The ECAC-I has always been an odd conference, with four of the six teams arguably prioritizing the conference championship lower than the Ivy Classic and USAG championships. Still, Temple’s glow-up over the past few seasons—going from a team that had never won at conference and last place finisher in 2018 to champion in 2019—is quite a story, and we missed an opportunity in 2020 to see if Yale or Penn could take back their turf.
While there’s still so much uncertainty surrounding the upcoming season, it’s business as usual until we hear otherwise. That means it’s time for our annual potential lineups analysis! With preseason training in full swing for most teams, we’re breaking it all down and taking a look at every squad’s prospects for 2021—from who’s expected to contribute, holes that need to be filled and exciting upgrades fans should look out for.
No. 47 Temple
2020 was a good season for Temple, but the Owls had their struggles with both depth and consistency throughout the season. Temple graduates a small but highly accomplished senior class, but it brings in a freshman class of nine to help fill the holes.
| Losses: | Jazmyn Estrella (VT, UB, BB), Jaylene Everett (VT, FX), Daisy Todd (UB, BB), Heidi Vanderboom (VT; transfer to SEMO), Jackie Terpak (became student coach), Monica Servidio (medical retirement) | |||
| Gains: | Mackenzie Aresta, Hannah Barry (transfer from Bridgeport), Kayla DeVeau, Brooke Donabedian, Jordan Howe, Lanie Hyman, Lauryn Morris, Renee Schugman, Mia Rose Thackston, Cyrena Whalen | |||
Vault
Potential Contributors: Ariana Castrence (9.830 NQS), Madison Brooks (9.780), Tori Edwards (9.715), Faith Leary (9.850 high), Lauryn Morris, Mackenzie Aresta, Kayla DeVeau, Renee Schugman, Lanie Hyman, Brooke Donabedian
How It Looked Before: Vault was a strong event for Temple in 2020, but it struggled with depth, sometimes only able to field a lineup of five.
How It Looks Now: The loss of Jazmyn Estrella and Jaylene Everett on this event will be felt, but luckily Temple brings in a lot of freshmen options. Lauryn Morris, Mackenzie Aresta and Brooke Donabedian all bring Yurchenko fulls with Morris’ being the strongest. Kayla DeVeau and Renee Schugman will also contend as both compete Yurchenko halfs. Lanie Hyman competes a handspring front pike, which only starts from a 9.9, but it is a strong vault and could easily outscore others with higher start values.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? With increased depth, expect vault to be even better this season.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Ariana Castrence (9.840 NQS), Delaney Garin (9.725), Madison Brooks (9.715), Tori Edwards (9.700), Jordyn Oster (9.305), Cyrena Whalen, Brooke Donabedian, Renee Schugman, Kayla DeVeau
How It Looked Before: Bars started out slow in 2020, but by the end of the season it became Temple’s strongest event.
How It Looks Now: Estrella’s weekly 9.800-plus on bars will be difficult to replace. The most likely candidate to step in is Cyrena Whalen, who has beautiful lines on the event. Donabedian, Schugman and DeVeau also bring solid options.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Too early to tell
Beam
Potential Contributors: Delaney Garin (9.815 NQS), Ariana Castrence (9.780), Madison Brooks (9.740), Jordyn Oster (9.720), Taylor Newland (9.515), Hannah Barry (9.635 NQS at Bridgeport), Renee Schugman, Brooke Donabedian, Kayla DeVeau, Cyrena Whalen
How It Looked Before: Beam was rather inconsistent for Temple in 2020, but it showed flashes of potential, with a season high of 49.100 and a few other scores close to the 49 mark throughout the season.
How It Looks Now: Temple only loses the routine from Estrella and brings in plenty of viable options. Transfer Hannah Barry was a regular in Bridgeport’s beam lineup, and with a high of 9.725, she is a contender for Temple’s top six as well. Schugman has an uncommon FHS + front aerial series, and DeVeau competes a BHS + BHS + LOSO. Both will be contenders for the lineup. Donabedian and Whalen both have clean sets that should be options as well.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? If they can find their consistency, beam should be better for the Owls this season.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Ariana Castrence (9.825 NQS), Jordyn Oster (9.775), Tori Edwards (9.760), Delaney Garin (9.745), Taylor Newland (9.620), Faith Leary (9.812 AVG), Lauryn Morris, Renee Schugman, Brooke Donabedian, Jordan Howe, Lanie Hyman, Mackenzie Aresta
How It Looked Before: Floor started out rough for Temple in 2020 but became its most reliable event by mid-season.
