While the excitement from the Olympics surrounding gymnastics has mostly died down, a new sector of the sport is just about to get started: NCAA. The season starts in January and runs through April, but the end of the year is when fans get the first sneak peaks for the year ahead. This often comes in the form of an intrasquad competition in December, but the Quakers gave us a teaser trailer at their Homecoming open practice showcase.
While the 2022 and 2023 open practices involved a handful of friends and family members watching a typical practice, this year a whole community flooded into the Nalitt Family Gymnastics Center — housed in the Tse Sports Center — to watch a showcase of polished routines in competition leotards.
Many of these community members were kids who participate in the team’s weekly recreational gymnastics classes, which are taught by both the coaches and team members, joined by their parents and siblings. The excitement in the room was palpable, as the young gymnasts adoringly watched their coaches or the “big girls” who, in their minds, evoke the same inspiration as Simone Biles.
The overall impression from the showcase was that the Quakers will be in the record books for more than just being the semi-centennial team. Coming off their third consecutive GEC championships win, a meet where they achieved the second-highest score in program history, it is clear that they are already looking ahead to claiming that title for the fourth year in a row. Lineup frequenters look just as strong as they did at the end of last season, and the freshmen are already strong additions to the team. Let’s get into the showcase performances.
The athletes competing on vault were: junior Samantha Wu, sophomore Madison Perkins, senior Isabel Song, junior Skyelar Kerico, freshman Sienna Zuccaro, freshman Mimi Fletcher, junior Marissa Lassiter, and sophomore Jordan Barrow.
Gold Medal Moments
Jordan Barrow and Marissa Lassiter had a friendly stick competition on vault, and both put up impressive performances. Assistant Coach Casey Zacot told Skyelar Kerico to “go easy here” as she works on her goal of competing a one and a half twisting Yurchenko, which has a 10.0 start value. Madison Perkins and Samantha Wu both stuck their landings effortlessly.
The athletes competing on beam were: Barrow, freshman Skylar Goodstadt, Lassiter, senior Isabella Garrett, Fletcher, junior Calry Oniki, junior Alisha Werlen, Kerico, senior Olivia VanHorn, and junior Samantha Wu.
Gold Medal Moments
Goodstadt, who placed 2nd on the beam at 2024 Nationals, displayed strong and stable tumbling skills that will hopefully be a consistent bet for meet line-ups. Samantha Wu anchored the event, continuing the trend from last season, and reminded us of why she deserves that spot with an incredibly clean performance.
The athletes competing on floor were sophomore Sophia Paris, Garrett, junior Alyssa Rosen, sophomore Reganne Cheang, sophomore Makenna Damhorst, Lassiter, senior Emma Davies, senior Marigold Garrett, senior Zara Gazdak, Wu, and Fletcher.
Gold Medal Moments
Sophia Paris’s floor music for the year is a mashup of songs from Mamma Mia and, as a result, will likely be a crowd favorite, if her teammates dancing along is any foreshadowing. Marissa Lassiter, 2023 GEC Newcomer of the Year, used the same music as last year, a routine with personality and spunk off the charts that got the crowd and her teammates hyped up.
The athletes competing on bars were Barrow, freshman Luci Toczydlowski, Gazdak, Marigold Garrett, Oniki, Paris, Lassiter, Goodstadt, Werlen, and Kerico.
Gold Medal Moments
Luci Toczydlowski, whose favorite event is bars, stuck her double back dismount. Skyelar Kerico wowed the crowd with a flawless release and stuck dismount. Sophia Paris made the intimidating apparatus look easy with a calm and efficient routine.
The Quakers lost three vault, four beam, one bars, and two floor competitors to the 2024 graduating class who were consistent lineup members in their respective events. Luckily, with a new class and various returning athletes recovering from injuries or developing their skills, the team won’t be scrounging for competitors. In competition, every event has six competitors, and in the showcase, there were at least eight athletes per event.
While the team has not released their competition schedule, we can count on an intrasquad meet at The Palestra in early December and weekly meets from early January to late March. From what other teams have published, here’s what we know of the Quakers’ schedule so far.
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