by David F.P. (Scores from eyewitness accounts verified by Troester as well as results provided by URI sports information.)

Kingston, RI-March 1, 2008 [Image Gallery]

The Rhody Rams did not let their own struggles get in the way of celebrating a great cause Saturday afternoon as they donned purple leotards to support the fight against lymphoma and leukemia. As fans filled a donation jar, and the seats, clad in purple outfits of their own, the Rams prepared to take on the most appropriate of all opponents on this day, the Purple Knights of Bridgeport.

As is common with most meets, each team would have their ups and downs, resulting in a close meet between a top Division 2 team, and their talented Division 1 hosts.

Rhody opened strong on vault with Kara Machado, Lindsay Diamond, and Lauren Wasilewski all scoring well. Erica Heaney then put up the team’s second highest score with a 9.65, Danielle Riportella followed with a 9.55, and Ananda Fraser hit a 9.7 thanks to her powerful front pike. Jamie Reyell also picked up as solid score with her exhibition vault.

UB opened on the UB, appropriately enough, and put up a string of solid scores, led of by Teri Musall’s 9.275, Brandi Embrey’s 9.35, Leila Behbahani’s 9.35, and Lorraine Galow’s anchor 9.45, as well as Stephanie Morgan and Hannah Forti’s scoring. Shannon Cain and Carissa Huggin’s also turned in solid exhibition performances. Embrey for her part shattered a streak of lower scores and slammed home her release move to add to the team’s scoring drive.

URI turned to the Bars for rotation 2, and was led by longtime anchor Emily Rinaldo’s 9.675, Riportella’s 9.675, Fraser’s 9.5, Kelsey Thompson’s 9.35, and Reyell and Heaney’s solid scores. Kerry Cutler and Krista Dominici also made exhibition appearances. Thompson broke a lower scoring streak from the past few weeks with her performance this afternoon.

Bridgeport’s vault rotation featured solid scores from Morgan and Ravin Iasiello, Hannah Forti’s 9.25, Jamie DePaola’s 9.475, Yvette Mirando’s 9.525, and Lorraine Galow’s 9.55.

On the Beam, both teams had their struggles, though URI went first, and Danielle Riportella’s 9.425 would lead the team and the meet with Casey Pereira’s 9.35 placing 2nd among Rams and third in the meet. Jordan Ginsburg, Alex Tirado, Danielle Lee, and Kerry Cutler put in solid scores amidst the rotation. Erika Sloan put in an exhibition performance as did Erica Heaney.

Bridgeport was meanwhile on the Floor and found great success. Kelsey Fox led off with a 9.35, Kat Reitz continued the momentum with a 9.3. Stephanie Morgan kept things going with a 9.525, Breanna Collins was right behind her with a 9.425, Galow picked up a 9.425, and Yvette Mirando anchored the rotation with her 9.65. Jamie DePaola and Sara Doody, I also believe exhibitioned for the visitors.

Rhody would score well on Floor in rotation 4, (though I’m not sure which score is which as the posted scores are different from the score sheet.) Going off of what the final scores say though Fraser led the way with her 9.7, Riportella capped off another successful day with a 9.55 on her way to the all around title. Pereira had a 9.475, Kara Machado a 9.425, and Lindsay Diamond and Danielle Lee’s score rounded out the rotation. Jamie Reyell also scored well in her exhibition performance I believe.

The final score was URI 187.75, Bridgeport 187.0. With the fate of their program looming, the Rams continue to show up and score well, this meet was no different. Bridgeport is also continuing to have an excellent year filled with contributions up and down their lineup. The two teams are similar in that they have constructed scores from both their veterans performing, and from the rookies making an impact quickly. The crowd was a pretty good one considering the meet was held as the American Cup elite meet was going on down in New York City.

Both teams will be in action next Friday, as Springfield visits Bridgeport for UB’s only home meet of the season, and URI has their last home meet versus MIT, SCSU, and Yale.

Moves (FHS* means it’s a front handspring of some type, but I’m not sure the exact term.

URI Vault

Machado

Tsukahara, back layout.

Diamond

Yurchenko, back layout.

Wasilewski

FHS, Front Tuck.

Heaney

Yurchenko, (1/2 twist salto off).

Riportella

Yurchenko, (full twist off.)

Fraser

FHS, Front pike.

Reyell (Exhibition)

Yurchenko, Back Pike.

URI Uneven Bars

Reyell

Mount over low bar to high bar, grip change, gienger, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Thompson

Mount from behind high bar, grip change, (A maneuver I don’t know the name of where she turns and then straddles the bar on the way over the bars.), aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Fraser

Mount from middle from behind low bar, grip change on low bar, aerial low to high transition, grip change, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Heaney

Mount over low bar to high bar, grip change on high bar, tkatchev…aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition, grip change, back tuck dismount.

Riportella

Mount over low bar to high bar, grip change, gienger, aerial high to low transition, back layout dismount.

Rinaldo

Mount over low bar to high bar, grip change, grip change, straddled jaeger, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Cutler (Exhibition)

Mount from middle from back of low bar to low bar, grip change, aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition, grip change on high bar, back layout off.

Dominici (Exhibition)

Mount to low bar, gienger, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

URI Balance Beam

Cutler

Mount to middle of the beam, dance moves at beam level, pirouette, back handspring walkout, layout stepout…switch split leap, straddle jump, (roundoff), changement, straddle jump with turn, back pike off end of the beam dismount.

Pereira

Mount to center of the beam, then holds herself into a split type maneuver, some other dance moves at beam level, back tuck, back handspring walkout, pirouette…tuck jump with turn, some sort of jump, wolf jump with turn, front tuck…(full twist off end of the beam to side of the beam dismount.)