How It Looks Now: Two freshmen bring E passes on this event. Morris competes a front double full, and Schugman is capable of a double Arabian. Along with Ariana Castrence’s double layout, this means Temple will potentially have three E passes in its floor lineup. Donabedian, Hyman, Aresta and Jordan Howe are also options.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up
Overall Outlook
Despite losing a few key routines, an overall increase in depth means that Temple should be on an upward trajectory in 2021. The key thing for the Owls this season will be finding that consistency that often eluded them in 2020.
No. 55 Yale
Yale had a decent 2020 season, finishing with a comparable ranking to recent years and qualifying to the ultimately cancelled USAG national championships. But poor injury management is becoming a pattern for the Bulldogs, and while recruiting has been excellent, it’s frustrating to see so much talent missing or heavily restricted each year. With a bumper senior class graduating, the pressure’s on for Yale to keep its underclassmen in competition shape.
| Losses: | Jade Buford (AA), Rebecca Chong (VT FX), Emma Firmstone (BB FX), Carly Israel (BB), Anna Jennings (VT), Sofia Menemenlis (FX) | |||
| Gains: | Alexa Berezowitz, Emma Mangiacapre, Sherry Wang, Sarah Wilson | |||
| Returning From Injury: | Seina Cho (arm – unknown), Kendal Toy (knee – unknown), Raegan Walker (torn Achilles in 2019, restricted to bars in 2020) | |||
Vault
Potential Contributors: Alyssa Firth (9.790 NQS), Aimee Titche (9.755), Charlotte Cooperman (9.650), Rowan Palmer (9.538 AVG), Jacey Baldovino (9.550 AVG in 2019), Kendal Toy, Raegan Walker, Alexa Berezowitz, Emma Mangiacapre, Sherry Wang, Sarah Wilson
How It Looked Before: Vault was reliably alright for Yale in 2020. It’s a team that’s habitually right on the edge of being able to field a full lineup of 9.95-plus vaults.
How It Looks Now: All four freshmen compete vaults with sufficient difficulty to contend for this lineup. Sherry Wang is the obvious leader with a Yurchenko full that has gone as high as 9.800 in level 10. If Raegan Walker is healthy enough to vault, expect to see her late in the lineup, too. Alexa Berezowitz competes a Yurchenko tuck full, Emma Mangiacapre does a layout half with some form issues and Sarah Wilson has a full that can be quite piked. All three can contend for the beginning of the lineup. Jacey Baldovino is a wildcard—she competed every event but vault in 2020, and even if her vault scores aren’t the best, it might be worth putting her in to complete the all around set.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Not all of these vaults are perfect, but there’s a net difficulty increase from 2020 and that should improve the lineup score at least marginally.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Jacey Baldovino (9.810 NQS), Lindsay Chia (9.530), Raegan Walker (9.515), Caitlin Henry (9.325), Alyssa Firth (9.180), Aimee Titche (9.035), Kendal Toy (9.550 NQS in 2019), Seina Cho
How It Looked Before: Bars was a bumpy ride in 2020, with sufficient strong routines but very little consistency. Cho should excel on this event, but she’s missed two full years of her college career to injury so far. Walker had issues with her dismount—it’s possible that after her 2019 Achilles injury, her ankle wasn’t quite ready for landings.
