Results (PDF)
 
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's gymnastics team capped its regular-season finale on the highest note of the season to-date on Saturday afternoon when the Bombers played host to Springfield College. IC put together its most complete meet of the season inside Ben Light Gymnasium, registering a season-high 189.225 to surge past the Pride for a head-to-head victory to continue Ithaca's positive momentum heading into the NCGA East Regional Championships next weekend.
 
With it being the final regular-season home meet of the year, the program honored its 2020 Senior Class comprised of Paige Landes, Cassidy Marquette, Emily Szembrot and Baylie Trammell in a post-meet ceremony. Fittingly, the Bombers delivered their best performance of the year in accordance with the pomp and circumstance of the day, while it was the seniors themselves who led the rallying charge throughout the day. In the end, it was a sweet conclusion to the regular-season home slate and should serve as the perfect launching point for a return trip to Springfield for the East Regionals.
 
Headlining the afternoon was an individual program-record performance from junior Courtney Christoforo. The defending 2019 Uneven Bars National Champion replicated that form and then some in delivering the finest routine of her career, smashing the previous program record of 9.775 held by Jessica Bolduc '12, by posting a 9.800 to lead the field by a healthy margin in the event this afternoon. Not only was a new high-water mark for her career and the program, but it also represented the top score achieved nationally across the NCGA this season.
 
One other Bombers achieved a personal best on the day. First-year Cameryn Nichols capped Ithaca's fantastic afternoon with a flawless routine on floor exercise, equaling her career-best from earlier this season to score a 9.825.
 
Powering Ithaca's excellent afternoon was the stringing together consistency that has been elusive throughout much of the year up to this point. Although IC suffered a couple wobbles throughout the day, the Bombers never let things get too far out of kilter, particularly on the team's bugaboo event on balance beam. Ithaca shrugged off a couple falls to put a strong finish on that rotation, which not only helped the team to one of its best cumulative scores of the season in the event, but also sent Ithaca into the final rotation with significant momentum.
 
In total, IC took 10 Top-3 finishes compared to Springfield's six on the day. Ithaca swept the Top-2 spots on vault, as senior Cassidy Marquette and first-year Cameryn Nichols again went one-two atop the standings. Junior Katie Holcomb notched two of those finishes, taking third on uneven bars with a 9.600 and placing first on balance beam with a 9.775 that was just a half-tenth off her career high. Junior Kylee Black also had one of her strongest career routines on the beam, finishing in a tie for third-place with her senior teammate Paige Landes. Both gymnasts scored 9.525. The floor also proved fruitful for the IC, as senior Emily Szembrot and junior Alexis Griffin turned in strong routines to finish in a three-way tie with Springfield's Tali Twomey, each scoring a 9.625.
 
The tone for the day was set on the vault, with Marquette capping a strong run for the group with a stuck-landing to score the top mark at 9.675 that was just a hair off her previous career best. Nichols took a slight balance-check step, but still hit the 9.525 mark to finish in a three-way tie for the runner-up position in the event. The lineup also showcased its strong depth with first-year Nya Pauldon scoring a sixth-place mark of 9.400. Christoforo and senior Baylie Trammell rounded out the scoring group in seventh and eighth, posting a 9.375 and 9.350, respectively. Junior Marin Sheridan was right there as well, coming in at 9.325 to take 10^th. Ithaca emerged with a 1.125 point lead out of the event.
 
Springfield began to whittle away at Ithaca's lead over the following two rotations; however, IC did well to keep pace to sit within striking distance heading into the fourth and final rotation.
 
Backing the historic routine from Christoforo and strong third-place effort from Holcomb were three solid scores Nichols, Black, and sophomore Julia O'Sullivan. Nichols tied for fifth-place with a 9.200. Black and O'Sullivan finished the rotation tied with each other in seventh-place with identical scores of 9.150. The lone miss came from first-year Zoe Kyriakopoulos who just had the bar slip from her grasp during her signature aerial high-bar maneuver.
 
Springfield narrowly nudged ahead of the Bombers by two-tenths following the third rotation. However, it was the strong routine from Landes that really stabilized things after IC experienced some hiccups midway through the lineup. The senior delivered in the clutch with a big 9.525 that was backed by a fantastic 9.775 from Holcomb, which left the Bombers well within striking range heading into the fourth.
 
The Bombers showed the focus and confidence that has been building on floor exercise over the past few weeks, as all six Bombers nailed their respective routines to easily pull away from Springfield for nearly a two-point win in the final standings. Szembrot, Trammell and Griffin set the tone with excellent routines during the first half of the lineup, while Landes equaled her strong score from last weekend in Cortland and Nichols brought the house down with the 9.825 to cap the day.
 
Ithaca will head to Springfield for the 2020 NCGA East Regional Championships next Sunday, March 15. The meet is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. with Ithaca looking to secure a Top-3 finish to qualify as a team for the NCGA Nationals, which are set to be hosted inside Ben Light Gymnasium on Saturday, March 28. Ithaca will find out which gymnasts have already qualified for the meet as NCGA All-Championship Team individual event entrants on Monday, March 9.