COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College gymnastics team honored four seniors before their dual meet with top-ranked Brockport State on Sunday, then went out and broke two school records during it for a memorable home finale inside Helfferich Hall.
The Bears established a new program benchmark with a 48.100 on the bars, and junior Kaelin Ruoss matched the school record with a 9.850 on the beam. Brockport State recorded a 193.325, the highest score in Division III this season, to surpass Ursinus' strong score of 190.975.
Ursinus recognized Jillian Casarella, Lauren Chavis, Allyson Getty, and Vanessa Scalora before the meet as part of Senior Day festivities.
The Bears were on fire on the bars, eclipsing the previous program mark of 48.075 from the 2015 NCGA East championships and shattering their former season best of 47.850 from a January 28 meet at Rutgers.
Scalora was the headliner, garnering a 9.675 to tie her previous career best from earlier in the season and share the individual crown with Brockport's Allison Hester and Maddie O'Braitis. Ruoss and Chavis were right behind at 9.650, each surpassing their previous career benchmarks to finish in a fourth-place tie, and junior Amanda Palladino collected a 9.575 to take seventh and notch her own personal best. Sophomore Lindsay Rush's 9.550, good for eighth overall, was her second-highest tally of the season, and junior Alexandra Puryear managed a 9.325 to round out the home contingent.
Ruoss wowed with her beam routine, earning a 9.850 from both judges to share the school record with Kristin Aichele (2014) and claim a well-deserved first place. Freshmen Skylar Haas and Autumn Snape tied for fifth with matching scores of 9.675, each good for a new personal record, and Palladino tallied a 9.475 as the Bears combined for a 47.900, the fifth time this season that they have scored at least that high.
All five of their top scorers either equaled or surpassed their season high on the vault for the Bears, who put up a 47.425 that stands as their second-best output of the year. Junior Heather Brubaker matched her career high with a 9.600 to highlight the Ursinus effort and place fifth overall; Jen Sklenar, Candis Kowalik, and Stephanie Mager were each awarded a 9.675 in a three-way tie for first.
Puryear also equaled her season best with a 9.550, and Rush outperformed her previous standard by three-quarters of a point to finish ninth at 9.500. Ruoss was even with her season high at 9.425, and freshman Eleanor LaFountain posted her fourth 9.350 of the year.
Ursinus put together a solid array of floor exercises, led by Brubaker's 9.625 that put her in seventh. LaFountain (9.575) and fellow rookies Sabrina Tusavitz (9.425) and Breanna Courts (9.375) each registered new collegiate bests for the Bears, who received a 9.525 from Puryear and a 9.400 from Haas to post a 47.550 as a team.
Puryear collected an all-around score of 37.650 for the afternoon, with Sklenar ringing up a 38.425.
The gymnastics team concludes the regular season at West Chester on Saturday, March 11. The Bears will then have a week off before the NCGA East championships at Brockport on Sunday, March 19.
