Rutgers Gymnastics Posts Its Highest Mark Since 2007
Feb 28 | Women's Gymnastics
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Rutgers gymnastics team finished in second place earning a season-high score of 192.050 on Saturday at the Livingston Recreation Center. The score was the highest mark for the Scarlet Knights since their 192.575 against Cornell in 2007. Alaska-Anchorage made the most of their long trip, taking the top spot with a score of 192.775, while Bridgeport finished in third with a score of 191.850. Rutgers defeated Bridgeport for the first time in three meetings this season.
Entering the floor exercise, the Scarlet Knights final event, RU was in third place, but only a point back of the leader, Alaska-Anchorage. Rutgers electrified the crowd with three scores over 9.700, earning the Scarlet Knights a mark of 48.500 in the event. The season-high mark tied them for first in the event, and boosted them into second place overall in the meet. Sophomore Kiah Banfield (Newbury Park, Calif.) earned the top score in the event for RU, with a season-high mark of 9.775, placing her third in the event.
Freshman Danae Johnson (Silver Spring, Md.) took third among the Scarlet Knights in the floor exercise with a 9.725, earning her seventh overall in the event. Johnson and sophomore teammate Maddie Zwiebel (Bridgewater, N.J) tied for eleventh in the vault, with their score of 9.525.
Zwiebelalso finished with career-high marks of 9.775 on the beam, good for second overall, and 9.750 in the floor exercise, good for sixth place mark.
Sophomore Erica Gerlach (Papillion, Neb.) and senior Kristy Behr (Northport, N.Y.) led the way for the Scarlet Knights on the bars with season-high marks of 9.750 and 9.725, respectively. Gerlachs score earned her second overall in the event, with Behr following just behind in third. The Scarlet Knights posted a season-high mark of 47.625 on the bars.
Senior Latara Northcutt (Snellville, Ga.) returned to top form, tying her season-high score in the vault with her team-leading mark of 9.625. The mark tied her for fifth overall in the event. On the beam, Northcutt posted a season-high score of 9.675, good for fourth in the event.
The Scarlet Knights earned a season-high score of 48.325 with their performance on the beam. On top of Northcutt and Zwiebels top scores, senior Jessica Haddaways (Baltimore, Md.) 9.675, and sophomore Brooke Schwamburgers (Powell, Ohio) 9.625 helped RU earn first overall in the event.
Sophomore Nicole Schwartz (Somerset, N.J.) posted a fourth place all-around score of 38.025 with marks of 9.350 in the vault, 9.425 on the bars, 9.575 on the beam, and 9.675 in the floor exercise.
The meet was broadcast live on RUTV, and will be re-aired several times throughout the next week.
Rutgers senior night will be held against Cornell on Saturday, March 7, in the Livingston Recreation Center at 1 p.m. It will be the final home meet of the year for the Scarlet Knights. SCORESHEET
