Penn gymnastics competed at the Lindsey Ferris Invitational against George Washington, Yale, and Fisk on January 26th. Competing in an overwhelming quad meet, the Red and Blue didn’t let the chaos shake their “we can do it” mindset that has successfully carried them through the season so far.
Beam
Junior Carly Oniki started the meet strong with the highest scoring routine on the beam with a 9.775, her second-best of the season. Junior Marissa Lassiter fought to stay on the beam after her flight series and nailed her double wolf turn, ending with a score of 9.600. Junior Skyelar Kerico stuck her dismount (which has a blind landing) and delivered the second-best score of the event with a 9.725 — tying with junior Samantha Wu. After the first rotation, Penn was in second with a score of 48.500, behind GW (48.825) and ahead of Yale and Fisk who tied with 48.000.
Floor
A dominant event for the Quakers, floor was once again a strong rotation, as expected from this team. Junior Alisha Werlen returned to the floor lineup for the first time since the season opener and proved she earned the line-up spot with a score of 9.750. She was followed by Lassiter and freshman Manama Fofana, who both received a 9.825. Event superstars Kerico and senior Zara Gazdak wrapped up the event with 9.800s. The floor total was 49.000, the highest of the season so far, beating out Fisk’s 48.825, GW’s 48.450, and Yale’s 48.325.
Vault
Lassiter started the vault rotation with a stick and earned a 9.850. Senior Olivia VanHorn made her lineup debut for the season with a 9.725, with freshman Sienna Zuccaro trailing close behind her with a 9.700. Fofana once again tied Lassiter with a 9.825. Kerico had an uncharacteristic fall, but luckily with only the top five scores out of the six total counting for the event, her score did not affect the overall score. Sophomore Jordan Barrow ended the rotation on a high note with a 9.800 — leaving Penn with a 48.900 for the vault, beaten only by Yale (48.950) but still ahead of GW (48.750) and Fisk (45.775).
"Reminding myself that I’ve done these routines many times has given me confidence in myself when I'm under pressure," Barrow said in a written statement to the Daily Pennsylvanian.
Bars
To wrap the event, Lassiter and Barrow once again received the same score, this time a 9.750. Kerico topped the leaderboards for the rotation with a 9.825, giving the Quakers a total score of 48.625. GW ended the rotation with a 49.325, Fisk with a 48.625, and Yale with a 48.575. In all, GW won with a total score of 195.350, followed by Penn with 194.975, Yale with 193.850, and Fisk with 191.225. Every team improved from their performance last week — leading the Red and Blue to achieve its best score of the season.
"I think this team is heading in the right direction, and we’re making positive improvements every weekend," Barrow said in a written statement. "Everyone’s scoring potential is very high, and with time we will become more consistent. This team is special and I look forward to seeing us climb the ranks!"
Penn gymnastics continues up North to face off against Cornell on Feb. 2.
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