Back-to-Back Weekend
Burlington, VT 2/26 and Sprinfield, MA 2/27 .......
By all accounts, this would be the toughest weekend of the year for the MIT women's gymnastics team. On Saturday, they traveled to Burlington VT for a double-dual competition which included the men's team from MIT and UVM as well. After returning home from a 8 hour round-trip drive, the team hopped in a van on Sunday to travel down the Mass Pike to meet with the number one ranked team in Division III gymnastics, the Springfield College Pride. To top it off, the back-to-back weekend was scheduled for the last weekend in February when, tradionally, school work at MIT has a tight grip around all of the student's throats, and there are more than a few nagging aches and pains in the gym. This season of injuries continues at MIT, as during the week of practice, the team lost junior Karla Maguire's services to a dislocated toe due to an unforgiving encounter with the low bar. Karla would not be able to participate in either meet, and is questionable for the final home meet against U-Mass on March 4th.
First year student Lindsey Wolf filled in for Karla and started the meet off on bars for MIT on Saturday with a clean routine for a 7.25 The rest of the line-up followed with well swung bar routines capped off by Amy Shui's 8.75 and Sonja Ellefson's 9.55 which netted a team total of 41.55. The momentum continued on vault as the team nearly equaled its highest total of the year by posting a 44.45 aided by Lindsey's 9.075 handspring front tuck. At the half-way mark, MIT was trailing UVM 89.85 to 86 points. MIT moved to the floor where a couple of routines shined, and a couple struggled. Shinning brightest was junior Liz Ellingson's 9.5 effort along with Lindsey Wolf's 9.3 and Amy Shui's 9.05. Captain Stephanie Cheng had to sit out with a throat infection, and fellow senior Robin Chiu filled in admirably with a career best 8.55. The struggles came to sophmore Cecile LeCocq and junior Sonja Ellefson who each had to count a fall in their routine. Nevertheless the team managed a 45.65 total and moved on to beam. On the narrow plank, the team posted it's highest team total of the year led by Liz Ellingson's 9.375 and Amy Shui's 9.175 as the MIT beam squad is finally starting to find its rhythm. In the end, MIT lost the meet 183.50 to an even 176, but posted it's highest total of the season and came within three tenths of a point of breaking the team NCGA record (counting top 4 scores per event) with a 143.55.
Sunday's meet was a tale of two halves. MIT began the meet again on bars followed by vault, and looked visibly tired on both events. Captain Stephanie Cheng stayed home sick and first year student Caitlin Dwyer-McNally was thrown into the fire to replace her on bars. The entire bars line-up struggeld with their routines and netted a 40.425 total while Springfield was lighting up vault for 45.3 points. On vault, the woes continued as the vaulters seemed to be in slow motion coming down the runway. This would mark MIT's fourth back-to-back meet scenario in the past two years and each time, the team responded with a better meet the second day. This away at Vermont, away at Springfield combination though, really took its toll on the gymnasts on this weekend. MIT's vault total was a 42.125 while Springfield put their bars line-up on display with a very strong 45.85 effort. A long judge's conference at the end of the second rotation delayed MIT start on floor, but provided the team with a much needed breather. The team seem to reach deep inside for whatever energy they had left and put on a very strong floor performance led again by Liz Ellingson (9.4), Lindsey Wolf (9.0) and Cecile LeCocq (9.175). On beam, Robin Chiu led off with her best routine of the year followed by first year students Caitlin Dwyer-McNally and Lindsey Wolf who also put together great sets that, if it hadn't been for a minor slip would have stayed on the beam. Amy, Sonja and Liz finished out the meet with three very clean and stuck beam routines rewarded with an 8.65, 9.5 and 9.3 respectively. Springfield, in the meantime, was displaying why they will be a team to be reckoned with in the upcoming ECAC Championships here at MIT on March 11th. Springfield won the meet 182.45 to 171.425 and after what looked like a dismal beginning, the MIT squad pulled off a good result for the weekend's competitions.
The last dual meet of the year will be this Saturday March 4th when MIT hosts U-Mass. U-Mass has a fomer national team member on their squad in Katie Teft who is currently ranked number 3 in the country on bars. It will be an exciting event to watch. Last event on the schedule will be the Division III ECAC Championships which will be hosted in Rockwell gym on March 11th. You won't want to miss that meet as junior Sonja Ellefson will be looking to defend her all-around title.