Saturday, February 24
Piscataway, N.J.
7 PM
Rutgers University
vs
Towson/Ursinus/Western Michigan
Gymnastics Heads to the RAC for Senior Meet
Feb 21 | Women's Gymnastics
Scarlet Knights to host Towson, Ursinus and Western Michigan Saturday evening
MEET SEVEN • RUTGERS VS. TOWSON, URSINUS, WESTERN MICHIGAN
February 24, 2018 • 7 p.m.
Rutgers Athletic Center • Piscataway, N.J.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers gymnastics will compete at the RAC for the first time since the 2017 Big Ten Championships Saturday at 7 p.m. by hosting a quad meet with Towson, Ursinus and Western Michigan. The program will honors its three seniors – Jenna Crisalli, Libby Groden and Makenzey Shank – in a ceremony following the fourth rotation.
Tickets are still available for the "RAC Carnival" by clicking here. The promotion includes special food options, carnival games and face painting. It will also be Junior Knights Night.
The meet will be streamed by RVision via Rutgers Athletics Facebook Live with Danny Breslauer and former RU head coach Chrystal Chollet-Norton providing commentary.
RUTGERS MEET PREVIEW
The three seniors on the roster have each played a role in elevating the program. Groden is a three-time NCAA qualifier as an all-arounder and enters the weekend with 43 meets of experience. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar from Pennsylvania, she owns a career-high of 39.075 and earned All-Big Ten status as a junior. Shank has been a consistent presence in the lineup for uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise as a Scarlet Knight. The Arizona native has scored as high as 9.900 on balance beam, also claiming All-Championships honors at the Big Ten Championships last season. Crisalli is from Freehold and has recorded a career-high of 9.825 on floor exercise. The score was part of a lineup that set a school record on the event in 2015 at the RAC.
The Scarlet Knights will be returning home after registering a 194.225 last Friday in front of a crowd of 5,143 at No. 16 Auburn. Floor exercise highlighted the evening with five marks of at least 9.700. Junior Jenna Rizkalla led the way at 9.825, while freshman Belle Huang picked up a 9.800. The highest number of the meet for RU came from Shank on balance beam at 9.875.
Huang had her best all-around outing yet with a 38.925. She also is tied with junior Erin McLachlan for the best team average on balance beam by holding a 9.775. Freshman Toni Williams paces vault (9.775), while sophomore Shannon Farrell leads on uneven bars (9.742) and Rizkalla steers floor exercise (9.808).
As a team, the balance beam group has the highest ranking at No. 41, with floor exercise the best average at 48.671.
This will be the sixth gymnastics competition at the RAC since 2015. RU will start on vault, with Towson over on uneven bars, Ursinus on balance beam and Western Michigan on floor exercise.
COACH LEVINE Q&A
On the meet at Auburn: "I thought we did a good job down there. We have injuries that are keeping our numbers down in terms of people, we put up five on bars and vault. I thought all of them did a really good job and we had a good meet. The team continues to fight and trying to take a tenth here and a tenth there to add to the score. I thought they did a really good job last weekend."
On the team's fight: "Whatever situation gets thrown at you, you have to know how to handle it. You have to find a way to make it work. I think we've had some things thrown at us and we just continue to work and get better and better. No matter who is in the lineup, they're battling through and doing a great job. That's what we've been talking about."
On competing at the RAC: "It is a great experience for the team. You get some things you don't necessarily get over at Livingston, but the crowd always brings the energy. It is also the senior meet to make it that much more exciting. We're ready and excited to be over there."
On the seniors: "It is always a special day. A little bit different being in the middle of season compared to towards the end. These girls have competed a lot over the years and have been a big part of our success. They continue to be that same way this year, being an experienced voice of having been through it. That's helped us along. They all will move on and graduate, but a piece of them will always be here as part of our program and a piece of the program will continue to go with them. That's a special thing. It is a day you never forget."
TICKETS ON SALE FOR BIG FIVE MEET
After staging the Big Ten Championships last season, Rutgers is scheduled to host a Big Five meet at the RAC on March 17. The competitive meet will also involve Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State to determine positioning for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held at Illinois. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's gymnastics, follow the program on Twitter (@RUGymnastics), Facebook (/RUGymnastics), Instagram (@rutgersgymnastics) and Snapchat (rutgersgym).
