After four straight losses to Ivy League opponents, the gymnastics team earned its first victory in three weeks Sunday. Brown defeated Southern Connecticut State University by 185.225-183.750, thanks in large part to Alicia Sacramone '10, who took first place in every event.
The Bears outperformed the Owls in the vault to begin the meet. Sacramone won with a score of 9.725, and both Jennifer Sobuta '09 and Alanna Kwoka '10 earned scores of 9.425 to tie for third place.
Brown's next event, the uneven bars, was an even greater success, with the Bears finishing in the top four spots. Sacramone took another victory with a score of 9.675. Izzy Kirkham-Lewitt '10 received a 9.225 for second place, Sobuta received a 9.200 for third place, and Hannah Goldstein received a 9.175 for fourth place.
Sacramone added the beam to her ever-growing list of wins as she earned a score of 9.725. She followed this strong performance with another first-place finish on the floor, taking the event with a 9.875. Kirkham-Lewitt received a score of 9.500 to place third.
After Sacramone's dominating wins in all four events, it came as no surprise that she placed first in the all-around with 39.000 points. Sacramone is now ranked 76th nationally.
Sobuta finished second in the all-around with 37.600 points, and Kwoka totaled 36.850 points for fourth place.
The Bears will host the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday in their last home meet of the season, and they look to avenge a 191.550-186.975 loss from two weeks ago. The meet begins at 1 p.m. in the Pizzitola Center.
- Erin Frauenhofer
Equestrian extends Region 1 lead with one show remaining
After reclaiming the Region 1 lead from the University of Connecticut on Feb. 24, the equestrian team wasted little time increasing its advantage this weekend at Connecticut College's Mystic Valley Hunt Club. The team racked up 34 points on Saturday and increased its lead over the second-place Huskies to 33 points, 321-288, on the year.
Irmak Tasindi '08 led the team with two blue ribbons. The Istanbul, Turkey, native finished with blue ribbons in both the Fences and Novice Flat competitions.
In other flat classes, Elizabeth Giliberti '10 took home a blue in the intermediate division. The Walk Trot Canter classes saw point rider Stephanie Syc '08 and Kristen Beck '08 finish second in their respective advanced classes, and Lili Birnbaum '07 take third in the beginner class.
Whitney Keefe, one of the Bears' top riders, had a challenging start to her day. She finished sixth in her Open Flat class, but bounced back to take first in the Open Fences.
Keefe is now tied with University of Rhode Island rider Amanda Tustian for the lead in the race for first place in the Region 1 open standings. If Keefe can hold onto first place in her next show, she will qualify for the Cacchione Cup, a national championship.
The team's final show of the regular season will take place on March 17th at the Johnson and Wales Equine Center in Rehoboth, Mass.
-Peter Cipparone
