Complete Results (PDF)
 
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The third-ranked Ithaca College gymnastics program took on its toughest challenge to-date on Sunday afternoon when it headed back to Philadelphia to compete at the Temple University Quad Meet. Facing a trio of Division I programs in Cornell, Southeast Missouri State and meet-host Temple, the Bombers hung tough in the cross-divisional competition, despite ultimately finishing in fourth. Ithaca posted a season-best team score of 188.075, the team's highest mark since scoring a 189.650 at last year's Temple Quad.
 
IC posted strong scores in all four rotations, which included season-bests in two. The Bombers equaled the team's season-high on bars with a 45.850 and set a new high on floor exercise with a 48.000. Ithaca also turned in an excellent performance on balance beam, finishing just 0.025 behind the 47.750 it posted two weeks ago in West Chester.
 
Highlighting day was a standout performance by sophomore Paige Landes on the beam. The second-year gymnast shattered her personal best and tied the program record score for a beam routine, posting a 9.800 that tied Stephanie Smith (Cornell Invite, 2004) and senior Hannah Donnelly (Cortland Dual, 2015) for the best mark in program history. With the huge score, Landes now ranks as the top gymnast on balance beam in all of Division III through three weeks of competition, posting a 9.708 season average.
 
In addition to Landes, seven other IC gymnasts set personal bests in events on the afternoon. In vault, freshman Marin Sheridan made her collegiate debut with an 8.675. On bars, three Bombers set individual bests, as rookies Savannah Gigandet and Courtney Christoforo and sophomore Elyse Ryden turned in IC's best run of bars routines of the year. Freshman Katie Holcomb also continued her excellent start to 2018, improving on her beam routine for the third consecutive meet. Finally on floor, sophomore Baylie Trammell and junior Victoria Gery each marked new career highs.
 
Ithaca began the four-team meet on vault and posted a solid 46.500, but again came up just a touch off from earning full marks on the rotation. Junior Carolyn Nichols paced the way for IC, scoring a 9.550, her third straight score of 9.550-or-better to start the season. She finished in a tie for seventh place and was Ithaca's lone Top-10 finisher in the event.
 
Senior Kaylee Pacunas and sophomore Baylie Trammell each finished with scores of 9.375. Junior Victoria Gery scored a 9.200, while senior Melissa Hollrigl rounded Ithaca's scoring five with a 9.000. Sheridan also made her collegiate debut for the first time in competition, scoring an 8.675.
 
The Bombers continued show strong improvement on bars in the second rotation. Headlining the way for IC was sophomore Elyse Ryden who returned to the lineup following a one-meet hiatus due to injury to post her career-best performance. She shattered her previous career-best score by nearly three-tenths of a point, registering a 9.475 that was good for 13^th at the meet.
 
Behind Ryden, two rookies in Gigandet and Christoforo also had standout performances. Gigandet marked a 9.350 that was .350 better than her previous best from last Sunday's dual against Brockport. The 9.350 was good for 14^th in the event. Christoforo also showed improvement for the third straight meet, posting a 9.275 that was 16^th best in the event.
 
Behind IC's top three, senior Danielle Maffuid carded an 8.975 in a 19^th-place showing. Trammell scored an 8.775 in a 20^th-place finish, while senior Kendra Balcerak notched an 8.750 in a 21^st-place effort.
 
After a bit of an off performance on the beam last weekend, the Bombers returned to their usual strength in the event on Sunday. Landes headlined the event, tying the program record with a 9.800 on Ithaca's sixth and final lineup entrant. The score shattered her previous best by .125, while it was good for third place in the meet, the Bombers' highest individual finisher on the afternoon.
 
Balcerak, Holcomb and Donnelly each added Top-10 finishes in the event. Balcerak posted her best beam score of the season with a 9.675 in a sixth-place effort. Holcomb and Donnelly each finished in a four-way tie for 10^th with 9.600 scores. For Holcomb, the score marked her third straight meet of improvement to begin her career.
 
Making an inspirational return to the competition lineup for the first time since her freshman season, junior Rachel Lee turned in a solid routine to finish in the Top-20. She scored a 9.050 to come in 19^th place. Junior Nina Bustamente continued to find her rhythm, scoring a 9.000 in a tie for 20^th place.
 
The floor exercise was extremely strong for the Bombers, as the squad finished just .175 lower than the team program record for the event, set over 15 years ago. Leading the way was a standout performance by Gery, who smashed her previous personal-best by .075 to post a 9.750 in a tie for fifth-place showing.
 
Four other IC gymnasts topped 9.500 to finish within the Top-20 to round out Ithaca's scoring group. Nichols scored a 9.650 to finish in a tie for 14^th. Trammell registered a 9.550 to tie for 18^th, while Hollrigl and freshman Alexis Griffin each scored 9.525 to come in a tie for 20^th place. Rounding out IC's lineup was sophomore Cassidy Marquette, who posted an extremely solid 9.450 to tie for 22^nd.
 
Ithaca returns to action next Sunday, February 4, when it heads to Brockport for a dual meet against the Golden Eagles. Start time for the meet is 1:00 p.m.