How It Looks Now: The freshman routines are solid here, but they’re not enough to save the bars lineup alone. Once again, Wang is a rockstar with a level 10 max of 9.800. She’ll be fighting with Baldovino for the anchor spot. Berezowitz and Wilson have strong routines with beautiful form, but both do double tuck dismounts, which are insufficient for a 10.0 SV in NCAA if not connected. Mangiacapre can do a NCAA-ready routine, but her form will limit her. A full-strength Walker would be a gift for this lineup, as would be the return of either Kendal Toy or Seina Cho.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This lineup will most likely score comparably to 2020, with frightening dips into the 47s every few weeks. If the injured returners are healthy again, though, the picture looks a lot brighter.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Emma Firmstone (9.815 NQS), Lindsay Chia (9.795), Jacey Baldovino (9.780), Charlotte Cooperman (9.725), Riley Meeks (9.537 AVG), Seina Cho, Kendal Toy, Raegan Walker, Alexa Berezowitz, Sherry Wang, Emma Mangiacapre
How It Looked Before: Beam was fairly consistent in 2020, and when it was good, it was the Bulldogs’ best event. The core trio of Baldovino, Chia and Firmstone excels and allows the team some flexibility to experiment with the rest of the lineup.
How It Looks Now: Of the freshmen Berezowitz and Wang lead the pack, with Berezowitz having the slight edge on consistency and Wang peaking slightly higher in level 10. Mangiacapre has some potential. Cho, Toy or Walker could make a splash here if they’re healthy.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Beam is already a strong event, and it has room to grow in 2021.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Alyssa Firth (9.790 NQS), Charlotte Cooperman (9.760), Jacey Baldovino (9.750), Seina Cho, Raegan Walker, Alexa Berezowitz, Emma Mangiacapre, Sherry Wang, Sarah Wilson
How It Looked Before: Floor was Yale’s comfort zone in 2020, with solid scores throughout the lineup and admirable consistency. Unfortunately, half of the weekly contributors have graduated.
How It Looks Now: All four freshmen have potential here, and they might be needed. Wang leads the pack both in scores and in routine readiness with a reliable full-in. Walker is a long shot on this event with her ankle so questionable, but would be valuable if ready. Plus, Cho trained it in 2020.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? It’s hard to see how the newcomers will keep up with the strong set of graduating routines straight away.
Overall Outlook
We’ve predicted that Yale will have a breakout year for several years now, and injuries to important athletes have always derailed the momentum. The most likely scenario this year is that the Bulldogs will slip a little in the rankings as a reduction in depth takes its toll. That said, their fate is in their own hands, and there’s nothing to prevent a ranking surge if the team stays healthy.
On the all around front, Jacey Baldovino can be one of the best in USAG if she elects to add vault again and stays consistent, but neither is a sure thing. Sherry Wang is a better prospect. She’s a massive recruit for the Bulldogs with NCAA postseason potential.
No. 57 Penn
Penn is a quickly rising team that had an excellent 2020, capped by an Ivy Classic title and the second highest team score in program history. The Quakers also tied program records on vault and beam. With fairly minimal losses after 2020 and a great freshman class, the Quakers should be fighting for the team program record once again this year—and aspiring to the ECAC championship.
| Losses: | Natalie Borden (BB), Kellie Flavin (UB, FX), Alex Kothe (UB), Tara Mills (UB), Caroline Mitsch, Libby Garfoot (UB), Rose DeBarberie | |||
| Gains: | Kiersten Belkoff, Connie Hsu, Ana Kenefick, Sara Kenefick, Kristen Kuhn, Campbell Marr | |||
| Returning From Injury: | Ariyana Agarwala (arm – unknown), Ava Caravela (ankle – unknown), Sarah Penuela-Wermers (ACL) | |||
Vault
Potential Contributors: Sydney Kraez (9.770 NQS), Rose Hoffman (9.630), Lauren Joost (9.590), Rebekah Lashley (9.590), Edie Noor Graber (9.495), Ava Caravela (9.675 NQS in 2019), Jordyn Mannino (9.656 AVG), Darby Nelson (9.444), Kiersten Belkoff, Connie Hsu, Ana Kenefick
How It Looked Before: This event lacks depth and is a little short on difficulty compared to the teams Penn would like to be beating. After sparking controversy over her vault scores in 2019, Ava Caravela entered the year with a much cleaner block and looked like a future anchor, only to get injured after the first week and sit out the rest of the season. Kraez’ Yurchenko full is solid, but the other vaults weren’t quite on the same level.
