Complete Results (PDF)
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – The fourth-ranked Ithaca College gymnastics team scored its first dual meet victory of the season on Wednesday evening, besting SUNY Cortland 190.825 – 185.800 in front of a packed house at Ben Light Gymnasium for the 2018 Rumble & Tumble at the Hill Meet. For the Bombers, it was their second consecutive meet breaking into the 190's, while it improves the team's record to 1-2 in duals on the year.
 
Wednesday promised to be an exciting evening, as the IC Gymnastics program partnered with the IC Wrestling program for the second consecutive year in a side-by-side simultaneous meet against rival SUNY Cortland. The action inside Ben Light Gymnasium certainly lived up to the considerable hype around campus entering the day, as the Bombers raced past Cortland in a 46-0 triumph on the wrestling mat, while the IC gymnasts also answered the call with comfortable win. In the modified meet scoring, which factored in team points for the amount of bouts won in wrestling and Top-3 finishers on the four gymnastics events, Ithaca finished with a healthy 18-4 advantage. It is the second straight year IC has taken home the overall meet crown, as the Bombers scored a much-closer 12-10 win last season at SUNY Cortland.
 
Ithaca's night was headlined by another team program record, as IC smashed its team-best score in bars for the second consecutive meet, posting a 47.550. Additionally, five IC gymnasts tied or exceeded personal best on the evening. The Bombers greatest advantage over the Red Dragons came in both the uneven bars and balance beam, as the home side posted the Top-5 competitors in each of the events.
 
Coming off a program record setting performance the previous weekend at the Cornell Big Red Invite, the Bombers got off to another fast start this evening. Ithaca posted a season-high team score on vault, registering a five-gymnast score of 47.575.
 
Headlining IC's performance was junior Carolyn Nichols who continued to be stellar in her third collegiate season. She paced the Bombers with a 9.700 to finish in a tie for second in the event with Cortland's Lily Szafrariski. It was Nichols' second score over 9.700 this season.
 
Two other Ithaca gymnasts topped 9.500 on the evening. Junior Victoria Gery posted a season-best 9.575 to finish in fifth-place. Right behind her, senior Kaylee Pacunas also turned in a strong score, posting a 9.550 to come in sixth.
 
Also competing for Ithaca in the event was sophomore Paige Landes, who came in seventh with a 9.450. It was the second straight meet that Landes set a new personal best in the event. Rounding out Ithaca's scoring group was senior Melissa Hollrigl, who registered a 9.275 in a ninth-place finish. Sophomore Baylie Trammell turned in a 8.900.
 
The biggest growth Ithaca has experienced to the season thus far has been in the uneven bars. That trend continued on Wednesday, as IC set a new program record for the second straight competition, besting last Saturday's record score with a 47.550. Ithaca's scoring group five turned in the Top-5 performances in the event to maintain its large lead.
 
Three gymnasts equaled or set new career bests in the rotation, headlined by Trammell, who tied her personal best with a season-high 9.700. She easily outpaced all other competitors in the event.
 
Sophomore Elyse Ryden and freshman Courtney Christoforo each registered personal best to come in second and third-place, respectively. For Ryden, it was her second personal-best in as many competitions, as she scored a 9.575, out-distancing Saturday's score by .075. Christoforo also notched a new career best, turning in a 9.525 that was .025 higher than her previous high.
 
Senior Danielle Maffuid continued her strong campaign, turning in a 9.400 to come in fourth-place in the event. Freshman Savannah Gigandet carded a 9.350 to tie for fifth. The score was just .025 off her career best from earlier this season. Also competing for Ithaca was junior Haley Lyons, who posted an 8.825 to come in 10^th.
 
Through two rotations, Ithaca maintained a 2.125-point advantage over the Red Dragons.
 
Ithaca continued to hit its routines with pin-point accuracy in the third rotation, taking on its most-consistent apparatus in the balance beam. Like the uneven bars, the Bombers continued to widen the gap, as IC's scoring five took the Top-5 places in the event.
 
Headlining the Bombers' efforts was junior Nina Bustamante, who shattered a personal best by nearly a full point in registering a 9.750. The performance marked a return to form for one of IC's top gymnasts in the event last season. It also bodes well for an already Ithaca group that already ranked first in the entire NCGA in the event coming into tonight's competition.
 
Behind Bustamante, three other Bombers topped 9.525-or-better. Sophomore Emily Szembrot led the group with an excellent routine for the third consecutive meet. She scored a 9.625, just .025 off her season best, to finish in second place. Freshman Katie Holcomb continued to be rock solid, scoring a 9.550 to place third. Sophomore Paige Landes chipped in a 9.525 to come in fourth. In the last three competitions, each of the aforementioned three gymnasts have scored 9.550-or-higher on their nine combined routines.
 
Rounding out Ithaca's scoring group was senior Kendra Balcerak, who scored a 9.450 to place fifth. Senior Hannah Donnelly also competed in the event, posting an 8.450 in a 12^th-place effort.
 
Still within striking distance of its freshly minted total score program record from over the weekend, the Bombers gave it their all in the final rotation of the evening on floor exercise. IC posted three scores in the Top-4 to easily hold onto its sizeable lead and the victory.
 
Leading the way for IC was Nichols, who tied her season-best with a 9.725 to place first among all competitors. Joining Nichols in the Top-4 were Trammell and freshman Alexis Griffin who each posted scores of 9.600 to finish in a four-way tie with two Cortland gymnasts for fourth-place. For Trammell, it marked another excellent routine, as she has quickly established herself as one of the program's best in her first season competing in the event. It was also the third time this season that Griffin has scored in the 9.600's, an impressive feat for the rookie who has been a lineup mainstay since her collegiate debut in January.
 
Rounding out the scoring group for IC was senior Melissa Hollrigl and sophomore Cassidy Marquette. Hollrigl checked in at her season average for the year, posting a strong 9.525 in an eighth-place finish. Marquette tallied a 9.325 to finish in a tie for 10^th. Junior Victoria Gery, who tied the individual program record on floor this past weekend, had to settle for a 9.175 after coming up just short on her final tumbling sequence.
 
Ithaca returns to action this Sunday, February 18, when it welcomes Springfield for another crucial NCGA East dual meet. The Bombers and Pride rank second and third, respectively, in the NCGA East region standings. Action in Ben Light Gymnasium will begin at 11:00 a.m.