Complete Results (PDF)
 
CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Ithaca College gymnastics team hit the road for its first-and-only mid-week competition of the season on Wednesday evening when it made the short trip to take on rival SUNY Cortland in the second-ever Beauty and the Beast Meet, held in conjunction with both institution's wrestling programs. The Bombers dropped a narrow battle against the Red Dragons in gymnastics, falling just short 191.000-to-188.800, but still pulled out the overall win in the joint-meet with a final score of 12-10.
 
Highlighting Ithaca's competition was its performance on balance beam, as IC set a new program record for the second consecutive time out. The Bombers posted a cumulative mark of 48.200 to shatter its previous record, set at the 2015 NCGA East Regionals, by 0.100.
 
Ithaca scored six Top-3 finishes over the course of the meet, which combined with the wrestling team's six bout wins helped lift IC to the overall title at the meet. Two of those finishes came in the beam, as both junior Kendra Balcerak and senior Lynley Choate set new personal bests in the event. Balcerak edged her previous best with a 9.775 to finish in a tie for first place, while Choate finished right behind her in third with a 9.725. Paige Landes rounded out the Top-5, setting a new career high for the second time in as many competitions with a 9.650.
 
IC also excelled on floor exercise with two Top-3 finishers. Freshman Emily Szembrot and junior Carolyn Nichols both set new personal bests in tying for first place with identical scores of 9.750. Sophomore Victoria Gery also bested her career mark for the second consecutive competition in the event with a  9.675 to finish in sixth place.
 
Gery continued her big day in the vault, where she broke another personal record in scoring the Bombers an additional Top-3 finish. She edged the 9.625 that she posted at the Big Red Invitational this past weekend with a 9.650 to tie for second place. All six of Ithaca's competitors in the event scored a 9.400-or-better, continuing a great trend of successful vaults in recent weeks.
 
Mina Shernan collected Ithaca's lone Top-3 finish in the uneven bars with a 9.400.
 
Ithaca returns to action this coming Sunday, February 19, when it hits the road to face Springfield in a dual meet. Competition is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.