By David F.P. (Scores from eyewitness accounts verified through Troester) [Photo Gallery]

NEW HAVEN, CT – The Southern Connecticut Owls honored four of their own this Sunday as seniors Erika Pysh, Krystie Tomlinson, Bethany Jeffords, and Brittany Otto were given a send off, two send offs in fact, in front of the home crowd at Moore Field house.

Pysh posted season highs of 9.825 on the Floor, 9.625 on the Beam (9.75 in 2006-2007 as well), 9.225 on Bars, and 9.5 on Vault this season in addition to numerous ECAC merits won throughout her career. Tomlinson had a season high of 9.175 on Bars this year and a 9.4 season high on Beam last season. Jeffords set season highs of 9.3 on the FX, 9.175 on vault, and 9.175 on Bars and last season had a 9.35 high on Vault, 9.4 high on bars, 9.4 on beam, and 9.525 on Floor. Otto had a season high 9.425 on the Vault.

Turning to the competition itself, both teams would reach season highs, for SCSU, their previous high of 187.575, set February 9th at MIT was eclipsed by today’s 188.6. Ithaca’s previous 183.1 high score set at Cornell on the same day was topped by nearly three points with a 185.925. SCSU set new season highs on the Vault, Bars, and Floor as well. Ithaca had new season highs on the Vault and Floor.

Southern opened on Vault and it was Justine Basley’s 9.55 that led the team and would be the top score of the meet. Briana DiPinto’s 9.525 was good enough for second among Owls and a tie for second place in the event as well. Seniors Erika Pysh and Brittany Otto contributed to the new season high team score with a 9.5 and 9.425 respectively. Carolyn Proulx picked up the team’s fifth highest score with a 9.2.

Ithaca’s vault rotation, a new season high score, would be led by Rachel Taylor’s 9.525, good for second place in the meet, and Lauren Marcoux’s 9.5, which was good for a tie for third in the meet with Southern’s Pysh. Frances Ente (9.35), Emily Graber (9.275), and Devon Birek (9.25) rounded out the counted scores.

SCSU’s Uneven Bars rotation was once again led by Sarah Darst who picked up a 9.6, which was good enough for a second place meet finish. Taylor Murray’s 9.425, Basley’s 9.3, Pysh’s 9.225, and fellow senior Tomlinson’s 9.075 were the five scores that went towards the new season high for the team.

For the Bombers from IC, Roxanne DeShaies had a meet and team leading 9.675, Birek swung to a 9.35, Graber a 9.075, and Ente and Whiffen rounded out the counted scores.

Murray’s 9.55 on the four inch beam would be the top score from either team that afternoon. Basley’s 9.475 was second among owls and the meet, as well. DiPinto’s 9.375, Pysh’s 9.1, and Guillerault’s 9.05 helped compose the rest of the team score, the lone event where Southern did not set a new season high, but there was still plenty of good news that day for blue and white.

Ithaca’s Beam rotation featured Brianne Sullivan and Lauren Marcoux picking up 9.425s, the third highest score of the meet on that event. Katheryn Kaiser’s 9.275, Lauren Ferrone, and Samantha Brawn provided the rest of the counted scores.

On Floor, the blue and yellow from IC had their best event, and a new season high. Kailee Spusta’s 9.7 was the top Bomber score, and the second highest FX score of the meet. Valerie Ierley’s 9.625, Jessica Oddo’s 9.525, Lauren Marcoux 9.325, and Sullivan and Taylor’s 9.2 constituted the team score.

For the Owls, there was a lot of good news. The season high was set led by Pysh’s 9.8 in her final home event of her career. This was preceded by DiPinto’s 9.65, and Basley’s 9.625 before that. Samantha Laraway put up a 9.6 in the third lineup spot, and Michelle Guillerault had a 9.55, following a 9.3 by Goodknight to open up the rotation.

Basley, Pysh, and Goodknight would all pick up solid all around scores with Basley just missing a 38, with a 37.95.

Moves. (This is a listing as best as possible of the moves being done or attempted. Sometimes the moves may not be landed, but I don’t emphasize that here, I just outline what seems to be happening.) (There are falls, but I don’t talk about them.) (dance moves on floor to come later)(? Marks reflect moves I’m still verifying, and I am still finishing IDs)(I do my best, any mistakes please let me know.)(dots mean I missed part of the routine so I fill in between what I saw with that.)(With the beam and bars I don’t know as much about the moves so you can see I take some shortcuts.)

SCSU Vault

Proulx
Tsukahara, back pike

Goodknight
Yurchenko, back layout

Otto
Tsukahara, back layout

Pysh
Tsukahara, back layout

Basley
Tsukahara, back layout

DiPinto
Yurchenko, back layout

SCSU Bars

Murray
Mount to low bar I believe…tkatchev, grip change on high bar, grip change, back tuck dismount.

Goodknight
Mount from behind to high bar, aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition…back tuck dismount.

Tomlinson
Mount from behind to top bar, aerial high to low transition, aerial high to low transition, front tuck dismount.

Pysh
Mount from front to low bar, aerial low to high transition, grip change, aerial high to low transition, grip change, front tuck dismount.

Basley
Mount from front to low bar, grip change, grip change, grip change, aerial high to low transition, grip change, back tuck dismount.

Darst
Mount from front to low bar, grip change, aerial high to low transition, grip change, 1 1/2 twist dismount?

Routine 7 Exhibition
Mount from middle behind low bar to low bar, grip change on low bar, tkatchev, aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition, front tuck dismount.

