On Sunday, March 10, gymnastics competed against Centenary College of Louisiana, earning an extraordinary victory by a 195.025 – 188.225 margin. This 195.025 score bested the team’s previous record of 195.000 in 2018.
During this meet, gymnastics showcased the contributions of its eight seniors over the past four years. Senior captain Regina Walton earned Cornell’s best score on beam at 9.800.
Junior Sydney Beers led the team by earning first in the all-around with a score of 9.875. Sophomore Michaela DeFrancisco and freshman Avery Byun both earned silver honors at the meet.
Serving as the junior captain, Beers was not surprised by the weekend’s results.
“Cornell gymnastics starts training the first week of classes in the fall. We worked extremely hard this year on improving our confidence,” Beers said. “Going into the gym each day, we try to train like we are competing and compete just like we train.”
Beers expressed that she aspires to serve as a role model, motivating her teammates.
“I try to lead the team by example in and out of the gym. I compete in the all-around, so on each event, I try to give advice and give people the encouragement and confidence that they need,” Beers said. “I try to bring the energy up when it is down and make sure that the team is reaching both their individual goals as well as the team goals.”
Beers has observed a highly successful season and hopes to qualify for an NCAA regional and the finals of USA Gymnastics Nationals on April 19-21. This meet was her seventh-straight performance of scoring a 9.800 or higher. Just the week before at the Rutgers March Quad Meet, she took home the floor and all-around title.
“Making an NCAA regional has always been a goal of mine, and if I keep putting in the work each week and each weekend at our competitions, I know that it is possible,” Beers said. “I would also like to compete my floor upgrade at our USAG National competition, which would be an exciting way to end the season.”
The Red looks to qualify for the finals during the second day of USAG Nationals. Last year, Cornell did not qualify as a team for nationals, but Beers believes this year is looking different.
“With that same energy and skill level that we have been competing with all season, we have the talent to qualify as a team for Nationals,” Beers said. “We need to keep performing with the same confidence that we have had as well as working hard each practice.”
The team will compete once more before USAG Nationals at the 2024 Gymnastics East Conference Championships hosted by Yale on Saturday, March 23.
Nia Perry is a Sun contributor and can be reached at [email protected]