Tribe Women Finish Third at Hearts Invitational

W&M records season-high team score at N.C. State.

02/14/03

RALEIGH, NC - The last time that the William and Mary women’s gymnastics squad traveled down I-85 to Tobacco Road, the Tribe struggled to a score of 188.625 two weeks ago at North Carolina. What a difference two weeks makes. Behind strong performances across the board in all four rotations, W&M finished in third place at the Hearts Invitational tonight at North Carolina State with a team score of 193.175. That tied the fifth-highest team score in W&M history, marking the second-straight week that W&M has had a team score in its all-time top 10.

W&M began with a solid showing on the balance beam. Junior Suzanne Chaves (Danvers, MA) got things started with a 9.575. Two-time ECAC Rookie of the Week Kristen Gaidish (Abington, PA) followed that up with a 9.675, and the Tribe was on its way. Senior co-captain Erin Skinner (Lumberton, NJ) then scored a 9.575. That set up sophomore Emma Cross (Ashland, VA), who notched a 9.750 to finish fourth in the meet on the apparatus. Closing things out for the Tribe on beam was junior Jamie Weinfeldt (Roselle Park, NJ), who hit her routine to the tune of a 9.700 mark. W&M’s beam mark of 48.275 was the fifth-highest on the event in school history.

The Tribe then moved to the floor exercise, where things looked even more promising. Chaves opened with a 9.775, which Gaidish matched in W&M’s second routine. Senior co-captain Amy Van Deusen (Concord, MA), competing on floor for the first time this year, set a career-high with a 9.800. Weinfeldt followed that up with a 9.725, setting up Cross. The sophomore nailed her routine to score 9.850, tied for third-best in the competition. Skinner finished up for W&M with a solid score of 9.675. W&M’s floor score of 48.925 was the fifth-best score on the event in school history.

The vault was next, and despite having two athletes suffer falls, the Tribe still had a good score of 47.800 as a team. Leading the way was sophomore Jess Patterson (Westfield, NJ), who notched a 9.750. Freshman Annie Carroll (Virginia Beach, VA), following up last week’s success in her debut at JMU, had a 9.700 in another strong performance. Gaidish contributed a 9.675, while all-arounder Chaves had a 9.525.

The final event for the College was the bars, where Weinfeldt kicked things off with a 9.675. Skinner scored 9.450 and Chaves had a 9.600. That set up sophomore Allison Shonerd (Springfield, VA), who was credited with a 9.750 by the judges. Sophomore Rachel Glasmire (Center Valley, PA) put the final points on the scoreboard for W&M, with a strong score of 9.750 to finish off the event.

W&M is now 5-8 on the season. The Tribe will travel to Eastern Michigan next Friday.