The bottom half of the GEC were the teams most impacted by injury, COVID protocols and coaching transitions. Most of these teams had a slow start to 2022 but tried to pick up steam too little too late to climb in the conference rankings. However, it should be noted that three out of four of these teams peaked to score a season high at the conference championship.
The preseason is starting and 2023 will be here before we know it. That means it’s time for our annual potential lineups analysis! As gymnasts get back into the gym with new goals for the new season, we’re breaking their prospects down and taking a look at what each team’s lineups may look like come January—from who’s expected to contribute, holes that need to be filled and exciting upgrades fans should look out for.
No. 62 Cornell
The team relied heavily on the freshman-senior duo of Sydney Beers and Miranda Lund. Beers quickly stepped into the all-around while Lund was a solid contributor on three events. While the Big Red showed flashes of good performances toward the end of the season, filling the lineup with consistent-scoring routines was a limiting factor.
| Losses: | Valerie Aubley, Miranda Lund (VT, BB, FX), Sara Maughan (VT, FX), Imani Telesford, Donna Webster (VT, UB, FX) |
| Gains: | Mikayla Burton, Shaina Chen, Michaela DeFrancisco, Emily Joyce, Morgen Shambo, Cami Whitaker |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Sydney Beers (9.720 NQS), Regina Walton (9.715), Cali Brady (9.705), Amy Krueger (9.650), Caitlyn Walsh (avg 9.188), Michaela DeFrancisco, Emily Joyce, Cami Whitaker
How It Looked Before: Cornell found its rhythm on vault last season, falling a little over a tenth shy of tying a program record set in 2008.
How It Looks Now: With three vaults graduating, Cornell will look to some new faces to step into the lineup. DeFrancisco has a stickable Yurchenko half while Whitaker is training a solid Yurchenko one and a half. With strong vaults from Beers and Brady, Cornell should be able to assemble the pieces into a good vault lineup. But upgrades will be the biggest boost here.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? How the Big Red will vault into the 2023 season is still too early to tell.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Kate Michelini (9.765), Melanie Stone (9.670), Maddie Sakalosky (9.535), Sydney Beers (9.535), Katie Fitzpatrick (9.420), Cali Brady (avg 9.375), Maddie Wolf (9.313), Regina Walton (9.140), Laura Mackenzie (9.125), Shaina Chen, Morgen Shambo
How It Looked Before: Bars was the lowest scoring event of the season, with highs well worth celebrating but lows that held the team back from its full potential.
How It Looks Now: The freshmen bring some big releases that will be great additions to the lineup. Chen has an upgraded routine with a Maloney to Pak connection and Maloney half. Experience with new faces this upcoming season means a diverse bar lineup while Cornell figures out what works best.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Well, things should only go up from where they were in 2022 for the Big Red, but any good Magic 8 Ball will tell you it’s too early to know for sure.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Regina Walton (9.730), Sydney Beers (9.700), Kate Michelini (9.605), Melanie Stone (9.550), Victoria DeMeo (9.445), Eva Phair (9.395), Mikayla Burton, Shaina Chen, Emily Joyce, Morgen Shambo
How It Looked Before: The Big Red stormed into the 2022 season with its highest score of the year and never really found that same success, struggling to find consistency and hit clean routines.
How It Looks Now: This event is where the freshmen provide the most potential depth. Mikayla Burton brings a unique front Aerial to side Aerial series while Emily Joyce has a triple series. If Cornell can fill the gap left by Lund, the team will be in good shape.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Expect a trending up due to increased consistency and experience from the team as well as greater depth.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Sydney Beers (9.755), Kate Michelini (9.715), Victoria DeMeo (9.675), Melanie Stone (9.535), Cali Brady (9.285), Caitlyn Walsh (avg 9.645), Adabelle Wright (9.550), Emily Joyce
How It Looked Before: Floor was Cornell’s best event of the year, led by Beers. Brady was the only athlete to break 9.900 on any event.
How It Looks Now: Expect the floor team to continue to be led by the heavy hitters from last season. Hopefully more consistency will push this event into the 49s more often. With so much of the team capable of going 9.825 or better, some finessing will easily push this Big Red over the edge into new territory.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Floor should trend up this season with the number of returning athletes with competitive experience.
Three Big Questions
How can Cornell challenge its program record?
