Gymnastics sweeps at Pitt
Junior Sarah Dame finally led the gymnastics team with great performances Saturday as the Chippewas defeated Pittsburgh and Ursinus.
Dame won the all around competition with a career-high 39.2 and led the team to score a season-high 195.525.
“Sarah Dame was on fire today,” said Head Coach Jerry Reighard. “She did a great job of leading by her performance.”
Dame tied for second in the floor exercise with a career-high 9.875. She tied a career-high with a 9.825 on the vault. She also finished fifth in the uneven bars and seventh on the balance beam.
“It’s great that our hard work in practice paid off,” Dame said.
Pittsburgh finished second with a score of 193.95 and Ursinus scored a season-high 12.75.
With the win, the Chippewas are back in the regional hunt.
“It sets the pace for us to qualify for regionals,” Reighard said. “It also makes us believe that we can win the MAC.”
Freshman Kara Reighard finished second in the all around with a career-high 38.85.
She tied for second place in the floor exercise with a 9.875. She also tied for first with a career-high 9.85 on the uneven bars and finished third on the balance beam with score of 9.775.
The Chippewas opened the meet with a season-high 49.325 on the floor exercise.
Junior Michelle Orloski scored a 9.9 and won the event for the second consecutive week.
Sophomore Tiffani Berra scored a career-high 9.85 and junior Tammy Verrinder scored a 9.825.
“Our floor routines were fantastic,” Jerry Reighard said. “It set the tempo for us and we did not look back.”
Central scored a season-high 48.775 on the balance beam.
Senior Bethany Couturier and freshman Sara Burtinsky tied for third, with a score of 9.775.
This was the first time this season the Chippewas did not count a fall on the balance beam.
The team scored 48.6 on the uneven bars, despite counting a fall.
Freshman Laura McLaren scored a career-high 9.825, tying her with Burtinsky for third place.
Central scored a season-high 48.825 on the vault. Freshman Shana Duggan won the event and tied her career-high 9.85
Verrinder tied Dame for second with a 9.725.
“Tammy had an explosive vault,” Reighard said. “All the practice paid off this week.”
The team hosts Kent State Sunday.
“The team is believing in themselves,” Jerry Reighard said. “The last two weeks we’ve dominated the meet and it has felt good.”
