The gymnastics team took third place in the four-team Ivy League Classic at Penn Sunday, topping Yale but falling to Penn and Cornell. The Quakers led the scoring with 191.950 points. The Big Red, Bruno and the Bulldogs followed with scores of 190.550, 188.900 and 185.550, respectively.
It was a solid day for Bruno, with the floor exercise corps leading the charge. Michelle Shnayder '14 was Bruno's highest overall scorer and also did best in the floor with an impressive 9.825 performance that earned second place.
"She really stepped up on floor and started our floor team off with our highest score," co-captain Chelsey Binkley '11 wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "Usually the scores build with every routine, so starting off with the highest score is a great accomplishment."
Binkley put together an impressive meet of her own, scoring a 9.600 on the bars and grabbing a sixth-place finish for the Bears. She also placed second on the team in the vault, with her 9.475-point, ninth-place performance that finished behind teammate Katie Goddard's '12 seventh-place, 9.525 point-effort.
Emily Lutfey '13 was Bruno's top athlete in the beam, scoring 9.750 for third place.
The meet provided another opportunity for the Bears to hone their routines as they continue to work toward their ultimate goal of winning an ECAC conference championship.
"We are definitely getting much more comfortable with our routines and even trying to add some extra difficulty for the remaining meets." Binkley wrote. "We have been doing a lot of numbers in practice in order to increase our confidence with every routine going into ECACs."
The team will host its second home meet of the season Sunday, when Southern Connecticut University and Bridgeport University travel to the Pizzitola Center for Bruno's senior night. The meet is slated to begin at 12:30 p.m.
"We love the rowdy cheering," Binkley wrote. "It's always great to see all our fans come out and support us."
