COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – The Ursinus College gymnastics team paid homage to its seniors and came up with season highs on both the uneven bars and floor exercise in a successful Senior Day showcase against West Chester and Ithaca on Sunday afternoon.
Kaylin Knapsack maintained her red-hot form, tying for second place on the floor and for fourth on the beam to help the Bears take second in the team standings with a 183.550. West Chester accumulated a 192.500, and Ithaca was third at 179.925.
Before the meet, the first home tri in the tenure of head coach Kim Valenti, Ursinus paid tribute to seniors Breanna Courts, Skylar Haas, Eleanor LaFountain, Autumn Snape, and Sabrina Tusavitz for their dedication to the program and contributions over the last four years.
The Bears kicked off the meet with a balanced effort on the vault, with all six competitors scoring between 9.150 and 9.325 – the event-high score shared by Couts, Taylor Cusick, and Emma Gable. Alex Panetta was right behind with a season-best 9.275, and Hailey DiCicco also notched a season high at 9.225. Shruthi Anand finished with a 9.150.
Ursinus totaled a 46.050 on floor, about a half point clear of their previous best. Knapsack's 9.725 was a tenth of a point back of the Golden Rams' Jessica Meakim, and gave her a third consecutive meet with at least that mark. DiCicco snagged a new season high with a 9.350, with Gable (9.225) and Snape (9.150) also producing their best scores of the year.
Knapsack established a new personal best with a 9.700 on the balance beam, just .050 points out of second place. Snape supported her with a 9.200, and Alyssa DeLorme was just short of a personal best with an 8.975.
Panetta's extended run of success on the bars highlighted a much-improved performance by the Bears, who racked up a 45.875 to go nearly three-quarters of a point above their previous season high. The rookie led the way with a 9.525, posting her third consecutive score of 9.500 or better in as many meets to open her career.
Tusavitz was sensational with an exhibition routine in her season debut, recording a 9.475 for her best tally in two years. Gable secured a season-high 9.275, a score matched by Abigail Schwerdt. LaFountain provided the feel-good moment of the meet, competing for the first time since suffering a season-ending injury last season; she scored 8.65 in an exhibition.
The Bears head to Philadelphia to join Bridgeport in a tri-meet at Temple next Friday, January 31.