How It Looks Now: Caravela’s return could make a big impact on this lineup, but there are plenty of freshman options too. Connie Hsu’s Yurchenko full and Kiersten Belkoff’s half both scored big in level 10. Ana Kenefick also competes a Yurchenko full.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? With zero vaults graduated and three to four strong ones joining, this lineup should make a big leap in 2021.
Bars
Potential Contributors: McCaleigh Marr (9.740 NQS), Rose Hoffman (9.685), Jordyn Mannino (9.670), Sydney Kraez (9.655), Najah Curtis (8.938 AVG), Ariyana Agarwala, Sarah Penuela-Wermers, Kristen Kuhn, Connie Hsu, Ana Kenefick, Sara Kenefick, Campbell Marr
How It Looked Before: Bars was rarely dire, but it was definitely a lower-scoring event. Handstand and dismount issues added up to a bunch of 9.500 to 9.600 scores early in the lineup. Freshman McCaleigh Marr was a revelation, joining suddenly in the first week of February and finishing with the team’s best NQS despite competing only six times.
How It Looks Now: Kristen Kuhn is the big new name here, with beautiful form and the biggest bars scores entering the Ivy League this year. Hsu and Ana Kenefick are just a little behind Kuhn, while Sara Kenefick and Campbell Marr (yes, McCaleigh’s sister) have slightly lower scores but good technique. Sophomores Ariyana Agarwala and Sarah Penuela-Wermers trained this event in Philadelphia last fall before getting injured, with Penuela-Wermers’ lovely form making her particularly memorable.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? There will be lots of routines here—the explosion of the roster’s size has given the coaches plenty of options. But it’s hard to tell whether these freshmen will settle in and get the aggressive handstands they’ll need to boost the scores.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Darby Nelson (9.750 NQS), McCaleigh Marr (9.715), Darcy Matsuda (9.705), Sydney Kraez (9.685), Rebekah Lashley (9.685), Natalie Yang (9.555), Lauren Joost (9.355 AVG), Sarah Penuela-Wermers
How It Looked Before: This lineup was a winner for Penn in 2020, tying the event program record of 49.125 at the end of March. No NQS contributors on this event graduated. Also, note that Natalie Yang’s NQS is artificially low: She was restricted midseason and only competed six times, but four of her six routines were 9.800-plus.
How It Looks Now: Any freshman could crack this lineup, as could Penuela-Wermers. The prediction for which ones actually will is worth about as much as throwing darts at their names while blindfolded, so we’ll just say that in level 10 Kuhn and Belkoff were the most consistent, while Hsu topped out the highest. Don’t be surprised by anything that might happen.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? With an entire program-record lineup returning, it’s all about consistency this year. The depth on this event is massive and should be enough to elevate beam to 49.000 territory every week—but ultimately only six can compete.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Rebekah Lashley (9.790 NQS), Jordyn Mannino (9.765), Sydney Kraez (9.755), Darcy Matsuda (9.710), Edie Noor Graber (9.617 AVG), Darby Nelson (9.558), Rose Hoffman (9.467), Ali Karpousis (9.150), Ava Caravela (9.690 AVG in 2019), Ariyana Agarwala, Kiersten Belkoff, Connie Hsu, Ana Kenefick, Sara Kenefick
How It Looked Before: It took the Quakers a few weeks to get the hang of floor in 2020, but once they did it was a very solid event. Numerous gymnasts were rotated in and out of this lineup, and it definitely benefited from the large roster.
How It Looks Now: These freshmen are a floor team. Sara Kenefick leads the way with a stunning 9.875 high score in level 10, and Belkoff is close behind with a 9.825. Hsu and Ana Kenefick also have great results here.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Floor is the event where we’re most sure that the freshmen will be a gamechanger. This lineup could improve drastically.
Overall Outlook
Reigning Ivy all around champion Sydney Kraez stormed onto the scene in 2020 on a team that historically hasn’t often had a weekly all around competitor. She’s technically strong and mentally robust, and her fight for all around supremacy in ECAC versus Temple’s Ariana Castrence and William & Mary’s Katie Waldman will be fascinating. With such a huge roster it’s hard to predict where freshmen will fit in, but Connie Hsu could be a factor in the all around, too.
