Complete Results (PDF)
 
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Ithaca College gymnastics team was back in action for the final time in 2018 as a group on Friday evening when it took to the floor at a raucous Blake Arena at Springfield College for the 2018 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Team Championships. It marked the Bombers first appearance at the National Team Championships since 2014. Unfortunately, the Bombers title aspirations did not come to fruition, as the squad posted a 188.175 to finish in sixth-place.
 
It was the freshman that carried the day for IC, with several rookies posting career-best performances. All three personal-bests came on bars, as Lauren Hansen, Savannah Gigandet and Courtney Christoforo all reached new highs in quick succession. The efforts were the highlight of an otherwise disappointing day that saw the team just a hair off its form that it has been on really all season. Although it was not the end result the team had hoped for, the experience on the national stage will prove invaluable for a squad that is still quite young and growing with every passing meet.
 
Friday's Championships had a tricky start to navigate for the Bombers, as the team actually had to wait nearly 30-minutes after the meet started to get underway, having a bye in the first rotation of the night. Things did not get easier once IC finally got into the action, as the team had to start its night on floor exercise for the first time this year.
 
The Bombers navigated those treacherous waters with flying colors, posting a 48.225 that was just .25 off its program-record, which the team registered earlier this season. Overall, it marked the sixth time the program has gone over 48.000 as a team during this magical season.
 
Although IC did not rack up the big individual scores that it has been accustomed to down the stretch run of this season, it used remarkable consistency and steady performances to hit the mark. For just the third time this season, all of the team's counting scores registered 9.500-or-better.
 
The fireworks started early with sophomore Cassidy Marquette making her return to the lineup following a four-meet hiatus. She made the appearance count, carding her second highest score of the season with a 9.550. After Melissa Hollrigl posted a solid routine with a 9.400 after a neutral deduction for stepping out of bounds, sophomore Baylie Trammell got IC its second 9.550 score of the night.
 
The final three for the Bombers took things to another level. Freshman Alexis Griffin showed nerves of steel in her biggest collegiate meet, posting a 9.625 in the four-spot, setting the stage for IC's two Individual Event Finals qualifiers in juniors Carolyn Nichols and Victoria Gery. Nichols nailed her routine with a 9.725, her seventh consecutive meet registering a 9.700-or-better. Gery followed that up by showcasing why she came into the weekend ranked second in the nation in the event, registering a 9.775. It was her sixth time topping 9.750-or-better on the season.
 
Unfortunately, that rotation proved to be the highlight of the evening for the Bombers, as the team was unable to keep the momentum going over the final three events. Some jitters started to reveal themselves on vault, while things snowballed following the team's second bye of the evening, leading to its lowest bars score since early February and a season-low score on balance beam.
 
The beginning of vault was a scare for the Bombers, as Hollrigl got the Bombers started on the rotation. While her launch off the apparatus was smooth and she remained compact throughout the flight, the senior proved a little too powerful for her own good. Landing on her heels, she took several large steps carrying her to the back of the mat, before finally slowing her momentum. Avoiding the fall, she was able to score a 9.200; however, it was the first harbinger of an unfortunate trend that would afflict the Bombers throughout the evening.
 
Trammell got the Bombers back on track with a 9.400. Executing one of the Bombers more difficult aerial maneuvers in the lineup, she was able to nearly stick the landing. It was her sixth time posting a 9.400-or-better this season.
 
After Landes carded a solid 9.200 to equal Hollrigl's mark, the Bombers turned to Gery again to deliver a spark. The junior certainly delivered, nearly sticking her landing to post a 9.450. It was her seventh-time topping 9.400-or-better on the year. Ithaca's two Individual Event Finals qualifiers ensured the Bombers a strong finish. Senior Kaylee Pacunas equaled her career-best mark for a third-time this season with a 9.600. IC's vault ace Nichols followed up that effort with a 9.650 on her patented handspring to double tucked forward dismount. The string of performances sent Ithaca into the halfway point sitting in fourth-place with a 95.525, well within striking distance of a potential trophy spot.
 
Despite sitting a little less than one point off the pace of eventual Team Champions Wisconsin-Whitewater, the Bombers had to feel good about their position, as they had two of their team strengths in uneven bars and balance beam remaining in the final two rotations. Unfortunately, the Bombers had a rare bad day on both apparatuses, which ultimately proved to be the difference.
 
Resuming with the bars coming off the team's second bye of the night, things started innocent enough. Freshman Lauren Hansen, who has come on strong during the stretch-run of this season to earn a lineup slot, posted a career-best effort with a 9.325, shattering her previous best of 9.275. Another rookie came up large as well, when freshman Savannah Gigandet kept the momentum going with a personal-best 9.525 that obliterated her previous best by .125.
 
The first sign of trouble came in the third slot with senior Danielle Maffuid. In her final collegiate routine, IC's heart-and-soul leader executed her routine quite well, but had a big wobble on her landing. While one judge showed a 9.450, the second judge awarded an 8.900 prompting a lengthy conference. In the end, the score settled at 9.250. Despite the set-back, IC again had a freshman rally the cause, as rookie Courtney Christoforo also shattered a personal-best with a 9.675. It was a huge performance heading into the Individual Event Finals tomorrow afternoon.
 
Sadly, IC's two other Individual Event Finals were unable to find the mark, ultimately sinking IC's team score out of the 47.000-range. Sophomore Elyse Ryden nearly hit her signature release move, but the high bar just slipped out of her grasp, which caused her score to fall to 8.800, just her third missed routine of the year. Fellow second-year Baylie Trammell also had a disappointing run. Although Trammell made it through her entire routine clean, her landing on the dismount had her come down awkwardly on her right foot, which sent her sprawling to the mat in some visible pain. She posted an 8.925, just her fourth time failing to break 9.000-or-better this season.
 
Although IC's title aspirations likely were snuffed out with the unfortunate conclusion to its bars sequence, a shot at a Top-3 finish was still within striking distance when it headed to its signature event in the balance beam. Sadly, the nerves again began to show themselves in this event, causing the team to post a season-low 45.950.
 
Junior Haley Lyons got the things started on a pretty strong note. She posted her third-best score of the season with a 9.300. However, three successive falls on routines from senior Kendra Balcerak, sophomore Emily Szembrot and junior Nina Bustamante really shook the Bombers confidence. Balcerak's came during her second to last element, as she nearly got through what was an excellent routine up until that point. Szembrot's fall came on her first double acro series, while Bustamante had to dismount the apparatus on two different elements. They scored 9.000, 9.100, and 8.400, respectively.
 
Once again, it was an IC freshman that got the Bombers back on track. Katie Holcomb delivered a big performance with a 9.650, which marked her fifth time topping 9.600-or-better on the year. It sends her into tomorrow's Individual Event Finals with loads of confidence.
 
Unfortunately, IC was unable to finish the rotation on a high-note, as the bad luck day even caught up to the Bombers most consistent gymnast in sophomore Paige Landes. The second-year entered the day having scored no lower than a 9.525 during the season, while she ranked second in the country in the event coming into the weekend. However, she also had to dismount the beam relatively early in her program, finishing with an 8.950.
 
Ithaca returns to action tomorrow afternoon when nine gymnasts return to Blake Arena for the 2018 NCGA Individual Event Finals. Action is set to get underway shortly after 4:00 p.m.