February 24, 2018 • 7 p.m.
Rutgers Athletic Center • Piscataway, N.J.
PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers gymnastics will compete at the RAC for the first time since the 2017 Big Ten Championships Saturday at 7 p.m. by hosting a quad meet with Towson, Ursinus and Western Michigan. The program will honors its three seniors – Jenna Crisalli, Libby Groden and Makenzey Shank – in a ceremony following the fourth rotation.
Tickets are still available for the "RAC Carnival" by clicking here. The promotion includes special food options, carnival games and face painting. It will also be Junior Knights Night.
The meet will be streamed by RVision via Rutgers Athletics Facebook Live with Danny Breslauer and former RU head coach Chrystal Chollet-Norton providing commentary.
RUTGERS MEET PREVIEW
The three seniors on the roster have each played a role in elevating the program. Groden is a three-time NCAA qualifier as an all-arounder and enters the weekend with 43 meets of experience. A two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar from Pennsylvania, she owns a career-high of 39.075 and earned All-Big Ten status as a junior. Shank has been a consistent presence in the lineup for uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise as a Scarlet Knight. The Arizona native has scored as high as 9.900 on balance beam, also claiming All-Championships honors at the Big Ten Championships last season. Crisalli is from Freehold and has recorded a career-high of 9.825 on floor exercise. The score was part of a lineup that set a school record on the event in 2015 at the RAC.
The Scarlet Knights will be returning home after registering a 194.225 last Friday in front of a crowd of 5,143 at No. 16 Auburn. Floor exercise highlighted the evening with five marks of at least 9.700. Junior Jenna Rizkalla led the way at 9.825, while freshman Belle Huang picked up a 9.800. The highest number of the meet for RU came from Shank on balance beam at 9.875.
Huang had her best all-around outing yet with a 38.925. She also is tied with junior Erin McLachlan for the best team average on balance beam by holding a 9.775. Freshman Toni Williams paces vault (9.775), while sophomore Shannon Farrell leads on uneven bars (9.742) and Rizkalla steers floor exercise (9.808).
As a team, the balance beam group has the highest ranking at No. 41, with floor exercise the best average at 48.671.
This will be the sixth gymnastics competition at the RAC since 2015. RU will start on vault, with Towson over on uneven bars, Ursinus on balance beam and Western Michigan on floor exercise.
COACH LEVINE Q&A
On the meet at Auburn: "I thought we did a good job down there. We have injuries that are keeping our numbers down in terms of people, we put up five on bars and vault. I thought all of them did a really good job and we had a good meet. The team continues to fight and trying to take a tenth here and a tenth there to add to the score. I thought they did a really good job last weekend."
On the team's fight: "Whatever situation gets thrown at you, you have to know how to handle it. You have to find a way to make it work. I think we've had some things thrown at us and we just continue to work and get better and better. No matter who is in the lineup, they're battling through and doing a great job. That's what we've been talking about."
On competing at the RAC: "It is a great experience for the team. You get some things you don't necessarily get over at Livingston, but the crowd always brings the energy. It is also the senior meet to make it that much more exciting. We're ready and excited to be over there."
On the seniors: "It is always a special day. A little bit different being in the middle of season compared to towards the end. These girls have competed a lot over the years and have been a big part of our success. They continue to be that same way this year, being an experienced voice of having been through it. That's helped us along. They all will move on and graduate, but a piece of them will always be here as part of our program and a piece of the program will continue to go with them. That's a special thing. It is a day you never forget."
TICKETS ON SALE FOR BIG FIVE MEET
After staging the Big Ten Championships last season, Rutgers is scheduled to host a Big Five meet at the RAC on March 17. The competitive meet will also involve Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State to determine positioning for the Big Ten Championships, which will be held at Illinois. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's gymnastics, follow the program on Twitter (@RUGymnastics), Facebook (/RUGymnastics), Instagram (@rutgersgymnastics) and Snapchat (rutgersgym).
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
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