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Junior Skyelar Kerico performs a floor routine at Ivy League Gymnastics Championships on Feb. 24, 2024. Credit: Giuliana DiBenedetto

The gymnastics team traveled up to Ithaca for a dual meet against Cornell on Feb. 2. With the Big Red in both the Ivy League and Gymnastics East Conference, this meet served as an indicator of the success waiting for the Quakers at the upcoming Ivy Classic and GEC Championships. 

Bars

The meet started with a three-way tie between a trio of Quakers. Sophomore Sophia Paris demonstrated clean lines and pointed toes while on and switching between bars. Sophomore Jordan Barrow defied gravity with her effortless release, and senior Zara Gazdak caught her release a bit close for comfort but managed to continue the routine and end with a stick. All earned a 9.750. Junior Skyelar Kerico wowed, as usual, earning her the highest score for the Quakers — a 9.775. Penn ended the rotation with a 48.750, only 0.175 points ahead of Cornell. 

Vault

Reigning Gymnast of the Week junior Marissa Lassiter had a small hop on her landing, tying her with freshman Manama Fofana. Both earned a 9.800. Kerico added a 9.725 to the overall score — her second-highest score of the season. Barrow executed a clean vault and stuck it flawlessly, with her teammates and coaches breaking out into cheers and high-fives the minute her feet hit the ground. Barrow earned a 9.825. At the end of the rotation, Penn's event total was 48.800, with Cornell trailing 48.025. 

Floor

Junior Samantha Wu made her career debut on the floor with a 9.725. “My floor comeback was mainly from the coaches encouraging me to do it … to increase depth," said Wu. 

Junior Alisha Werlen and Fofana both received 9.775 after performing spunky routines to Britney Spears and Michael Jackson respectively. Lassiter brought the personality and score — earning a 9.825, which tied with Kerico. Gazdak once again earned the best score of the rotation with a 9.875, tying her season and career high. Well-scoring routines led to the Red and the Blue breaking the coveted 49-point threshold, well ahead of Cornell’s 47.800.

Beam

Beam was a rough rotation for the Quakers, who faced a fall and serious wobbles — the most severe belonging to Oniki and Kerico. The highest score of 9.700 belonged to Barrow, an improvement from last week. In total, this was the lowest event total of the meet: 48.125, which put them behind Cornell, 49.000. 

Lassiter won the all-around competition with a 38.950, and Kerico was only a tenth behind, tying for second place. In all, Penn earned 194.750 — a decisive win over Cornell’s 193.400. 

“This first win will continue to push the team’s energy forward, maintaining a good mindset through the long season," said Wu. "We will continue to work on our little mistakes in preparation for GEC, and continue to build our [National Qualifying Score] to hopefully qualify for regionals.”

Penn will stay close to home for their next meet on Feb. 8 against Temple.