SCSU Beam

Goodknight
Mount unknown…changement, straddle jump with turn, front handspring*?, back handspring walkout, back flip, switch split leap, some sort of jump with turn, pirouette, tuck jump with turn, followed by full twist backwards to side of the beam.

Guillerault
Mount unknown…back tuck, pirouette, straddle jump with turn, RO, switch split leap, straddle jump, straddle jump, front full twist to side of the beam dismount.

Murray
Mount unknown…BHS walkout, layout stepout, switch split leap, straddle jump, straddle jump, pirouette, switch into side split, gainer back full twist to side of the beam dismount.

Basley
Mount unknown…switch split leap, straddle jump, straddle jump, back handspring walkout, layout stepout, squat turn, front tuck, gainer back full twist to side of the beam dismount.

DiPinto
…pirouette, RO 1 1/2 twist off end of the beam dismount.

Pysh
…full twist off end of the beam dismount.

Tomlinson (exhibition)
Mount unknown…switch split leap, straddle jump, back flip into straddle of the beam, full twist dismount off end of the beam.

SCSU Floor
Goodknight
P1: FHS walkout, front layout, front pike.
P2: RO, 1/2 twist, front layout,
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists.

Laraway
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: FHS walkout, full twist, front tuck.
P3: FHS walkout, full twist.

Guillerault
P1: RO, BHS, 2 twists.
P2: RO, 1/2 twist, full twist.
P3: RO, 1/2 twist, front layout.

Basley
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: FHS walkout, front layout, front layout.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists.

DiPinto
P1: RO, BHS, double back tuck.
P2: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists, front tuck.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists.

Pysh
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: FHS walkout, full twist, front tuck.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twists, front tuck.

Fern (Exhibition)
P1: RO, BHS, double back tuck.
P2: FHS walkout, front layout, front layout.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist.

Ithaca Vault

Kaiser
Yurchenko, back pike.

Ente
Tsukahara, back layout (or pike?)

Graber
Yurchenko, back pike.

Marcoux
Tsukahara, back layout (or pike?)

Birek
Yurchenko on, back pike off

Taylor
Tsukahara on, back layout off

Ithaca Uneven Bars

Facini
Unknown mount…aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition, grip change, back tuck dismount.

Whiffen
Mount from front to low bar, (some sort of release move I am having trouble describing), grip change, back tuck dismount.

Graber
Mount from the back to high bar, aerial high to low transition, grip change, grip change, back tuck dismount.

Birek
Mount from front to low bar, grip change on high bar, aerial high to low transition, grip change, front tuck dismount.

DeShaies
Mount from front to low bar, aerial low to high transition, grip change, grip change, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Ente
Mount from behind to high bar, aerial high to low transition, geinger, back tuck dismount.

Routine 7
Mount from front to low bar, grip change on high bar, grip change, aerial high to low, back tuck dismount.

Ithaca Floor
Oddo
P1: FHS walkout, 1 1/2 twist.
P2: RO, full twist.
P3: RO, back layout, 1 1/2 twist.

Marcoux
P1: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist.
P2: FHS walkout, 1 1/2 twist.
P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist.

Taylor?
P1: FHS walkout, front layout, front layout.
P2: RO, 1/2 twist, front tuck.
P3: FHS walkout, full twist.

Sullivan?
P1: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist, front tuck.
P2: RO, 1/2 twist, front tuck.
P3: FHS walkout, 1/2 twist?

Ierley
P1: RO, 1/2 twist, full twist, front pike.
P2: RO, 1/2 twist, front layout, front layout.
P3: FHS walkout, full twist?,

Spusta
P1: FHS walkout, front layout, 1 1/2 twist.
P2: FHS walkout, full twist, front tuck.
P3: RO, back layout, 1 1/2 twist.

Routine 7 (exhibition)
P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.
P2: RO, 1 1/2 twist, front tuck.
P3: RO, 1 1/2 twist.

Ithaca Balance Beam

Ferrone
Mount to middle of the beam, back tuck, handspring walkout, RO?, switch split leap, straddle jump, split jump, changement, tuck jump with turn, pirouette, while standing on the very end of the beam does a split jump, straddle jump, and then back full twist off end of the beam.

Marcoux
Front flip onto end of the beam, wolf jump, tuck jump with turn, back tuck, back tuck, pirouette, switch split leap, some sort of turning jump, full twist off the end of the beam dismount.

Kaiser
Mount to middle of the beam, dance moves at beam level, split jump, tuck jump with turn, back handspring walkout, back tuck, switch split leap, sheep jump, pirouette, FHS walkout, straddle jump, full twist off end of beam?

Brawn
Mount unknown…dance moves at beam level, switch split leap, straddle jump with turn, cat leap, switch into side split, pirouette, tuck jump, 1 1/2 twists off end of the beam.

Spusta
Mount to middle of the beam, pirouette, front layout stepout?, switch split leap, straddle jump, wolf jump with turn, (some sort of jump from sitting position into handstand.), straddle jump, tuck jump with turn, full front twist off end of beam dismount.

Sullivan
She stands in front of the side of the beam on the springboard then bounces back straddling the beam and grabbing it in the process, switch split leap, straddle jump, back handspring walkout, layout stepout, pirouette, straddle jump, split jump with turn, aerial roundoff?, 1 1/2 front twist dismount off end of the beam.

Routine 7 (exhibition)
Front flip onto end of the beam, back handspring walkout, back tuck, switch split leap, tuck jump with turn, changement, tuck jump with turn, pirouette, full front twist off end of beam dismount.