There’s perhaps no team in the country that can reach its program record (just a 195.075!) as easily as Penn. This team’s talent is so far beyond what its ranking shows, and despite some injuries and consistency hiccups in 2020, a lot of individual progress was made. This should be a big year for the Quakers, but they could miss out if they spend all year experimenting with depth instead of settling into lineups.
No. 59 William & Mary
2020 was an improved season for the Tribe, moving up in both the conference and the overall rankings. And, as of Tuesday, the university reinstated three women’s sports, including gymnastics, due to Title IX, giving the Tribe a new outlook heading into the 2021 season.
| Losses: | Caroline Caponi (BB, FX), Erika Marr (VT, UB, BB), Evan Pakshong (UB, BB), Elizabeth Snoddy (FX), Taylor White (AA), Brianna Greenlow (no longer on roster) | |||
| Gains: | Sarah Brownstein (transfer from Towson), Grace Costello, Sofia Huang | |||
| Returning From Injury: | Keaghan Schafer (ACL) | |||
Vault
Potential Contributors: Katie Waldman (9.780 NQS), Mary Graceyn Gordon (9.690), Emma Wiley (9.485), Lauren Winkler (9.400 AVG), Sofia Huang, Grace Costello, Abby Carpenter
How It Looked Before: Vault was a good event for William & Mary in 2020, but it lacked difficulty and cleanliness to be at the next level.
How It Looks Now: Sofia Huang and Grace Costello are both capable of Yurchenko fulls and should make the lineup. Abby Carpenter didn’t compete in 2020, but the sophomore has a clean Yurchenko layout that could contend.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Vault should stay about the same this season.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Katie Waldman (9.795 NQS), Mary Graceyn Gordon (9.695), Emma Wiley (9.262 AVG), Keaghan Schafer, Grace Costello, Sofia Huang
How It Looked Before: Bars was William & Mary’s highest ranked event in 2020, scoring as high as 48.950.
How It Looks Now: Unfortunately, the Tribe loses three of its top bars workers, and it’s not a strong event for any of the freshmen. Huang and Costello both have up-to-the-level routines, but will need to clean up a bit to score well. Keaghan Schafer, who missed the 2020 season recovering from an ACL injury, should be a contender for the lineup this season if healthy.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending down
Beam
Potential Contributors: Katie Waldman (9.715 NQS), Mary Graceyn Gordon (9.435), Emma Wiley (9.388 AVG), Keaghan Schafer, Grace Costello, Sofia Huang, Abby Carpenter
How It Looked Before: Beam was a rough event for William & Mary in 2020, with a season high of only 48.375.
How It Looks Now: Costello and Huang both have a lot of potential on this event and could both score well. Schafer and Carpenter are also solid on this event and should contend.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Too early to tell, as the potential is there, but consistency is still a big question mark.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Katie Waldman (9.750 NQS), Mary Graceyn Gordon (9.580), Keaghan Schafer, Grace Costello, Sofia Huang, Sarah Brownstein, Abby Carpenter
How It Looked Before: Floor was a pretty good event for the Tribe in 2020, but it was the event that it struggled the most with depth.
How It Looks Now: Costello has a great routine that should be a strong contender for the anchor position. Schafer also has a clean routine, and should find a place in the lineup if healthy. Huang and Carpenter both have the skills to contend, and Sarah Brownstein brings a viable routine as well.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? It’s too early to tell, but with increased depth, there’s definitely potential for improvement.
Overall Outlook
Though there is potential for improvement on many events, the loss of so many routines means there is going to be a lot of ground to make up. It’s too early to know what William & Mary will look like in 2021, but the reinstatement of the program will likely give the team a feeling of having something to prove and show it deserves to stay.
