The gymnastics team took another step toward a return trip to the national championships as it topped its host, SUNY-Cortland, in a 183.80-182.125 contest. Cornell fared well individually, earning the top finish in all four events and the top six spots on the uneven bars.
“We have one of the best bars teams in the country,” said head coach Paul Beckwith.
Last year the Red was the best uneven bars team in the Ivy League. When asked about the secret to Cornell’s continued success in the event, Beckwith responded that the team had been “working hard.”
While Cornell boasted many strong individual performances, there were still weak spots in the team’s performance. Most notable in this area were the balance beam and floor exercise competitions.
“It was a tough day on the beam and a tough day on the floor,” said Beckwith. “We only had two people who didn’t fall.”
One bright spot was in the floor performance of Stefi Daehler. The junior scored a 9.7 to capture first place.
“Scoring was low and her 9.7 would have been a 9.85 anywhere else,” noted Beckwith.
Daehler, however, may never see a better score, as she will only compete in a few more meets this season. She then heads to Africa to work on research for a senior sociology thesis.
Three other notable standouts for Cornell were sophomore Andrea Mavro on the uneven bars, junior Denise Hurd on the vault and senior Shannon Wieman on the balance beam.
“Shannon had the best routine she’s had in years,” said Beckwith. “She hit everything.”
Beckwith was pleased with his team’s performance, noting that his squad has been plagued by small injuries and illness since returning from break.
“We did much better than last week, and we’ll keep going from there,” said Beckwith.
The gymnastics team returns home this Saturday as it takes on Cortland, Wilson College of Pennsylvania and Brown University at 2 p.m.
Archived article by Matt Janiga