Cornell came pretty close to its program record at the GEC championship, scoring a season high and coming within about eight tenths of the record. To topple that mark, one set not long ago in 2018, the Big Red needs to average better than a 9.750 for each routine. Enter bars, which has held the team back recently. Clean routines and sticky feet mean Cornell can find a renewed hope for setting a new all-time high.
Could Sydney Beers push for another all-around conference or national title?
Beers stormed her way through her freshman season, launching into the top five scorers on each event and scoring a top mark of 39.125 at the USAG national championships. As a freshman. She took first place by nearly two tenths and fell within a tenth of tying the Cornell record. Beers is going to blaze her way through the history books by the time she graduates, and with her on the team, the Big Red should prepare to set team records as she continues to grow and refine.
Who can Cornell put up as another all-arounder this season?
Cornell has a deep roster of strong three-event athletes but would certainly want another all-arounder to complement Beers, especially if the Big Red want to rest her at any point during the season. It would be in great shape to tap another freshman to accompany her, but truly any of the team’s three eventers could throw their hat in their missing lineup.
No. 65 Southern Connecticut
The SCSU roster was known for being absolutely gigantic, with former Bridgeport head coach Byron Knox at the helm. Nevertheless, finding a consistent top six to fill the lineup proved difficult. However, the Owls put together a program best 194.200 at the conference championship. All-around star Hannah Stahlbrodt’s return from injury will be a huge boon for this team in 2023.
| Losses: | Chelsea Baker, Makenna Fay, Delaney Fields, Bianca Leon, Breyana Daniels (transfer to Fisk), Cassidy Girolamo, Talia Kraus (transfer to NIU), Noely Macias, Kiara Richmon (transfer to Fisk) |
| Gains: | Maria Damiano, Lenée Dimkin, Ava Kelly, Madison Richman, Abby Royer, Sarah Shaffer |
| Returning From Injury: | Elena Bailey, Brianna Marriott, Hannah Stahlbrodt |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Hanna Zebdi (9.765 NQS), Brooke Burhart (9.730), Sidney Wilson (9.600), Lexi Bracher (9.565), Libby Allen (avg 9.300), Morgan Romeis (9.050), Megan Workman (8.950), Lenée Dimkin, Ava Kelly, Madison Richman, Sarah Shaffer, Hannah Stahlbrodt, Abby Royer, Paige Scott, Brianna Dorr, Elena Bailey
How It Looked Before: Vault was SCSU’s best and most consistent event in 2022, scoring as high as 48.575. Two weekly routines from this lineup were lost.
How It Looks Now: Of the newcomers, the top prospects are Royer, who does a front handspring front tuck that scored as high as 9.800 in level 10, and sophomore Bailey, who has a great Yurchenko full but was unable to compete during her freshman season. Dimkin also competes a solid Yurchenko full. Stahlbrodt’s return will, of course, be huge here.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up. Replacing two vaults is more than manageable.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Audrey Arnold (9.710), Ciana Rios (9.295), Shreya Munshi (avg 9.045), Jayci Jordan (avg 8.950), Maria Damiano, Lenée Dimkin, Hannah Stahlbrodt, Sara Ortiz, Megan Workman, Brianna Marriott, Sarah Moussa, Elena Bailey
How It Looked Before: Bars was solid in 2022, but most of the routines that made it solid have graduated.
How It Looks Now: Things are going to get a little tight here. Only two routines with an NQS return, and none of the freshmen have ever scored above 9.000 in level 10. Stahlbrodt’s return will be critical, and some of last year’s low-frequency competitors like Munshi might compete weekly. To fill the gaps, expect to see some previously untapped talent from the monstrous sophomore class emerge.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending down. As the season progresses, SCSU might settle into a lineup that works on bars, but it’s not going to happen in January.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Angel Lee (9.715), Emelia Diaz (9.690), Molly Froman (9.585), Emiley Kahl (9.510), Hanna Zebdi (9.140), Madi Tansowny (8.660), Libby Allen (avg 9.688), Sarah Moussa (9.138), Alexa Melanson (9.100), Maria Damiano, Abby Royer, Sarah Shaffer, Hannah Stahlbrodt, Charlie Lister, Lexi Bracher, Erica Beyer, Brooke Burkhart, Ciana Rios
How It Looked Before: This lineup never found stability in 2022, with a total of 12 athletes contributing routines. The best weeks were amazing, but consistency was a challenge. Most of the standouts were freshmen, which means the beam team will stay deep for years to come.
