By TUCKER MAGGIO-HUCEK
Cornell Gymnastics has started off the new season with promising performances in its first two meets. The Red began the year with a trip to Washington D.C. to take part in a quad meet at George Washington. After a second place finish there, the Red took third at a quad meet at Penn State, but improved its overall team score from the first week.
In the nation’s capitol, the Red had an excellent day on the beam, finishing first among the four teams, which would help them to a second place finish behind host George Washington. Although the Red’s total score was far behind the victors’, it was a full five points above league opponent Penn’s score. Getting an early win over a conference foe in the first meet was a confidence booster for the Red.
“Between our first two meets the team is definitely headed in the right direction,” said senior captain Lexi Schupp. “Placing second at George Washington and ahead of Penn was a great start to our season.”
The Red had its best performance of the day on the beam, taking first in the event. Leading the squad was junior Maia Vernacchia; her 9.600 score was good for third place in the event. Sophomore Hannah Clark finished fifth in the event with a 9.550. The Red also placed second on the vault and on the floor. The notable individual performance from those two events was sophomore Madeline Martinez, who finished sixth on vault with a 9.675.
Oliver Kliewe / Sun Senior PhotographerStaying balanced | Senior captain Lexi Schupp tallied the fourth highest score for all-around in school history and the highest since 2009.