No. 64 Brown
Brown’s ranking has slid slowly down over the past five years, but it remains a plucky little team, fighting for USAG qualification and racking up individual accomplishments despite not having a great deal of upside on team scores. This year’s freshman class isn’t an overt gamechanger, but adding eight gymnasts to replace only one does provide lineup flexibility that Brown hasn’t often had in the past.
| Losses: | Erin Howell (UB, FX) | |||
| Gains: | Asta Farrell, Charlotte Introcaso, Lauren Kramer, Ali Lowe, Paige Richter, Lara Swords, McKenna Weiner, Angela Xing | |||
Vault
Potential Contributors: Alyssa Gardner (9.730 NQS), Mei Li Costa (9.625), Lauren Lazaro (9.560), Ella Poley (9.515), Jasmine Lee (9.490), Sophia Petrillo (9.335), Abby Contello (9.467 AVG), Rose Domonoske (9.338 AVG), Asta Farrell, Angela Xing, Ali Lowe, Paige Richter, Lara Swords
How It Looked Before: Brown usually can’t field more than a few 9.900-plus SV vaults, so this lineup spent most of the year around the 47.500 mark.
How It Looks Now: Asta Farrell’s Yurchenko full leads the freshman class and will fit into this lineup immediately, as will Angela Xing’s slightly more piked one. Ali Lowe is an interesting prospect, with a front handspring front pike onto which she’s convincingly trained an additional half twist. Paige Richter is a back up option, competing a Yurchenko half with some body position ambiguity, and Lara Swords does a tuck full.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? An influx of difficulty into this lineup should improve it, especially since no vaults from 2020 graduated.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Mei Li Costa (9.825 NQS), Sophia Petrillo (9.715), Emma Hansen (9.655), Jasmine Lee (9.625), Ella Poley (9.650 AVG), Alyssa Gardner (9.508), Caroline Warren (9.125), Paige Richter, Asta Farrell, McKenna Weiner
How It Looked Before: Bars was Brown’s highest-ranked event in 2020, scoring above 48.000 in six of nine meets.
How It Looks Now: Colorado Aerials product Richter is the leading prospect from this freshman class with a pike Jaeger and strong form, though she might not have an up-to-the-level dismount. Farrell has a true Shaposhnikova and tons of air, and McKenna Weiner is an option too despite slightly more form issues than the other two.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This event will likely stay about the same.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Emma Hansen (9.750 NQS), Lauren Lazaro (9.725), Mei Li Costa (9.670), Rose Domonoske (9.585), Sophia Petrillo (9.505), Jasmine Lee (9.375), Abby Walsh (9.325 AVG), Lauren McKeown (9.200), Abby Contello (9.088), Carolanne Van Zandt (8.125), Asta Farrell, Angela Xing, Lara Swords
How It Looked Before: Beam peaked high in 2020, pulling in scores of 48.700-plus three times, though it could be inconsistent.
How It Looks Now: None of the freshmen come to Providence as decorated beamers—none of the eight ever cracked 9.400 in level 10. That said, zero beam routines graduated, so the pressure is off. Of the group, Farrell pulled in the strongest results week to week, while Xing and Lara Swords had the strongest career highs.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Slight improvement is possible here as 2020’s very young lineup settles in, but there shouldn’t be a radical change.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Lauren Lazaro (9.760 NQS), Alyssa Gardner (9.690), Rose Domonoske (9.605), Emma Hansen (9.215), Caroline Warren (9.650 AVG), Abby Walsh (9.450), Carolanne Van Zandt (9.433), Jasmine Lee (9.425), Sophia Petrillo (9.313), Ali Lowe, Lara Swords, Asta Farrell, Angela Xing, Lauren Kramer
How It Looked Before: Floor was Brown’s lowest-ranked event in 2020—counting a fall was the norm for most of the season. Two-thirds of the team got a turn in the floor lineup as the team seemed to struggle to find consistent contributors.
How It Looks Now: There’s lots of freshman potential on this event, though not quite so much as vault. Lowe is extremely consistent, never dropping below 9.000 in her level 10 career. Swords brings the highest scores of the cohort, and Farrel, Xing and Lauren Kramer are all options.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? This was senior Erin Howell’s best event, so the Bears will need someone strong to replace her. But there’s still reason to hope this event will improve.
Overall Outlook
Brown should be able to make incremental improvements across the board this year and once again fight for a spot at USAG nationals, which it likely would have narrowly missed in 2020 had the season continued. To really excel, Brown needs greater consistency from its stars. If Mei Li Costa and Lauren Lazaro can produce 9.800-plus scores on multiple events weekly instead of occasionally, it would change the game for the whole team.
