A gymnastics meet against Bowling Green that was scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 25 in Newman Arena was rescheduled to Tuesday, Jan. 27 in the practice facility at Teagle Hall due to a winter storm that kept most people indoors. This was the first time since 2019 that the team competed in Teagle.
Although the venue and date changed, fans still brought the same energy to watch the women’s gymnastics team compete.
The Red would ultimately fall to Bowling Green, 192.900-191.650.
The Red began on vault, where all six gymnasts competed variations of the Yurchenko entry. Junior Addy Rothstein led the team with a 9.750 on her Yurchenko full. Senior Cami Whitaker took a tumble after completing a Yurchenko tuck 1.5, dropping her score to a 9.200. The top five scores counted toward a 48.325 team total.
The next event was uneven bars, where the Red delivered a strong performance. Posting a 48.375, the squad went six-for-six with minimal faults. Senior captain Morgen Shambo and sophomore Ava Schenck-Davis tied for first overall with scores of 9.725.
Head coach Melanie Hall credited the performance to adjustments in training.
“We changed up our practices this week,” Hall said. “So it’s a 30 second turn to warm up and then do a routine. And I think that really helped them kind of prep to get ready for a meet situation.”
The Red improved its bars score by 1.275 points compared to its last meet, on Jan. 18th, in Washington, D.C. at the George Washington University Invitational.
On the balance beam, Cornell struggled more, finishing with a 46.175. Three of the Red gymnasts scored under 9.00 after slips off the beam.
“Beam is one of those events where the nerves really come out,” Hall said. “You’re a little shaky, you can fall off really easily. On floor, if you’re a little shaky, you can kind of play it off.”
Despite the difficulties, junior captain Natalia Tehrani found success on the beam, tying for second overall with a 9.750. Tehrani has excelled at the event over the Red’s first three meets, scoring at least a 9.700 each time.
“I think this year, something I’ve really been focusing on is breathing,” Tehrani said. “I know it sounds silly, but thinking about one skill at a time … I take a breath … and just know that it’s only me and the beam.”
Cornell closed the meet on the floor exercise with another strong showing. Junior captain Josie Moylan and senior Cami Whitaker tied for first in the event with scores of 9.800. It marked the second straight week Moylan posted the top floor score.
Only two days later, the Red traveled to West Virginia to face off against West Virginia University, Pitt, and Kent State.
Despite finishing fourth, the team improved its score to 193.275.
Once again Rothstein led the team with a 9.750 on vault with Whitaker and freshman Noelle Wojcik following with a 9.675.
On the uneven bars, Shambo and Schenck-Davis were the highest scorers again with 9.700 and 9.675 respectively.
The team improved its overall score on beam to 48.075. Senior Mikayla Burton had a team-best of 9.900. Freshman Grace McLean and sophomore Anne MacKenzie followed suit with scores of 9.725 and 9.700 respectively.
Lastly, Cornell continued to show its dominance on the floor exercise, with an overall score of 48.875. Whitaker had the highest score of 9.825 while Moylan finished her third competition in a row with a score of 9.800.
The Red’s next meet is on the road again at 7 p.m. Friday at the University of Pennsylvania. It will face off against Penn, George Washington and William & Mary.