Tirado

Mount to the middle of the beam, pirouette…switch split into straddle jump, back handspring walkout, back handspring walkout, back layout stepout, (handstand variation in a split position), changement, straddle jump with turn…RO, 1 1/2 twists off end of the beam.

Ginsburg

Mount to middle of the beam, RO, back layout stepout…split jump standing sideways on beam, split jump standing sideways on beam, switch split jump, tuck jump with turn, (aerial roundoff), pirouette, gainer full twist off middle of the beam to side of the beam.

Riportella

Mount unknown…switch split leap, straddle jump, pirouette, (front layout stepout?), back handspring walkout, layout stepout, straddle jump with turn, gainer back full twist dismount to side of the beam.

Lee

Mount to middle of the beam, (front handspring), back handspring walkout, layout stepout…pirouette, switch split leap, straddle jump with turn, double stag jump, (back layout stepout?)…full twist off end of beam dismount.

Sloan (Exhibition)

Mount to middle of the beam, back handspring walkout, layout stepout…switch split leap, straddle jump, pike jump, pirouette, front tuck…switch split into side split jump, front full twist off end of the beam.

Heaney (Exhibition)

Front flip onto end of the beam, pirouette, back handspring walkout, layout stepout, switch split leap, split jump, split jump with turn, full front twist off end of the beam.

URI Floor Exercise

Machado

P1: FHS*, full twist, front layout.

P2: RO, 1/2 twist, front layout.

P3: FHS*, full twist, front tuck.

Pereira

P1: FHS*, 1 1/2 twist.

P2: RO, BHS, 2 twists?

P3: FHS*, full twist, front tuck.

Diamond

P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.

P2: FHS*, Front layout, front layout.

P3: Front full twist.

Lee

P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.

P2: FHS*, full twist,

P3: FHS*, front layout, full twist.

Riportella

P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.

P2: RO, BHS, double back tuck.

P3: FHS*, ?

Fraser

P1: Front tuck, RO, BHS, double back tuck.

P2: RO, BHS, double back pike.

P3: FHS*, full twist, front tuck.

Reyell (Exhibition)

P1: FHS*, 1 1/2 twist.

P2: FHS*, full twist, front tuck.

P3: RO, 1 1/2 twist.

UB Vault

Morgan

Yurchenko, back layout.

DePaola

Yurchenko, back layout.

Forti

Yurchenko, back layout.

Mirando

FHS, Front tuck.

Galow

Tsukahara, back layout.

Iasiello

FHS, Front pike.

Savoca (Exhibition)

FHS, Front tuck.

Calderon (Exhibition)

Yurchenko, back layout.

UB Uneven Bars

Musall

Mount from middle of the bars to the high bar, grip change on the high bar, aerial high to low transition, back 1 1/2 twist off dismount.

Embrey

Mount over low bar to high bar I believe, gienger, grip change on high bar, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Forti

Mount straddles low bar to high bar…grip change, straddled jaeger, aerial high to low transition, grip change, back tuck dismount.

Morgan

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

Behbahani

Mount to low bar, aerial low to high transition, grip change on high bar, aerial high to low transition, back tuck dismount.

Galow

Mount to low bar, grip change on high bar, grip change, grip change, aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition, back tuck dismount.

Cain (Exhibition)

Mount to low bar, aerial high to low transition, aerial low to high transition, grip change on high bar, back tuck dismount.

Huggins (Exhibition)

Mount to low bar, grip change on high bar, (tucked jaeger), aerial high to low transition, front tuck dismount.

UB Balance Beam

Iasiello

Mount unknown, back handspring walkout, layout stepout, pike jump, straddle jump with turn, switch split leap, straddle jump with turn, pirouette, full front twist off the end of the beam.

Morgan

Mount unknown, switch split leap, pirouette, back handspring walkout, one handed back handspring walkout, split jump, back tuck jump into straddle of the beam, RO, 1 1/2 twist off end of the beam.

Collins

Mount unknown…(aerial roundoff), RO?, sheep jump, pirouette, split jump, tuck jump with turn, front 1 1/2 twist off end of the beam?.

Rut

?

Mirando

Mounts to middle of the beam, pirouette, back tuck, back tuck, switch split leap, straddle jump, straddle jump, front walkover, switch split into side split, back pike dismount.

Galow

Mount to middle of the beam, back handspring walkout, layout stepout, switch split leap, tuck jump with turn, pirouette, split jump, back tuck, split jump with turn, RO into back 2 twists off end of the beam.

? (Exhibition)

… tuck jump with turn, switch split leap, straddle jump, jump to the beam. pirouette, gainer full twist off the side of the beam.

Petit (Exhibition) PARTIAL

…split jump, straddle jump, straddle jump with turn, back pike dismount.

UB Floor Exercise

Fox

P1: FHS*, full twist, front tuck.

P2: RO, front layout?, front layout

P3: FHS*, full twist.

Reitz

P1: … 1/2 twist, full twist.

P2: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist.

P3: FHS*, full twist.

Morgan

P1: FHS*, full twist, front pike.

P2: RO, back layout, 1 1/2 twist?

P3: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist.

Collins

P1: RO, back layout, back full twist?

P2: Front 1 1/2 twist, back handspring walkout, layout stepout.

P3: Full front twist.

Galow

P1: RO, BHS, double back tuck.

P2: FHS*, front layout.

P3: RO, BHS, 2 twists.

Mirando

P1: ?

P2: Front tuck, RO, double back tuck.

P3: RO, BHS, double back pike.

DePaola (Exhibition)

P1: RO, BHS, double back pike.

P2: FHS*, front layout, front pike.

P3: RO, BHS, 2 twists.

Doody? (Exhibition)

P1:?

P2: RO, BHS, 1 1/2 twist?

P3: RO, 1/2 twist, front tuck.