Rutgers posts 2nd highest score of season in tri-meet loss
The Rutgers gymnastics team wasted no time coming off of its Big Five meet last weekend. Posting their second highest score of the season, the Scarlet Knights proved to be fierce road competition on Sunday.
Rutgers recorded a team score of 195.300 in a tri-meet against host West Virginia and Pittsburgh, but fell short of the 196s from the other teams.
This was the Knights’ second time above the 195 mark this season. Their 49.250 event score on floor was their highest mark of the season. Their floor score ties for the fourth highest score in program history and is just under the 49.300 mark they set last season against Nebraska.
Rutgers has reached the 49 mark in all of its events, but has yet to post 49s in more than two events within one competition.
Starting the meet off on beam, true freshman Hannah Joyner and senior Erin McLachlan recorded identical scores of 9.875. Joyner and McLachlan have been the backbone of the beam lineup, having scored a handful of 9.900s and above this season.
Following just behind Joyner and McLachlan was sophomore Kiera Doherty-Herwitz, who scored herself a 9.825. As a late addition to the beam lineup, sophomore Sage Littlejohn came out of her performance with a 9.775, while true freshman Jenna Ferguson added a 9.750 at the start of the event.
Junior Belle Huang struggled throughout her routine, but managed to finish with a 9.550.
Even though Huang had a shaky start to the competition, she highlighted the Knights’ season-high floor performance with a 9.900 to close out the event.
Joyner and Ferguson as well as true freshman Jordyn Duffield all recorded scores of 9.850 in their respective routines. Senior Shannon Farrell started off the lineup with a 9.800, while junior Toni Williams posted a 9.675 in the middle of the pack.
Rutgers nearly had three events at the 49 mark. With both beam and floor scores hovering above the mark, the Knights were ready to cement their vault score in a similar fashion. They fell just short, recording a team event score of 48.900.
Ferguson started on vault the same way she started on beam, posting a 9.700. Ferguson was followed by Farrell (9.750), Williams (9.800) and Huang (9.750). Closing out the lineup was Joyner (9.775) and senior Kaitlyn Hall with the team-high score on the night of 9.825.
Though Rutgers had high scores at the beginning of the competition, it wasn’t able to continue throughout the entire meet. A couple of the Knights faltered on bars, causing a weaker showing in their final event.
Joyner and Farrell were able to post similar scores of 9.825 to lead Rutgers on bars. Hall and Huang followed just behind them with respective scores of 9.700 and 9.650.
Not having the best performances in West Virginia, junior Emily Drauss pulled together a 8.925 at the beginning of the lineup, while sophomore Abigail Karolewski posted a 9.050 toward the back of the lineup.
After a month of road competitions, the Knights will finally return to the Banks. Rutgers is switching things up, hosting a quad meet against West Chester, Southern Connecticut State and Cornell at the Gym on the College Avenue campus. The competition is set for 7 p.m. on Friday.
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