Complete Results (PDF)
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – For the first time in nearly a month, the fourth-ranked Ithaca College gymnastics team did not have to leave the greater Ithaca area to compete, as the squad made the short trip across town to East Hill for the Cornell Big Red Invitational. It was a historic afternoon for the Bombers at Teagle Hall, as the squad obliterated three team program records en route to a second place finish at the event. IC finished ahead of NCAA Division II West Chester and NCGA East rival Brockport, trailing just the host Big Red when the final results were tabulated.
 
Saturday was truly one for the record books for the IC gymnastics team. The squad put together its finest overall performance in program history, scoring a 191.475 to shatter a 14-year-old program record, which was coincidentally also set at a Cornell event in 2004. Two team event program records paved the way for the overall total score record, as the Bombers set new highs on uneven bars and floor exercise as well. IC posted a 47.475 on the uneven bars that bested its previous high of 47.350 set in a 2008 dual meet against SUNY Cortland. The Bombers also scored a 48.475 in its third rotation on the floor, which shattered its previous best of 48.175 that was registered in a 2002 dual meet against Springfield.
 
Ithaca was led by two gymnasts that tied individual scoring record in sophomore Paige Landes and junior Victoria Gery. Landes continued her breakout season on the balance beam, scoring a 9.800 that equaled the program record in the event. For Landes, it was her second time reaching that mark this year, as she also scored a 9.800 at the Temple University Quad Meet earlier this season. Gery also had a career-best performance on floor exercise, scoring a 9.875 that tied 2012-graduate Jessica Bolduc's program-best mark, which achieved on two different occasions during her senior campaign.
 
In addition to Landes and Gery, six other Ithaca gymnasts tied or set new career bests to power the team's unprecedented performance. To no surprise, the performances came in IC's two record-setting rotations on uneven bars and floor. Senior Danielle Maffuid, junior Haley Lyons and sophomore Elyse Ryden each scored personal highs on bars, registering scores of 9.575, 9.300 and 9.500, respectively. Senior Melissa Hollrigl, sophomore Baylie Trammell and freshman Alexis Griffin also achieved personal bests on the floor, scoring 9.575, 9.650 and 9.650, respectively. Landes also marked a second career-best, scoring a 9.350 on vault.
 
Ithaca got its historic started on the toughest apparatus, as it took on the uneven bars in the first rotation. The Bombers have been improving each of the past three competitions heading into this weekend; however, the team put it all together this afternoon, receiving five scores totaling 9.300-or-higher.
 
Although three IC gymnasts reached career bests in the event, it was actually Trammell that paced the group. While she came up just shy of her career-best, she closed out IC's six-gymnast lineup by registering a score of 9.650 that placed her in a tie for seventh overall in the competition for the event. Behind Trammell, Maffuid was next, finishing in a tie for 11^th with her 9.575 score that was .025 higher than her previous career best set earlier this season. Ryden's career-best 9.500 was good for 15^th-place, while freshman Courtney Christoforo was just behind the sophomore in a tie for 16^th-place with her 9.450. Lyons closed IC's scoring group with her personal-best 9.300 that was good for 18^th. Freshman Savannah Gigandet also competed in the rotation, turning in an 8.950 to finish 22^nd.
 
Ithaca continued the momentum from its strong start on bars into the team's most consistent rotation in the balance beam. Behind Landes' program-record performance, the Bombers set a new season-best on beam with a 47.925 as a team. The sophomore's 9.800 was good for second-place, finishing just behind Brockport's Candis Kowalik's 9.850.
 
Freshman Katie Holcomb continued to be rock solid for IC on beam, as the rookie was the other Ithaca gymnast to break into the Top-10 in the event. She registered a 9.675, just .025 off her personal best to finish in a tie for sixth. Sophomore Emily Szembrot was strong for the second consecutive week in scoring a 9.575 that was good for a tie for 12^th. Senior Hannah Donnelly also turned in a strong effort with a 9.475 to finish in 16^th, while classmate Kendra Balcerak rounded out the Bombers' scoring group with an 18^th-place mark of 9.400. Junior Rachel Lee also broke into the lineup for the second time this season, scoring an 8.700.
 
Ithaca's strong performance of the afternoon came in the third rotation, as IC tallied five high-scoring performances in the record-setting effort. The routine of the day came from Gery, who paced all gymnasts in the event with her record-tying 9.875 score.
 
Junior Carolyn Nichols also broke into the Top-10 for the event, finishing in a six-way tie for sixth with a score of 9.725 that was just off her personal best. Trammell's personal-best 9.650 was good for a tie for 12^th, as Griffin equaled her previous personal high with a 9.650. Hollrigl also bumped her career-best to 9.575 in a 19^th-place showing. Sophomore Cassidy Marquette rounded out the group with an 8.850.
 
Looking for a strong finish, the Bombers got just that with a 47.500 on vault that also was just off the team's season-high for the event. Coming off a program-record performance last week, Nichols remained on-point on Saturday, marking a 9.625 to finish in fourth. Trammell and senior Kaylee Pacunas also broke into the Top-10, finishing in a tie for seventh with scores of 9.525.
 
Rounding out IC's performances was Gery, who tallied a 9.475 to finish in a tie for 13^th. Hollrigl and Landes each finished with 9.350 scores to come in a tie for 21^st.
 
Ithaca returns to action this Wednesday, when it returns home for a three-meet stretch to close out the month of February. The Bombers will host the "Rumble & Tumble at the Hill" in conjunction with the IC Wrestling program, as Ithaca faces SUNY Cortland. Action is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.