Friday, Feb. 25 marked a busy weekend for the West Chester Gymnastics team as they traveled to William and Mary College in Williamsburg, Virginia. They persevered through an uphill battle against the Tribe and emerged victorious once again.
The Rams kicked things off on the uneven bars. Jordan Coleman, freshman, scored a 9.7 winning the bar title at the meet. Close behind her and tying for third place overall was Samantha Kelly, junior, with a 9.575.
Moving on to vault, the Golden Rams had themselves a night; with a season high score of 48.525 and multiple career highs. Kiley Fred, sophomore, led the Rams with a career high of 9.775. Mckenna Kissinger, senior, earned a career high for herself with a 9.7. Caitlyn Allen, freshman, and Annie Bailey, senior, also earned career highs of 9.675 and 9.6, respectively.
Continuing their momentum on the beam, the Rams had crucial performances from sophomores Lily Mcfarland and Madison Whitaker. Mcfarland won the event with an excellent score of 9.8, and Whitaker made her official debut, scoring right behind McFarland with a 9.775.
After her stellar routine, Madison said, “It felt so great to be competing again after being injured the first half of the season. I was just so happy to hit my career high and know that my hard work was paying off.” The team is definitely benefitting from having her back. Solid scores from the whole beam team elevated the Golden Rams to an impressive 48.45.
Ending strong on the floor exercise, the elite one-two punch of seniors, Jessica Meakim and Mckenna Kissinger, helped launch the Rams to a 48.475. Meakim scored a 9.8 with Kissinger close behind with a 9.775. Fellow senior, Brashlyn Johnson, scored a 9.65 to contribute to a thrilling floor rotation for the Rams.
Overall, the efforts of the Golden Rams in each event lead to a combined score of 192.925. The Rams swept each event over the Tribe, as well as the final team competition. It was a successful meet for WCU, but the success did not stop there. The team returned home just to pack their bags for Ursinus College. On Sunday, Feb. 27, the Golden Rams took on the Bears in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.
At Ursinus, the Rams started things off strong on bars. Freshman Jordan Coleman won second place with a 9.75. Junior Samantha Kelly was close behind with a 9.675. In first place after the first rotation, the team headed to the vault.
The seniors led the team to scoring a 47.875 with Annie Bailey earning a 9.525, McKenna Kissinger earning a 9.625, and Jessica Meakim earning a 9.7. Freshman Caitlyn Allen was close behind with a 9.6.
The Rams continued to dominate on the floor with huge scores, with seniors Meakim, Kissinger, and Johnson receiving 9.8, 9.75, and 9.7, respectively, to contribute to the team score of 48.5.
West Chester finished strong on beam, earning a combined score of 48.4. Freshman and sophomore Marshall and Betts each scored a matching 9.725 to lead the Rams to victory.
The Golden Rams earned a 192.825 to conclude their double-meet weekend. The Rams have triumphed over all their rivals in the conference, except for the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, whom they will face March 19 at the Gymnastics East Conference Championships in Providence, Rhode Island.
Kristina Rodriguez is a first-year Biology major. KR970636@wcupa.edu
Jordan Coleman is a first-year Exercise Science major. JC968405@wcupa.edu