Storm-weary Temple gymnasts back on campus

Cheers and laughter erupted Sunday night as members of the Temple women's gymnastics team climbed down the steps of their team bus after spending more than 24 hours stranded in blizzardlike conditions along the Pennsylvania Turnpike east of Pittsburgh.

"I've never felt so happy to be back at Temple," said Briana Odom, a junior psychology major and member of the team.

Buses carrying the gymnasts and the Duquesne University men's basketball team were among more than 500 vehicles stranded Saturday for more than a day in deep snows along a 40-mile stretch of the turnpike between Somerset and Bedford, about 80 miles east of Pittsburgh.

Liberated at 8:40 p.m. Saturday, the 16 gymnasts, three coaches, and a trainer - by then famished and exhausted - found shelter at a Hampton Inn in Somerset, where they had "warm pizza and soup waiting for us," said senior Reagan Oliveri, 22.

"We were all really hungry, so we dove straight into that," Oliveri said.

They climbed back aboard the bus and departed at noon Sunday for an additional seven hours on the road, some of it along snowy back roads because 90 miles of the turnpike were still closed.

The gymnasts placed their belongings inside Pearson-McGonigle Hall, where the team practices, as they recorded Snapchats and shouted, "We're home!"

Odom and her teammates agreed the experience did a number for team bonding.

"You always have pretty good chemistry, but after this, chemistry got better," said sophomore Alexa Phillip.

"It was quite an experience," said senior Hannah Popper. "We weren't really expecting this much snow and getting stuck on the road - but the team really bonded this weekend."

All looked forward to getting more sleep.

Head coach Umme Salim-Beasley said they were just glad to be back.

"We're just relieved that we got here and we got back home safely," she said. "Our bus driver did a great job of keeping us safe and sound and the girls are just relieved that they can get home and get into their own beds and get back to a sense of normalcy."

The turnpike emergency began about 6 p.m. Friday when tractor trailers jackknifed in a narrow construction corridor, blocking all lanes."When the bus first came to a halt, we figured it might be just an hour," Oliveri said earlier by phone from the homeward-bound bus.

"But as the snow kept coming and the hours progressed, we realized we weren't moving. So we just tried to stay positive. We're all best friends, so we just played music and joked around with each other."

The gymnasts were entertained with Disney movies, their coach said, and had "healthy snacks" and water. With plenty of fuel, their bus had heat and, more important, a bathroom. Cellphone power, however, began to dwindle as the night and day wore on.

The team had been bound for a Saturday quad meet at the University of Pittsburgh.

Oliveri and Salim-Beasley both said the team remained in good spirits throughout. "We have a team that doesn't get worked up about anything," said Salim-Beasley. "They're good at making changes, and excited that we're moving."

Oliveri agreed. "It ended up being very comical," she said.

The Duquesne team was stranded in the turnpike mess for 22 hours Friday night and Saturday in the storm.

The head of the Turnpike Commission on Sunday issued an apology for the strandings and promised a thorough review.

doreilly@phillynews.com