After several years of buildup, Towson was a breakout star of the 2024 regular season. This is a team on the rise, with both strong development of gymnasts currently on the roster and exciting recruiting. This year will be a test for the Tigers after an era-defining class graduated.
2024 Rewind
No. 32 overall | No. 1 at EAGLs | No. 21 in regular season | Regional semi-finals
A final ranking of No. 32 is comparable to the preceding years for Towson, but a slightly disappointing meet in the Round 2 regional is a confounder here: The regular season was much, much better. Consistency in the championship rounds sometimes takes a little practice for ascendent teams. A repeat win at EAGLs is an expected, but still satisfying, outcome.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Seniors Mia Davis Clara Hong Lauren Keener Steph Macasu Felicia Poblete Juniors Polina Belanovski Carmella Calafati Lauren Greene Adriana Hoffman Isabella Minervini Celia Trotter Sophomores Reyna Auth Chelsea Dennis Retoshia Halsell Brissa Portillo Chayse Williams | Freshmen Emma Duerre Callie Gardner Ava Harper Micaela Kifer Piper Slocum Megan Thompson Reese Toland Transfers Isabella DeCroo (Illinois State) Ana Kenefick (Penn) |
| Out | |
| Graduated Sarah Girot (UB, BB) Amanda Pedicelli (UB) Cassidy Stuart Grace Vaillancourt (UB, BB, FX) Camille Vitoff (VT, UB) Jenna Weitz (VT, BB, FX) Transferred Elise Tisler (VT, FX) Retired Paige Kaminski Emily Gittemeir | |
| Injury Update | |
| Polina Belanovski missed the first half of last season before returning only on vault. Her exact injury is unknown, but she should contend for more lineups this year. | |
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 15 | NQS: 49.290 | Average: 49.168
| Event Overview: Vault was a strength for Towson in 2024. With three vaulters graduating, including two late-lineup 10.0 start values, there’s some work to do to reach last year’s heights. Retoshia Halsell is likely the new anchor for this lineup while freshman Callie Gardner offers a new potential 10.0 SV. Overall, expect more Yurchenko fulls from Towson this year, but pay attention—this is definitely a team where returners can sneakily upgrade. | ||
| Locks: Retoshia Halsell, Adriana Hoffman, Felicia Poblete | ||
| Contenders: Polina Belanovski, Callie Gardner, Piper Slocum | ||
| Wildcards: Mia Davis, Isabella DeCroo, Clara Hong |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 18 | NQS: 49.315 | Average: 49.130
| Event Overview: Bars is a major weapon for Towson, and unlike on vault, the Tigers’ greatest weapon on this event is back for 2025. Junior Isabella Minervini is one of the country’s best here, scoring three 9.975s last year. The supporting cast here isn’t shabby either. Bars is probably Towson’s easiest road to big scores. | ||
| Locks: Lauren Greene, Clara Hong, Isabella Minervini | ||
| Contenders: Lauren Keener, Piper Slocum | ||
| Wildcards: Polina Belanovski, Emma Duerre, Brisa Portillo |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 33 | NQS: 49.155 | Average: 48.763
| Event Overview: Beam could be inconsistent for the 2024 Tigers, especially in the first half of the season. They tried numerous lineup configurations to try to solve their problem. Only one gymnast made the beam lineup every week, and she graduated. Senior leadership will be missed on this event, which makes grad transfer Ana Kenefick an intriguing option. Last year’s deep rotation means there are plenty of returners who have competed at least a few beam routines. | ||
| Locks: Clara Hong, Lauren Keener | ||
| Contenders: Chelsey Dennis, Emma Duerre, Ana Kenefick, Steph Macasu, Isabella Minervini, Brisa Portillo. Megan Thompson, Reese Toland | ||
| Wildcards: Polina Belanovski, Carmella Calafati, Retoshia Halsell, Chayse Williams |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 32 | NQS: 49.320 | Average: 49.173
| Event Overview: Floor was consistent last year but sometimes lacked the ceiling of other events. Half the postseason lineup graduated, but there are plenty of options to play with throughout the roster. | ||
| Locks: Carmella Calafati, Retoshia Halsell | ||
| Contenders: Isabella DeCroo, Callie Gardner, Clara Hong, Isabella Minervini | ||
| Wildcards: Polina Belanovski, Emma Duerre, Ava Harper, Adriana Hoffman, Ana Kenefick, Felicia Poblete, Piper Slocum |
Records Watch
Team: 197.500 | AA: 39.675 | VT: 49.400/10.000 | UB: 49.525/10.000 | BB: 49.475/9.975 | FX: 49.650/10.000
The team overall, bars, beam, and floor records all fell last year. This younger Towson team might not have quite as high a ceiling, but it’s not impossible. Minervini getting a 10.0 on bars to tie the individual program record is a strong possibility.
The Big Picture
Towson’s routine losses this year are significant, but this is a large and talented team with both transfer and freshman options. The Tigers might struggle to equal some of their highs from 2024, but they won’t be hurting for depth; there are still plenty of individual highlights. Towson should easily make regionals again in 2025 and might avoid the play-in round.
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Article by Rebecca Scally
