On Feb. 23, gymnastics celebrated its 50-year anniversary and competed in the 48th Ivy Classic.
Newman Arena was packed full of fans and the familiar friendly faces of the many alumni the program has produced.
The Red placed last out of four due to a couple falls that cost the team some points. The other teams — the University of Pennsylvania, Brown and Yale — finished first through third, respectively.
At the end of the first round of events, the Red trailed the other three Ivy teams with a score of 47.000 on the uneven bars. Freshman Dahlia Jhaveri took the team’s highest score at 9.725.
“Going out there and being confident and not thinking about my score is what has been important to my success,” Jhaveri said. “Being consistent in the gym and relaying that during the meets is important.”
Next, the Red competed on the balance beam where it had a stronger showing, earning a team total score of 48.650 with the highest score coming from junior Mikayla Burton at 9.825. Right behind her, senior Sydney Beers grabbed 9.750 points.
“I think that this is the best that we have done on beam,” Burton said after completing her beam routine. “We have our two best events left so all we need to do is be hype and have fun.”
The Red would have its chance to bounce back during the next two events — the floor and the vault — which have statistically been the team’s best events this season.
On the floor, the Red put on its typical dominant show. Each gymnast finished with a score of at least 9.725, and the team finished with a total score of 49.025 — with Beers leading the team with her score of 9.875 points as the Red’s final competitor.
“I love going towards the end of the lineup just to bring the floor event and team together,” Beers said. “It was important to stick those landings, hold your front foot down and smile at the judges. They love when you look at them.”
For its final event, the Red took on the vault, where they were able to achieve a total team score of 48.200. Beers led the team with a score of 9.800, and freshman Sarah Goetter added 9.700 to the team’s score.
Although the Red were not able to secure a victory, there was still much to celebrate for the team. Junior Michaela DeFrancisco competed at the meet while her mother, Karen Tedesco ’95, a Cornell gymnastics alumna, cheered her on from the stands. DeFrancisco is the first legacy athlete in the history of the program.
“It is so incredible to be a part of a legacy and make history with my mom,” DeFrancisco said.
At the end of the match, each senior from the four teams were recognized and the top six individual gymnasts from each event were awarded medals.
For Cornell, Goetter won sixth place in vault in a three-way tie and Beers took third. Jhaveri was recognized for fifth place on the uneven bars. Burton was awarded sixth place on the balance beam. Beers also podiumed for the floor event, finishing second while sophomore Josie Moylan and DeFrancisco took fifth and junior Cami Whitaker and sophomore Addy Rothstein landed in sixth place.
Beers was also awarded third place in the all-around category.
Looking ahead, Beers said the team needs to make small adjustments to end the season on a strong note.
“We need to go into the gym and fix all the little mistakes that we had,” Beers said. “We have to go out there and hit every number.”
Up next for gymnastics, the Red will head to State University of New York Brockport on Feb. 28. Coverage of the meet will be available on ESPN+.
