Coming in with a final score just 0.075 points behind the next team, Cornell gymnastics found itself relegated to last place in the Ivy Classic on Sunday — but all was not lost, with junior Claire Haklik taking home the individual title on floor.
Cornell hosted the annual gymnastics meet in Ithaca against the three Ivy teams.
The Red came in fourth, racking up 192.975 points. Penn took first, followed by Yale, scoring 194.850 and 193.800, respectively. Brown took third place with 193.050.
“The other teams had a lot of consistency,” said associate head coach Melanie Hall. “Penn didn’t count a single fall. If everybody hits their routine, but you have to count one fall, that’s half a point [off the score].”
Despite recently coming off an injury, senior Maci Prescott hit the highest-scoring Cornell vault routine — good for fifth place, with a score of 9.750.
Senior Evelyn Patient and junior Madison Smith placed sixth and seventh on uneven bars, with respective scores of 9.600 and 9.575.
Junior Izzy Herczeg and senior Payton Murphy scored fourth on the balance beam, with a score of 9.825.
But where Cornell truly shone was during its floor rotation.
Sophomore Claire Haklik tied for first place — her second consecutive individual title — with a 9.925 on floor. Each of the six Cornell gymnasts to compete on floor outperformed or tied their Brown counterparts — and Cornell was the only team to break 49.000 in the event.
“With the help of my coaches and teammates, I was able to work [on] each part of my floor routine and fix my mistakes,” Haklik said. “In practice, I have been working hard on the little details that would set me apart from the competition.”
Cornell’s stellar performance in the event made the Red the floor champions with a score of 49.100. Yale followed with 48.900, Penn had 48.875 and Brown had 48.100.
“Last week, we really focused on the little details,” Hall said. “They got through full routines to make sure endurance was there, but we were making sure their leap and jump combinations were there so they get credit for that. We focused on finishing a pass and standing still.
“We put all those things together, and it makes for an impressive routine,” Hall continued.
The Red has three more meets to tune-up before heading to the ECAC Championships on March 21. First, on February 29, Cornell will head to State College, Pa.
And following the fourth-place Ivy finish, the Red has its work cut out for it.
“We’re going to focus on bars,” Hall said. “It’s our most inconsistent event.”
Cornell will go up against Penn State, Towson and North Carolina State next weekend.