Championship Results

OSHKOSH, Wis. – For the second consecutive year the Ithaca College gymnastics program was in competition during the final day of the Division III gymnastics season, as the Bombers traveled to University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh for the 2019 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships. Ithaca put together a sweet finish to what has been another excellent season for the up-and-coming program. IC continued to rise up the final team standings compared to last season, while two IC gymnasts came home individual accolades, writing another exciting chapter in the illustrious history of the program.
 
Two Bombers shown brightest on Saturday night at the Kolf Sports Center, as sophomore Courtney Christoforo and senior Rachel Lee came home with impressive individual honors at the conclusion of the evening. Christoforo turned in her finest collegiate performance in her two seasons at IC, taking home an Individual Title in Uneven Bars, pacing the field with a 9.675. Lee earned her award at the conclusion of the event, as her excellent performance this season capped her inspirational comeback by being named 2019 NCGA Senior Athlete of the Year.
 
Christoforo had the highlight performance of the evening, executing her uneven bars routine to perfection in what was a tightly judged field in the event. She nailed her signature "Ray" aerial dismount skill and landed her dismount well en route to posting the top score on the evening with a 9.675. She narrowly outpaced Sierra Beaver of Wisconsin-Stout and Bailey Fitzpatrick of Wisconsin-Whitewater who both tied for the runner-up position with a 9.650.

 
With the performance, Christoforo became the eighth gymnast in the program's history to earn an individual title at the NCGA Championships. She joins an illustrious group that includes: Lisa Gould ('85; Bars), Cindy Chiolo ('87; Beam & All-Around), Sandy Picioccio ('87; Bars), Amy Appler ('90; Beam, Floor & All-Around), Lindsay-Leigh Bartzel ('94; All-Around), Lindsey Mazer ('97; Floor | '98; Beam & All-Around), and Jessica Bolduc ('11; Floor). Overall, she earned the program's 13^th individual title, while she is the third gymnast in program history to win an individual title on uneven bars, joining Gould's 1985 win and Picioccio's 1987 win. She also became the program's first individual title winner since Bolduc's title in floor exercise to conclude the 2011 season. On a larger scale, Christoforo becomes Ithaca College's 29^th varsity student-athlete to earn an individual title in their respective sport, while she secured the athletic department's 45^th individual title at a national level competition overall.
 
Lee competed in both uneven bars and balance beam during her final collegiate competition. She performed well in both events, scoring a 9.150 to place 30^th on bars and a 9.125 to come in a tie for 34^th on beam. The efforts capped a remarkable and inspirational comeback for IC's outstanding senior. Lee began her career with an All-America honor on balance beam as a freshman, but had her career put on hold when she was diagnosed with cancer during her sophomore year at Ithaca College. She took a year off from the program in her recovery, while she made her comeback to collegiate competition in a limited role last season. The 2019 season witnessed Lee assert herself as a lineup fixture for the Bombers in both uneven bars and balance beam. She posted several huge performances in both events throughout the season as an integral part of Ithaca's success during the year. The honor is a fitting conclusion to her outstanding IC career.
 
For the second straight year, Ithaca had to wait to get its day started with a bye during the first rotation of the day. The Bombers got things underway in the second rotation when they began the day on their best event throughout the season on floor exercise. It was a combo of a first-year and a senior that led IC in the event on Saturday, as rookie Mackenzie Kennedy and veteran Victoria Gery came in a four-way tie for 12^th-place with 9.675 scores. The duo narrowly missed out on the podium and All-America honors by half a tenth. Sophomore Alexis Griffin scored a 9.500 to place in a tie for 29^th, while senior Carolyn Nichols was unable to secure a second straight All-America honor on the floor, finishing in a tie for 31^st with a 9.475. Junior Baylie Trammell and sophomore Lauren Hansen also competed for IC, scoring a 9.450 and 9.300 to place in a tie for 34^th and 42^nd, respectively.
 
From floor exercise, Ithaca traveled to the vault, where the team scored a 47.375. The performance briefly elevated Ithaca into third-place in the team standings through three rotations with 95.150 total score.
 
Junior Cassidy Marquette and Nichols paced Ithaca at the top of the lineup. Marquette capped a strong debut season in the event with a 9.575 to come in 18^th-place. Nichols, a 2017 All-American in the event, scored a 9.550 to place right behind Marquette in a tie for 19^th-place. Unfortunately, both scores were about a tenth behind the Top-8 on the night. Sophomore Marin Sheridan capped a strong season as a lineup stalwart for Ithaca with a 9.500 to come in a six-way tie for 21^st-place. Christoforo and Gery rounded out IC's scoring lineup with a 9.400 and a 9.350 to place in a tie for 37^th and tie for 41^st, respectively. Trammell was the lone IC gymnast not to land her vault, scoring an 8.950 to place 46^th.
 
Following their second bye of the competition, the Bombers resumed action on the bars. It was a bit of an up-and-down event for IC, which obviously was punctuated by Christoforo's fantastic performance as the anchor routine for Ithaca in the event. Behind Christoforo's first-place effort was classmate Savannah Gigandet, who scored a 9.225 to place in a tie for 25^th. Lee's 9.150 was good for third on IC's team to place 30^th. Hansen capped her breakout second season with an 8.950 to come in a tie for 34^th, while Trammell rounded out Ithaca's scoring group with an 8.650 to place in a tie for 40^th. Sophomore Katie Holcomb registered an 8.100.
 

Ithaca's final rotation of the night came on the balance beam, which has been a tricky event for the Bombers all season. Unfortunately, Ithaca narrowly missed out on adding another All-American in this event, as Holcomb finished just outside the Top-8 with a 9.625 that came in a three-way tie for ninth. Adding strong scores on the night for IC were sophomore Kylee Black and senior Nina Bustamante. Black posted a 9.575 to tie for 13^th, while Bustamante posted a 9.550 to tie for 15^th in her final collegiate meet. Junior Paige Landes was solid again with a 9.300 to tie for 28^th, while Lee's 9.125 rounded out the scoring group for IC in tying for 34^th-place. Junior Emily Szembrot also competed for the Bombers, but suffered a fall from the beam in scoring a 7.825.
 
Brockport took home the team title, capping a season in which the team ranked first in the NCGA throughout the majority of the season. The Golden Eagles took the top spot with 191.050 points, snapping the two-year title streak of Wisconsin-Whitewater who won back-to-back team titles in 2017 and 2018. Wisconsin-Stout took team runner-up honors with 190.275, while the defending two-time champions placed third with a 190.150. The hosts, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, placed fourth with a 189.400, while Ithaca came in fifth with a 187.975. SUNY Cortland took home sixth place with a 185.500.
 
Stay tuned to the IC Athletics Website for more information on the Ithaca Gymnastics program.