finished third on bars with a 9.55 score while freshman Alexa Davis had a 9.50 score.
Senior Megan Wooden returned to the lineup after missing the last two meets and came back with a flourish. She won the vault competition with a 9.70 score as she tied for first place with teammate Avis Hixon. Catanzaro also added a 9.626 as the Tigers earned a 48.125 team score on vault.
Freshmen Sasa Golob and Davis each set a career high on floor exercise while the Tigers took a commanding lead with a 48.775 team score. Golob finished first on floor with a 9.85 score while Davis had a 9.80 score to take second place on floor. Sophomore Britney Russell contributed a 9.775 on floor to finish third while Hixon and Poplaski each earned 9.675 scores on floor.
Led by Poplaski, the Tigers clinched the meet with a 47.65 team score on beam. Junior Alyssa Dittman took third place with a 9.575 while Davis finished fourth (9.55).
"We really had a great meet," said Coach Vicki Chliszczyk. "We had a very good warmup and then we came out and did really well on bars. We really hit and the scores don't reflect how well we performed.
"Megan (Wooden) had a phenomenal vault although she was out the last two weeks," she added. "We went to floor exercise and we were fantastic. This was a great meet for us."
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, March 9 when they visit William & Mary for a 7:00 p.m. meet.
Team Scores: 1. Towson 191.825; 2. Pennsylvania 189.600. .
VAULT: 1. Megan Wooden (TOW), 9.70; Avis Hixon (TOW), 9.70; 3. Kacy Catanzaro (TOW) 9.625; 4. Dana Boninconti (UP), 9.600.
BARS: 1. Kirsten Strausbaugh (UP), 9.675; Dana Boninconti (UP), 9.675; 3. Kacy Catanzaro (TOW), 9.550.
BEAM: 1. Lindsay Poplaski (TOW), 9.725; 2. Dana Boninconti (UP), 9.700; 3. Alyssa Dittman (TOW), 9.575; 4. Alexa Davis (TOW), 9.55.
FLOOR: 1. Sasa Golob (TOW), 9.85; 2. Alexa Davis (TOW), 9.80; 3. Britney Russell (TOW), 9.775.
ALL-AROUND: 1. Dana Boninconti (UP), 38.475; 2. Lindsay Poplaski (TOW), 38.35; 3. Kirsten Strausbaugh (UP), 38.30.
