Halfway into their 2008-2009 campaign, the West Chester University Women’s Gymnastics team is still in search of their first win.They traveled to Philadelphia to compete against the home team Penn University, as well as Southern Connecticut State University and Ursinus College in a quad-meet on Valentine’s Day.
At the beginning of the season, the team set a goal to score above 180 this year. Although they fell significantly short with a 175.925, they are improving in other aspects. The team had their best showing on the floor with a score of 45.925, which was their highest all season.
With the exception of a few setbacks, the scores of the team have been continuously improving and the team hopes to capitalize on that upward trend.
If they’re going to set high expectations for the remainder of the season, Junior Jenna Ciatto needs to continue giving impressive performances like she did last Saturday. She scored a season high 9.45 on the floor and maintained that momentum to earn a 9.30 on the balance beam.
Helping Ciatto add to the team’s score were Lindsay Britt who earned a 9.375 on the floor and Alli Aquila, scoring a 9.35 on the vault.
Melissa Filer also celebrated earning a season high statistic after scoring a 9.10 on the balance beam.
With one a month until the ECAC Championships, West Chester is going to have to improve its consistency if they hope to be a threat come March. Last year, West Chester placed third at the championships, where Melissa Filer scored the top vault score for the Golden Rams. The team, who typically looks to its freshmen, will rely on the experience of the older teammates to prepare them for the challenges of tournament competition.
Southern Connecticut State University, in their second appearance against West Chester this season, came in first at the meet with a 187.200, while the host team Penn University trailed them with a 186.425. Ursinus College rounded out the top three with a 184.750.
The final home meet for West Chester on Sunday against Wilson College at Struzebecker HSC did not conclude in time for this edition of The Quad. The gymnasts already saw Wilson at the Liberty Classic in Philadelphia earlier this month, where they beat them by over 30 points.
Amy Festa is a second-year student majoring in English with a minor in Journalism. She can be reached at AF649219@wcupa.edu.