Home Opener - Seeing Double
Cambridge, MA 1/19/08.....
The MIT Engineers opened their home season on Saturday in a quadrangular meet against all Division III opponents. Among them, Ursinus College, the school that finished in second place at the National Championships last year by a mere tenth of a point. Also in attendance, Wilson College (PA) and Rhode Island College. The meet also marked the first time that first-year identical twin sisters Becky and Beth Stavely would both perform in DuPont gymnasium. Also a "treat" were the coaches' respective daughters Hannah McEachern and Jessica Ovalle handling the microphone in the introductions and announcements.
The meet began with the home team on vault, Ursinus on bars, Rhode Island College on beam and Wilson College on floor. For Tech, junior Laura Kelly led off the afternoon with an 8.60 piked tsuk followed by newcomer Kristen Watkins performing the same vault for an 8.95. Junior Rachel Tatem subbed in for injured classmate Alison Barnard and made it a trio with a clean 8.825. Beth Stavely tossed a beautiful piked Yurchenko in the first meet of her collegiate career but unfortunately she was not able to hang on to the landing and settled for an 8.65. Junior Julia Zimmerman unveiled the first handspring front layout of the season, but was only awarded a 9.25 and senior Sophia Harrison threw a layout Yurchenko for the top score of the afternoon on vault 9.40. Becky Stavely closed out MIT's vaults with a tucked Yurchenko. While MIT vaulted, the Ursinus Bears put together a strong 45.55 on bars led by Olivia Oller's 9.60 and Kira Oldham-Curtis 9.50. After the first rotation, Ursinus led 45.55, MIT 45.075, and both RIC and Wilson had a 40.45.
The tone established on vault carried over to bars where the Engineers put together six of the best routines they have ever put together as a team. Barnard led off with an 8.35 and then welcomed sophomore Katie Mingo making her uneven bars debut for MIT with an 8.55. Senior co-captian Sarah Trowbridge put together a great set with a Geinger and a Pak salto for a 9.0 and Kelly hit a personal best 8.90 to keep the momentum going. Zimmerman hit clean for a 9.45 and, after struggling all week with her Shaposhnakova, Harrison put together a personal best 9.725 to wow the crowd and win her second event of the afternoon. MIT's 45.625 was their highest bar score since the ECAC Championships in 2005. Ursinus went 44.15 on beam allowing MIT to take a brief lead half-way through the meet 90.70 to 89.80 . But beam was hit and miss for the home team: Kelly, Trowbridge and Zimmerman all fell, while Mingo, Beth Stavely, Harrison and Becky Stavely all stayed on. The 43.625 on beam compared to Ursinus' 46.20 dropped Tech to second place while RIC was pulling away from Wilson for third.
To close out the afternoon, Tech headed to floor with some routines still under construction. Trowbridge, Kelly, Beth Stavely and Mingo have yet to get comfortable with their routines and had a few misses. Harrison was able to put the finishing touches on a great afternoon with a 9.45, but floor belonged to the tumbler as Zimmerman won the event with a 9.65. The Engineers had to settle for a 44.75 finish and a 179.075 total as Ursinus closed out vault with a 45.75 on their way to winning the meet with a 181.65. RIC finished third 165.10 and Wilson 160.75. Harrison took the all-around with a 37.85 and Zimmerman finished third with a 37.00. Overall, a great positive step for this team in the second meet of the season. Next week Tech is down at Brown on Sunday the 27th for a 1:00 pm competition with four other teams including Division I Bowling Green University.