By David F.P.
(Scores from Troester and some official sports information releases. )

Here’s just a recap of the meets I was not in attendance at involving the area’s teams.

Penn at Yale

The Bulldogs won all four events to top Penn 187.885 to 179.600 in an Ivy League Match up. Brigitte Kivisto won the all around with a 38.875 followed by teammates Allison Mak’s 37.450, Tara Feld’s 37.425, Stephanie Goldstein’s 36.325, and Penn’s Megan Milavec scored a 35.175.

Feld led the meet and team on Vault with a 9.850, Kivisto 2nd with a 9.725 and Mak had a 9.6. Kirsten Strausbaugh was the top Quaker with her 9.425.

On Bars Kivisto’s 9.550 set the page, Feld had a 9.525, and fellow Yalie Stephanie Goldstein had a 9.125. Rebecca Engberg was the top scorer for Penn with a 9.025.

Mak took Beam with a 9.825, Kivisto added a 9.750, and Engberg breached the top 3 for the Quakers with her 9.450.

On Floor Kivisto’s 9.850, Bulldog Talis Trevino had a 9.650, Mak scored a 9.425. Briana Pressey was the visitor’s top scorer and put up a 9.025.

Yale travels up the road to SCSU next week to take on the Owls, Bridgeport, and Ithaca. Penn will head across town to Temple to take on TU, Ursinus, Towson, West Chester, and Wilson in a meeting of five Pennsylvania teams and the nearby Tigers from the south.

Springfield at Ithaca

The Bombers from IC welcomed in the Springfield Pride and picked up at the win at home posting a 182.225 to their opponent’s 181.1. Ithaca won three events, but Springfield topped them in Vault. SC had no all arounders, but Ithaca’s Jessica Bolduc picked up a 37.500 in the event and Kay Gordon a 34.925.

Bolduc picked up the Vault title with a 9.450, SC’s Christina Pagella posted a 9.4 and fellow Pride member Ericca Castagna a 9.375.

On the Bars Bolduc led her team and the meet again with a 9.325, teammate Rachel Taylor added a 9.225, and Bomber Chelsea Robie’s 9.025 shared third place with SC’s Jeanna Bradle and Megan German.

On the Beam Brianne Sullivan led IC and the meet with a 9.3, Brittany Baglow was 2nd for Springfield, and Bolduc added a 9.2

Over on the Floor both teams had their highest scoring event of the day. Sullivan picked up a 9.625, teammate Kailee Spusta a 9.6, and Castagna picked up a 9.575, with several gymnasts on both teams close behind them.

IC is now 2-1 overall and in the ECAC, SC is 1-2 in the ECAC and 1-4 overall (though that includes competition again D1 and D2 teams.) Ithaca will be at Southern Connecticut next week and will also face Bridgeport and Yale as well. Springfield continues it’s string of taking on New York ECAC teams by facing Cortland at home on Sunday.

Pittsburgh at New Hampshire

UNH topped their fellow EAGL competitor 194.950 to 191.675 in the friendly confines of Lundholm Gymnasium. UNH won three of four events, though Pitt actually scored higher on the vault by nearly a point. In the all around UNH’s Chelsea Steinberg picked up 1st with a 39.325, Pitt’s Alicia Talucci ran second with a 38.850 and Meaghan Biros had a 38.625 for the Panthers.

On the Vault Talucci’s 9.975 cemented first place, Biros was second with her 9.850, and teammate Dani Bryan and Wildcat Helena Diodati’s 9.825 were good enough for third.

On the Bars, Diodati’s 9.825 was first. Her teammates Diane Grey, Katie Lawrence, and Danielle Reibold all shared second place with a 9.750, and UNH’s Ali Carr and Pitt’s Sarah Thompson had the third highest score with a 9.7.

On the Beam, Danielle Reibold, Taryn LaFountain, and Steinberg topped their team and the meet scoring 9.875. Talucci’s 9.8 was the second highest score of the meet, and New Hampshire freshman Dianna Kurowyckyj posted the third highest score of 9.750.

Over on the Floor, Steinberg and Julie Sauchuk placed 1st with their 9.825s, LaFountain’s 9.8 was the 2nd highest meet score, and Courtney Connors from UNH and Shannon Vafiadou for Pitt had the third highest 9.750 score.

Next week UNH is off to #14 Missouri and Pitt hosts #13 Iowa State, EAGL foe Rutgers, and Division 3 power Brockport. Rutgers gymnasts were expressing their hope that they can pull off the win over the Panthers if they execute so it should be a big meet.

