Coming off a season-high 193.425 at the University of Bridgeport last Tuesday, the gymnastics team claimed its second victory of the season at a quad meet hosted by Springfield College Saturday. The Bears bested Springfield, Rhode Island College and State University of New York at Cortland with another 193.425.
“It gives us a lot of confidence knowing that we can continue to score this high,” said Jorden Mitchell ’17. “By the end of the season, you get into the rhythm of practice and competing. We get in the gym, and we really focus on the fine details. We want to have clean, perfect routines, so that’s what we work for.”
Mitchell led her team by placing first in the all-around with a season-high 38.875 and winning event titles on vault, beam and floor. Anya Olson ’18 nabbed the bars title to complete Brown’s sweep of the competition’s events.
The Bears began with a strong showing on the balance beam. Mitchell’s 9.775 led the field, followed by second and third place finishes from Regan Butchness ’18 and Julia Green ’19, respectively.
“Starting on beam is always nerve-wracking,” Mitchell said. “We had a fall in the middle of the lineup. We always talk about being there for each other, so you have to pick it up if something does happen. We were excited that we didn’t let that one fall get to us, and we finished the rotation strong and ready to take on the rest of the events.”
On floor exercise, Mitchell anchored with a season-high 9.850. Green and Anne Christman ’20 posted matching season-high 9.775s to tie for second. Halfway through the meet, Brown led second-place Springfield by more than two points.
Mitchell and Green tied season-highs on vault to claim the top two spots with a 9.775 and 9.725, respectively. Going into the final rotation, the Bears had a four-point lead over the rest of the competition.
Bruno collected the top three spots on bars led by Olson’s 9.700. Maggie McAvoy ’18 finished second, and Claire Ryan ’18 tied for third.
After six consecutive away meets, the Bears return home Saturday to host the ECAC Championships for the first time since 2011.
“We’re doing things to get excited and get pumped,” Mitchell said. “Because we had such a good weekend and did so well yesterday, that gives us a lot of confidence and excitement going into championships.”
The competition will begin at noon in the Pizzitola Center.
