Three-peat! Tribe Wins Third-Straight ECAC Title

William and Mary edges out the host school, Yale, to win the title with a team score of 195.200

03/29/03

NEW HAVEN, CT - Two years ago, a scoring miscue resulted in William and Mary not finding out until a few days after the fact that it had won the Eastern College Athletic Association women¹s gymnastics title. Last year, the Tribe excelled in front of a home crowd to capture the championship. And this year, facing some of the stiffest competition in ECAC Championships history, the Tribe scored over 195 points for the second-consecutive meet, winning the title to earn the three-peat. The Tribe won despite having to count a fall on the balance beam towards the team total. The team score of 195.200 was the second-best in school history, just shy of the 195.450 recorded in the home finale against N.C. State on March 20.

The College asserted itself early in the meet. On its first rotation, the vault, the Tribe scored a 48.575, the eighth-best vault mark in W&M history. Leading the way was sophomore Jaci Lynn (Copley, OH). Despite being the first of the 36 competitors on the vault, Lynn did not fade under the pressure. In fact, she tied her career-high with a 9.800 that eventually proved to be the best score in the competition, as Lynn won the ECAC title on the event. Senior co-captain Erin Skinner (Lumberton, NJ) followed that with a career-high 9.700. Sophomore Jess Patterson (Westfield, NJ) scored a 9.750, while freshman Annie Carroll (Virginia Beach, VA) was credited with a 9.725. Junior Suzanne Chaves (Danvers, MA) finished off the Tribe¹s effort with a 9.600.

W&M then moved to the bars, where it scored a 48.850 as a team, the third-best bars effort in school history. W&M got off to a good start with a solid 9.650 from junior Jamie Weinfeldt (Roselle Park, NJ). Skinner then tied her career-best with a 9.750, which Chaves followed by tying her own personal-best at 9.775. Sophomore Allison Shonerd (Springfield, VA) kept up the momentum, hitting her routine to the tune of a 9.825. Senior co-captain Amy Van Deusen (Concord, MA) then scored a 9.675, setting up sophomore Rachel Glasmire (Center Valley, PA) to close out the event. Glasmire performed a nearly flawless routine, scoring a 9.825, a career-high.

W&M them went to the balance beam, where Chaves set a career-high with a 9.850. Freshman Kristen Gaidish (Abington, PA) followed that with a 9.825. Sophomore Emma Cross (Ashland, VA) then hit the fifth-best beam routine in school history at 9.875, which was promptly equaled by Weinfeldt. W&M¹s score of 48.700 as a team represented the fourth-best beam showing in W&M history.

On the floor exercise, the Tribe needed a strong performance to fend off the challenge from the host Yale squad, and the gymnasts delivered. Chaves and Gaidish led off with a pair of 9.800s. Van Deusen followed that up with a 9.775. Weinfeldt recorded a 9.825. Cross was next, and delivered a 9.875, the sixth-best floor performance in school history. Skinner then closed out the meet with a 9.525. W&M¹s team score of 49.075 on floor was the second-best in school hiso

Chaves celebrated her 21st birthday in style, scoring a career-high 39.025 in the all-around competition, just shy of Nikki Dattoli¹s school-record. Skinner, meanwhile, captured second-team all-ECAC honors with a 38.250 mark in all-around.

The Tribe must now wait to see the results of the other conference meets this weekend to see if any W&M gymnasts will qualify for the NCAA Regionals on April 12 at the University of Georgia.

Team Scoring
1. William and Mary 195.200
2. Yale 194.900
3. Brown 194.000

Top Individuals
Vault
1. Jaci Lynn W&M 9.800
2. Jess Patterson W&M 9.750
Carolyn Wright Yale 9.750

Uneven Bars
1. Kathryn Fong Yale 9.850
Meghan Miller Cornell 9.850
3. Rachel Glasmire W&M 9.825
Allison Shonerd W&M 9.825

Balance Beam
1. Kati Elder JMU 9.925
2. Jayne Finst Brown 9.900
Janelle DiOrio JMU 9.900

Floor Exercise
1. Jamie Green Yale 9.950
2. Anne McPherson Yale 9.925
3. Kathryn Fong Yale 9.900
Jayne Finst Brown 9.900
Erin Fitzgerald JMU 9.900

All-Around
1. Kathryn Fong Yale 39.300
2. Jamie Green Yale 39.100
Jayne Finst Brown 39.100