Bridgeport at Brown

Division 2 and reigning Co-USAG Collegiate National Champs Bridgeport topped D1 Brown 191.050 to 187.275 in their one of their ongoing string of meetings. UB has been a frequent guest in the Pizzitola Center the past few years. UB topped the Bears on three events, but Brown edged them on Floor 48.775 to 48.700 in what was a hugely competitive apparatus. Lorraine Galow and Miranda Der went one, two in the All Around with scores of 38.600 and 38.250 respectively. Chelsey Binkley scored a 37.875 for Brown and freshman teammate Nicole Abdo added a 36.400.

On the Vault Galow was 1st with a 9.850, Der was 2nd with a 9.675 and Brown’s Lauren Hall picked up a 9.650.

On the Uneven Bars, Bridgeport’s Hannah Forti scored a 9.550, teammate and specialist Carissa Huggins added a 9.4, and Der closed out the top 3 with a 9.350. It was not a fun event for Brown, and Izzy Kirkham-Lewitt led the team with a 9.250.

On the Beam, Brown had been trying to stabilize things, though Bridgeport’s Emily Repko took 1st with 9.825, and Galow added a 9.8, Binkley scored a 9.7 to take third.

Finally on Floor in what was just a shootout Galow and Binkley each scored 9.825s, Der and Brown’s reigning Ivy Floor Champion Helen Segal picked up 9.8s, UB’s Breanna Collins and Brown’s Katie Goddard had 9.750s. Fellow Bear Emily Lutfey scored a 9.725, Repko had a 9.7 for the Purple Knights, and Abdo was right behind her with a 9.675.

Next week Bridgeport heads up I-95 to New Haven to take on Southern Connecticut for the first time this season. Yale will be present as well making it a match up of all of Connecticut’s teams and D3 Ithaca College will be in the field house as well.

Brown is off for a week, and will face regional power New Hampshire on February 12th

SCSU, Wilson, West Chester, MIT Club at Brockport

In one of the more unique meets of the weekend, D3 Brockport played host to Division 2 Southern Connecticut and West Chester, as well as ECAC D3 league member Wilson, and a former member of the ECAC MIT, now reconstituted as a club team. The results was a close meet between the Golden Eagles of SUNY-B and the SCSU Owls, and the resulting bird battle had Southern Conn winning 187.275 to 187.225 over Brockport in a squeaker. The home team actually won 3 of four events, but SCSU kept very close and won Beam by a wide enough margin to take the win. WCU finished at 177.650, Wilson at 165.800, and MIT (who has only 5 competitors) scored 154.575.

SCSU Freshman Rebecca Brady picked up another all around title with a 37.150, Brockport’s Elizabeth Levy was narrowly 2nd with a 37.125, and her teammate Natalie Sroda scored a 36.900. WCU’s Kaley LaFleur finished 4th with a 36.550, MIT’s Zara Karuman was 5th with her 36.025, and Sam Vance was Wilson’s top All Arounder of the day.

On the vault, SUNY-B’s often decorated Lauren Gildemeyer took the win with a 9.8 tying a school record in the process. SCSU’s Brady put up a 9.6, and her teammate Briana DiPinto added a 9.550. West Chester’s LaFleur was her teams top Vaulter as she scored a 9.350, Karis Stevenson was MIT’s as she flew to a 9.025, and Vance was Wilson’s as she hit an 8.925.

SCSU Senior Sarah Darst won the Bars title on the event which is her specialty posting a 9.675, Brockport’s Christina Baggetta scored a 9.575 as did Southern’s Justine Basley. Sroda scored a 9.5 for the third highest score. WCU’s Alli Aquila had a team leading 9.150, and Karuman posted a 9.075 to lead MIT. Wilson’s Laura Beck was the top scorer for the Phoenix.

On the Beam, DiPinto placed first with a 9.525, Brockport’s Kileigh Chapman was second along with SCSU’s Brady as each scored a 9.350. Golden Eagle Colleen Chahbazi had the third highest score of 9.3 Karuman posted MIT’s top score of 9.025, Jenna Ciatto of West Chester had her team’s highest of 8.950 and Vance posted Wilson’s highest.

On the floor, Sroda took first with a 9.625, Samantha Laraway was second for SCSU with a 9.6, Stephanie Baker took the third highest score of 9.550 for SUNYB with a pair of teammates close behind. Rachel Pearson scored 9.5 to lead West Chester. Zara Karuman led MIT again with a 9.1, and Rebekka Williams led Wilson with a 9.075.

Southern Connecticut hosts D2 Bridgeport, D1 Ivy Yale, and D3 Ithaca next week thus bringing all three Connecticut teams together and Ithaca is a frequent visitor to the region. Wilson and West Chester are both headed to Temple to take part in the big meet where Penn, Ursinus and Towson will also be present. Brockport heads to Pittsburgh to take on Division 1 Pitt, Rutgers, and nationally ranked Iowa State.