For the fourth consecutive year, Penn gymnastics won the Gymnastics East Conference Championships held today at the Palestra. With a total score of 195.700, Penn won decisively over the seven other schools, including Ivy League rivals.
Cornell, West Chester, William & Mary, and Southern Connecticut State competed in a session at noon, while Penn, Brown, Yale, and Bridgeport competed at 6 p.m. in the culmination of the season for these athletes. With enthusiasm that likely would’ve hit the top of the Richter scale, the crowd full of parents in striped Red and Blue overalls and former GEC Champion alumni cheered the Quakers to victory.
“From freshmen to seniors, we now have completed a full class of never losing, which is very, very cool,” assistant coach Casey Zacot said. "This was the end goal from maybe even before this year, which is very cool, to think that it actually is done and it came to fruition.”
The Quakers notably also debuted a new “blue ice” leotard for the championships.
Bars
Junior Marissa Lassiter started the rotation off strong with a cleanly executed routine and strong stick, resulting in a score of 9.725. Freshman Mimi Fletcher kept things sticky with her routine and another 9.725. Transitioning seamlessly from the high to low bars, sophomore Jordan Barrow upped the ante with a 9.750. Senior Zara Gazdak showed out for her last bars routine as a Quaker, with very little left to desire and a 9.800.
Continuing on the improvement trend, sophomore Sophia Paris wowed with a 9.825. Junior Skyelar Kerico — the picture of grace and clean lines — wrapped the rotation with a 9.900. In total, the team earned a flat 49.000 for the bars, first above Brown’s 48.875 from floor, Yale’s 48.575 from vault, and Bridgeport’s 47.775 from beam.
Beam
Call her concrete, because Barrow isn’t budging. Her beam routine demonstrated the confidence the Red and Blue have about this meet, and it showed with a score of 9.875. Freshman Manama Fofana — the queen of consistency — delivered a 9.850. A laser-focused Kerico added another 9.850 to the tally. Junior Samantha Wu anchored the event with a 9.700, tied with Fletcher, giving the Quakers a 48.975 in total, once again ahead of Yale (48.400), Brown (48.350), and Bridgeport (48.425).
“This season, the consistency that we have is what really makes these nights of winning and four-peats and Ivy's and championships — that's what makes it be able to happen,” Zacot said. “Bringing in that margin of error, because that's what leads to championships like this.”
Floor
Lassiter opened the event with infectious energy, getting alumni, parents, and teammates to dance along to her iconic routine, earning a 9.800. Fofana’s smile and love for the event shined all the way through to a 9.775. The smirk on Fletcher didn’t deceive anyone, as big things were in store for her routine with a cleanly executed 9.700.
Kerico brought the retro spirit to the floor and a 9.750 to the team. Gazdak, in her last routine as a collegiate gymnast, had a radiant smile and energy shooting out of her fingers and toes, contributing a 9.675 to the total 48.700. Once again, Quaker nation saw Penn in the lead, with Bridgeport (48.450) this time taking second, then Yale (48.300), and finally Brown (48.000).
“It's definitely a special moment. … I've been with these people for three years. Many of us have,” Kerico said in reference to the seniors’ last meet. “It's like part of your family, so it's just celebrating their careers, all the dedication and time they put in, and we got to seal the deal with a win to make it even more special. But I'm incredibly proud of all of them, and they deserve all the success they've had.”
Vault
Once again an incredible opening act, Lassiter got the last rotation going with a 9.875, her new career best on the event. Senior Olivia VanHorn — in her final competition as a Quaker — posted a 9.700 with her unique front pike vault, with Junior Alisha Werlen earning a matching score. As the only freshman on the event, Fofana left no doubt that she couldn't perform the same as her older teammates, with a score of 9.750. Kerico tied her score of 9.925 from last week, which earned her first in program history. Today, it also earned her the individual vault conference record. Barrow wrapped up the meet as a whole with a 9.775, the third highest of the rotation. In all, Penn totaled 49.025, beating out Yale (48.850), Bridgeport (48.500), and Brown (47.650).
Once again, Penn won the GEC Championships with a score of 195.700, with Yale in second (194.125), and Bridgeport in third (193.150).
“This was the goal the entire season,” Kerico said. "We knew it was possible. We decided to, you know, stay consistent and steady. And I think moving forward, our goal is still to go to regionals in the future; we’ll build off this one step to where we want to actually go.”
Kerico earned a 39.425 in the all-around, earning her another place in history as the highest overall all-around score in program record. She also was awarded GEC Gymnast of the Year and Performance of the Year for her Yurchenko one-and-a-half. Head Coach Kirsten Becker also won GEC Head Coach of the Year.
Kerico also placed first in the vault, with Lassiter in second. For bars, Kerico once again topped the leaderboard, with Paris tied for third. Barrow won the beam, with Fofana and Kerico in a four-way tie for second.
While a few individual gymnasts may compete at NCAA Regionals, the team as a whole won't be in action until next season, where the Quakers can continue their dynasty.
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