How It Looks Now: There’s an almost absurd amount of depth on this event, especially considering that Stahlbrodt will be back. It’s also a strong event for the freshmen, especially Royer. If the now-sophomores settle in and get consistent, beam has the potential for greatness.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Too early to tell. Filling the lineup will be easy, but the real work is staying on the beam.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Hanna Zebdi (9.790), Ava Boyd (9.515), Ciana Rios (9.345), Brooke Burkhart (9.115), Libby Allen (avg 9.425), Sidney Wilson (9.200), Sara Ortiz (8.885), Alexa Melanson (8.756), Maria Damiano, Lenée Dimkin, Ava Kelly, Sarah Shaffer, Hannah Stahlbrodt, Shreya Munshi, Lexi Bracher, Erica Beyer, Paige Scott, Alex England, Madi Tansowny
How It Looked Before: Floor was the Owls’ lowest-ranked event in 2022, with only one gymnast earning an NQS over 9.700 as well as some inconsistency. Virtually all of the 2022 Owls’ worst meets were the result of bad days on floor.
How It Looks Now: This is a great event for the freshmen. With a background in competitive dance, Dimkin has plenty of style, while Royer brings a strong resume on the event from level 10. Don’t forget the sophomores, too: There are lots of hidden gems in this group who haven’t competed floor yet in college, including Tansowny, a former Canadian level 10 national champion. Plus, we know we’re starting to sound like a broken record, but you can’t forget Stahlbrodt.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up. Simply, more routines are added than lost here, and while freshmen might not be ultra-consistent from week one, Stahlbrodt will.
Three Big Questions
Will 2023 bring more consistent lineups?
It would be nice, but there’s no guarantee. This is still a huge roster with tons of talent to experiment with. Bars especially will take some trial and error to find the ideal top six.
What will SCSU need to do to qualify for the USAG nationals team final?
Get consistent. The talent is there to compete with teams like Brown, and Stahlbrodt’s return means 2023 could be a great year. The pieces just need to come together at the right time.
Will transferring become a trend?
No need to panic about this one yet. Division II/III teams tend to have a little more turnover than their Division I counterparts. Plus, losing a few athletes to Fisk is nothing personal, since it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many Black gymnasts never thought they’d have.
No. 68 William & Mary
The team struggled to get its footing throughout the season, with only four meets eclipsing the 190 mark. The highlight of the season was a season high at GECs.
| Losses: | Chloe Campbell (VT, BB, FX), Caileigh Gulotta (UB) |
| Gains: | Hannah Burke, Ascha Laird, Michelle Ngo, Brynn Vetrano, Lily Walker |
| Returning From Injury: | Amanda Jackson |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Emma Wiley (9.580 NQS), Sarah Kuper (NQS 9.555), Sophie Chandler (9.495), Sofia Huang (9.480), Catherine Bare (avg 9.638), Caroline Blatchford (9.630), Keaghan Schafer (9.435), Hannah Burke, Ascha Laird, Lily Walker
How It Looked Before: William & Mary kept its vault rotation within a seven-tenth margin for the entire season, hitting a season high of 47.975 three separate times, but there’s still room for improvement.
How It Looks Now: The Tribe is only losing one key vaulter, so it should be able to capitalize on an experienced vault team, as well as offseason upgrades and new faces, to push itself into the 48 range.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? William & Mary brought consistency to the vaulting table last year. This year it should bring some extra tenths and experience to keep trending up.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Sarah Wozniak (9.735), Sarah Kuper (9.705), Emma Wiley (9.520), Sofia Huang (9.055), Keaghan Schafer (9.010), Caroline Blatchford (avg 9.640), Catherine Bare (9.156), Ascha Laird, Michelle Ngo, Lily Walker
How It Looked Before: Bars was consistently the poorest scoring event of the year, and the Tribe was never quite able to reach full potential on one of the trickier events.
