Penn women's gymnastics competes at Temple University on Feb. 8.
Credit: Sydney CurranThe Quakers are at the top of the Ivy League once again.
Over the weekend, the Quakers toppled the Bulldogs, Bears, and Big Red to earn yet another Ivy Classic title — for the second straight year. With standout performances on beam and floor, the team set a new season-best record and defeated the other teams by over half a point.
“Winning back-to-back Ivy championships is an incredible achievement. This team puts in relentless effort every single day, and seeing that hard work pay off is truly rewarding,” senior gymnast Emma Davies said.
The Ivy Classic is a good preview of what to expect at the Gymnastics East Conference Championships as these four Ivy League teams will compete once again in addition to four other schools. Yale, Brown, Cornell, and Penn are the only Ivy League schools that have varsity gymnastics teams.
Beam
The meet opened with three stuck landings from junior gymnasts Marissa Lassiter, Skyelar Kerico, and Alisha Werlen. Freshman gymnast Mimi Fletcher and junior gymnast Samantha Wu also stuck their landings, scoring a 9.850 and 9.800 respectively. In another feat of consistency, all of Penn’s scores that counted towards the team total were within one-tenth of each other — ranging from 9.750 to 9.850 — resulting in a 48.925 overall, which is the best team beam score of the season. That placed Penn ahead of Cornell (47.000), but behind Yale (48.950) and Brown (49.175), who started on their strongest event — floor.
Floor
Davies started the rotation strong with a season high of 9.750. Floor is an event known to let gymnasts showcase their creativity and artistry, and Davies notes how it’s her favorite event.
“Floor is always such an exciting event. It’s my favorite because it gives everyone a unique way to showcase their personality,” Davies said. “For my final routine, I’m doing a country mashup as a tribute to my roots in the South.”
Furthermore, freshman gymnast Manama Fofana tied her season and career high with a 9.850. Senior gymnast Zara Gazdak also tied her season and career high of 9.875. Consistent yet again, all counting scores were within a tenth of each other, allowing the Quakers to pull ahead of Brown (49.100) with a 49.125, good for another season best. Yale and Cornell remained close in their scores with 49.000 and 49.025 respectively.
Vault
Unsurprisingly, Kerico and sophomore gymnast Jordan Barrow were the stars of the event. Kerico showed off her Yurchenko one-and-a-half, managing impressive height and earning a 9.825. Barrow had immaculate body positioning in the air and a flawless landing — resulting in a 9.875, tying her career high set last year. In total, the Quakers earned a 48.725, putting them in first for the rotation. Cornell had a 48.200, Yale earned a 48.125, and Brown earned a 48.025.
Bars
Bars were a bit of a struggle for the Red and Blue, but they were still able to pull off some strong performances. Lassiter and sophomore gymnast Sophia Paris were neck and neck with only 0.025 points separating them. Gazdak earned Penn’s second-highest score of the event — a 9.750 — while Kerico once again took the top spot and received a 9.875.
When the final scores were turned in, the Red and Blue shined at the top. Penn gymnastics became Ivy Classic champions for the second year in a row and claimed their 15th title in program history. The team ended the meet with a 195.375, their season-best team score by over three-tenths of a point. Penn’s old season best was set the previous week. Brown came in second with a 194.800 with Yale following in third. Cornell rounded out the bunch in fourth.
This result is a good omen for what to expect at the GEC Championships next month.
“This year, our team is embracing the underdog mentality,” Davies said. “We compete against some strong teams in our conference, and while this win is exciting, we’re always hungry for more. We’re eager to get back in the gym, push ourselves even further, and be at our best for [the GEC Championships] at home next month.”
The Quakers will face off against Yale again on Friday, along with local rival No. 54 Temple and No. 23 North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
Donate