No. 67 Cornell
Cornell was confusingly rough in 2020, taking a huge ranking dive mostly because the bars lineup became completely unmoored after graduating three weekly routines in 2019. We don’t know how to explain what happened here, but let’s all hope that it stops, OK?
| Losses: | Mohini Gharpure, Samantha Henry (VT FX), Payton Murphy (UB BB), Natalia Nottingham, Evelyn Patient (UB BB), Maci Prescott (VT FX) | |||
| Gains: | Cali Brady, Eva Phair, Alexandra Quiana, Melanie Stone, Caitlyn Walsh, Regina Walton, Adabelle Wright, Rachel Zun | |||
| Returning From Injury: | Jessie Aman (unknown) | |||
Vault
Potential Contributors: Amy Krueger (9.605 NQS), Miranda Lund (9.435), Amy Shen (9.260), Izzy Herczeg (9.519 AVG), Sara Maughan (9.385), Imani Telesford (9.312), Donna Webster (9.212), Claire Haklik (8.825), Calista Brady, Alexandra Quiana, Regina Walton
How It Looked Before: This was an odd event, Several unexplained downgrades and some previously excellent landings became… not that…and added up to a vault lineup that struggled to crack 48.000.
How It Looks Now: Regina Walton’s great Yurchenko full will be very welcome here, while Calista Brady’s slightly temperamental Yurchenko half matches what’s already in the lineup perfectly. Other freshmen can provide backup options, like Alexandra Quiana’s pretty front handspring front tuck. To really get this lineup into good shape, though, Donna Webster and Sara Maughan will need to return to their excellent 2019 form.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? If nothing changes but the addition of the freshmen, the lineup should stay about the same.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Amy Shen (9.555 NQS), Olivia Tometich (9.550), Darby Kent (9.150), Madison Smith (9.540 AVG), Emily Carr (9.180), Donna Webster (8.925), Miranda Lund (8.894), Katie Fitzpatrick (8.394), Regina Walton, Melanie Stone
How It Looked Before: It wasn’t cute. We don’t have to get into details. Props for improving almost five points on a single event over the course of the season, though.
How It Looks Now: These freshmen are not traditional bar workers, as much as we’d love them to be. Walton and Melanie Stone have the most potential of the squad.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Please, gym gods, let it trend up.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Miranda Lund (9.730 NQS) Izzy Herczeg (9.725), Madison Smith (9.660), Victoria DeMeo (9.420), Valerie Aubley (9.180), Darby Kent (9.125 AVG), Maddie Watson (8.833)
How It Looked Before: Oddly, beam started the season strong and trended down in 2020. Nevertheless, it was one of the more stable events, and Cornell always makes things exciting with unique construction.
How It Looks Now: Walton is a rockstar on beam with a high score of 9.725 in level 10. Quiana and Adabelle Wright are the next most likely prospects, with Wright in particular a very confident competitor.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Since this lineup will stay mostly the same in 2020, we can hope for greater consistency from veterans, but most likely beam will remain about the same.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Madison Smith (9.760), Claire Haklik (9.655), Victoria DeMeo (9.625), Miranda Lund (9.400), Sara Maughan (9.200), Regina Walton, Alexandra Quiana, Adabelle Wright
How It Looked Before: Floor has always been Cornell’s rock, and that was the case in 2020 as well, topping out at 49.100 at Ivy Classic with the help of Claire Haklik’s championship-winning 9.925.
How It Looks Now: Walton once again leads the freshmen here, completing her potential all around set. Quiana does a front double full, an E pass, and Wright has potential with scores just behind the other two.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Floor lost a few key routines, but it could accumulate stronger scores than 2020’s over the course of the season if the landings come together quickly.
Overall Outlook
Cornell might not be back to 2018 form anytime soon, but the Big Red has every chance to recover in 2021. Cornell was on track to miss qualifying to the USAG nationals it was hosting (in fact, it was ranked last in USAG at the time the season was cancelled). Dodging that bullet might provide a reset for the team. If Cornell can avoid putting up a sub-43.000 rotation score in the first week again, it’s already making improvements.
READ THIS NEXT: Potential Lineups: MAC Part II
Article by Mary Emma Burton and Rebecca Scally
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