How It Looks Now: The freshman class brings some lines that could prove useful. Look out for Laird’s giant half to huge Tkatchev. More than anything, a little finessing of smaller details in handstands and landings will translate into bigger scores over time for this team.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Too early to tell, but once those pieces slide into place, you should see this bar squad swing its way higher.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Keaghan Schafer (9.705), Abby Carpenter (9.600), Sarah Kuper (9.520), Emma Wiley (9.415), Caroline Blatchford (avg 9.550), Sophie Chandler (9.120), Grace Costello (8.988), Sofia Huang (8.900), Hannah Burke, Michelle Ngo, Lily Walker
How It Looked Before: The Tribe struggled a bit on beam in 2022, with one particular meet dropping down into the 45s after notching a season high in the 48s.
How It Looks Now: William & Mary will return most of its beam lineup this season, and that experience will be invaluable for both the new faces in the lineup, as well as incoming freshmen, while the Tribe figures out how to hit beam and keep it clean.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up. With experience on its side, William & Mary is poised for improvement in 2023.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Keaghan Schafer (9.770), Sophie Chandler (9.525), Sarah Kuper (9.400), Abby Carpenter (8.890), Catherine Bare (avg 9.481), Grace Costello (9.425), Caroline Blatchford (9.369), Katelyn Nels (9.300), Anne Marie Kuebler (9.280), Hannah Burke, Michelle Ngo, Brynn Vetrano, Lily Walker
How It Looked Before: 2022 was a frustrating time on floor. Some days just proved to hit the team a little harder, but the Tribe wrapped up the year with a season high, boosting it to the best overall team score of the season.
How It Looks Now: Selfishly, we hope to see Burke’s artistry and leaps in the lineup. Vetrano’s two double-back routine would also make a solid addition. The team doesn’t lack dynamic tumbling or clean skills, but improving landings and form will make this event pop all the more.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up! William & Mary has both depth and experience to play with on floor in 2023.
Three Big Questions
How can Willam & Mary challenge for the GEC title?
For the Tribe to challenge for a title, a few things need to happen: upgrades and cleaner vaults plus solid landings to pad the score, continuing to grow on bars and push the envelope into the 48 range consistently, controlling nerves on beam and pushing the boundaries on floor without losing tenths with form and soft landings.
What will it take for William & Mary to climb up the rankings?
The pieces are there, so the Tribe just needs to polish and allow itself to succeed. It has the skills and depth, and with only two gymnasts graduating last year, there’s a wealth of experience on the team to allow nerves to take a back seat and success to drive the team.
What are some athletes to watch?
We have three suggestions. First, Keaghan Schafer. She really started stepping into her own on beam and floor last season, becoming an all-conference selection on both events. Expect only greater things from her as a senior. Second, Sarah Kuper. She got early all-around experience as a freshman, entering 2023 as a top three returning score on each event. Lastly, Michelle Ngo. This freshman looks poised to challenge for many lineups. She will bring nice lines and poise to the competition floor.
No. 70 Bridgeport
2022 was Bridgeport’s first season since the exodus of a majority of its roster when the future of the program was in question. The team battled despite its small number of gymnasts and multiple injuries to put together a season. In 2023, we’re hoping for a return to form from one of Division II’s most decorated teams.
| Losses: | Kathryn Doran (VT, UB, BB), Crystal Gwinn (UB, FX), Kiana Session (transfer to Fisk), Alyssa Wiggins (transfer to Fisk) |
| Gains: | Quinn Aiken, Maggie Coyle, Hannah Barry (Temple transfer), Xiomara Jennings, Abby Kenney, Molly McAleavey, Tierney Milliken, Taylor Rendina, Kieran Ross (Rutgers transfer), Lola Sepulveda, Tamyra Singletary, Rian Thompkins, Maddie Viles, Skyler Vulchev, Brooklyn Weingardt |
| Returning From Injury: | Savannah Lindley, Joanna Chambers, Alyssa Wiggins |
Vault
Potential Contributors: Olivia Imbarlina (9.670 NQS), Alexis Richardson (9.470), Catherine Aucoin (8.555), Joanna Chambers (avg 9.650), Kieran Ross, Jordan Streete, Lola Sepulveda, Abigail Kenney, Brooklyn Weingardt, Quinn Aiken, Madelyn Viles
How It Looked Before: A few strong performers led the way, but this event struggled to put together a complete lineup. This is one of the events where injuries hit hardest and athletes who don’t regularly train vault had to quickly throw together a routine to keep the team afloat.
How It Looks Now: This still might not be a full lineup of 9.95-plus start values, but it should be easy for Bridgeport to improve both difficulty and quality from the jump. It’s a group with a ton of variety, too: Transfer Ross adds a full-on vault and sixth-year senior Richardson has been training one, too, while injury returner Chambers’ front handspring vault will be joined by freshman Kenney. Plenty of other freshmen have promising level 10 results, too.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending way, way, WAY up. Gaining a full point on last year’s vault NQS should be easy for this team.
Bars
Potential Contributors: Catherine Aucoin (9.270), Gabrielle Jorden (9.260), Alexis Richardson (7.920), Olivia Imbarlina (avg 9.483), Joanna Chambers (9.425), Kieran Ross, Madelyn Viles, Abigail Kenney
How It Looked Before: Bars was led by fifth-year Doran. Many athletes who didn’t intend to compete bars had to step into the lineup due to injuries, and results on this event were up and down.
How It Looks Now: Simply having more than six gymnasts actively training bars is such a relief for the Knights, but this isn’t the freshmen’s strongest event going by level 10 scores alone. Ross’ Markelov will feature heavily in the lineup, and Viles has looked strong in training. Having Chambers back at full strength will be great, too. The returning routines are strong enough that this lineup will be at least adequate, but depth might get a little tight.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Too early to tell. Replacing Doran is impossible, and it’s not obvious whether there are more than a couple new up-to-the-level routines available, but the returners are solid.
Beam
Potential Contributors: Olivia Imbarlina (9.685), Nicole Javinett (9.680), Catherine Aucoin (9.515), Alexis Richardson (9.450), Hannah Barry, Kieran Ross, Jordan Streete, Abigail Kenney, Lola Sepulveda, Madelyn Viles, Rian Thompkins, Brooklyn Weingardt, Margaret Coyle, Tierney Milliken, Quinn Aiken
How It Looked Before: Beam was by far the 2022 Purple Knights’ strongest event, and plenty of good routines return, even though a few of the best have departed. Imbarlina didn’t fall on beam once in 2022, as the Purple Knights love to mention, and she can be a rock for a lineup that might see some new faces.
How It Looks Now: There’s going to be an incredible amount of depth on beam this year. Temple transfer Barry excels here, and we’ve seen some interesting combination work from Ross. The freshmen are great on beam, too. Kenney, Milliken, Coyle, Weingardt, Viles and several others could contend. Picking a lineup could get tough.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up. Beam should excel this year.
Floor
Potential Contributors: Alexis Richardson (9.515), Catherine Aucoin (9.350), Olivia Imbarlina (avg 9.300), Joanna Chambers (9.125), Gabrielle Jorden (8.35), Kieran Ross, Tamyra Singletary, Lola Sepulveda, Maggie Coyle, Abigail Kenney, Tierney Milliken, Quinn Aiken, Xiomara Jennings
How It Looked Before: Floor was a ragtag group fighting for survival. Many athletes who weren’t projected to participate on floor had to step up due to teammates’ injuries.
How It Looks Now: Once again, the freshmen completely rock. Between big-time twisters like Singletary, Kenney and Sepulveda and powerhouses like Jennings, this class is a gamechanger on floor. Don’t forget about transfer Ross either, and keep in mind that we haven’t seen Chambers’ best yet.
Trending up, down or too early to tell? Trending up. In pre-COVID days, Bridgeport floor was always something to look forward to, and those days are coming back.
Three Big Questions
What will be the biggest impact of the COVID years?
Javinett, Streete and Richardson are all returning for extra years of eligibility in 2023. Javinett has been a consistent beam performer for the Purple Knights while Richardson stepped into the all-around last season when the team needed her. The greatest contribution of these athletes will be their leadership and wealth of competitive experience. All three athletes were on the pre-pandemic team, adding a different perspective and level of competitive expectation. These athletes know what it’s like to succeed and will show the underclassmen how to get there.
With two all-around athletes transferring to Fisk, who’s contending on all four in 2023?
With a roster this big, you don’t need many all-arounders. Ross could definitely contend, though, as could freshman Kenney. Don’t forget Richardson and AuCoin, either.
How long will it take for Bridgeport to return to its former glory?
This year’s squad likely still isn’t a team that could contend for a conference or USAG title, but we’re going to see major improvement and some new stars emerge. Another year or two of strong recruiting could bring the start of a new golden era to Bridgeport.
READ THIS NEXT: Potential Lineups: GEC Part I
Article by Allison Freeman, Rebecca Scally and Tavia Smith
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