W&M Finishes Fourth at Sweetheart Invitational

Freshman Tricia Long Takes Fourth in All-Around with Career-High Score

02/11/05 11:15PM

Raleigh, NC - The William and Mary women’s gymnastics team placed fourth Friday night at the Sweetheart Invitational at Reynolds Coliseum on the campus of North Carolina State University. The Tribe compiled a team score of 188.250, finishing behind meet-host N.C. State (195.400), Iowa (193.925) and George Washington (193.475).

Freshman Tricia Long (Humble, TX) highlighted the team effort, as she placed fourth in the all-around competition with a career-high score of 38.025, besting her previous personal-best by nearly two points. Long scored better than 9.400 in all four events, including season and career-highs on balance beam (9.700) and uneven bars (9.425). She also posted a 9.400 on vault and a 9.500 on the floor exercise.

W&M had the most success on vault Friday night, behind the continued consistency of sophomore Christina Padilla (Sterling, VA) and senior Jaci Lynn (Copley, OH). Padilla, who has now registered the team’s top score on vault in four of five competitions, paced the squad with a 9.725, while Lynn recorded a 9.600. Freshman Stevie Waldman (Downingtown, PA), the reigning ECAC Rookie of the Week, set a career-high on vault with a 9.450, and junior Kate Magee (McLean, VA) added a 9.475 to the team total of 47.650.

On bars, Waldman matched her season and career-high score of 9.725, while Padilla notched a 9.625. Sophomore Janelle Greene (Chantilly, VA) came through with a season-high score of 9.600 on bars in just her third competition of the season.

Sophomore Jess Randall (West Hartford, CT) had the team’s top-mark on beam with a career-best 9.750, just ahead of Long’s career-effort. Junior Kristen Gaidish (Abington, PA) was the only gymnast to score better than 9.000 for the Tribe Friday, as she posted a 9.175. Sophomore Christine Carwell (Austin, TX) performed an exhibition routine on beam for the Tribe and recorded a 9.450.

Still limited by injury in the floor exercise, W&M continued its early-season struggles in the event with a team score of 46.950. Senior co-captain Jess Patterson (Westfield, NJ) was solid for the Tribe though, as she recorded a season-high score of 9.600. Magee was second for the College with a 9.550, just ahead of Long.

W&M is back in action next Saturday, as it travels to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina at 12:30 p.m. The teams met back on January 21st in Williamsburg, with the Tar Heels claiming a, 195.100-189.300, victory.

Final Scores
NC State (195.400), Iowa (193.925), GWU (193.475), W&M (188.250)

William and Mary Team Scoring
Vault: 47.650
Bars: 47.475
Beam: 46.175
Floor: 46.950
Total: 188.250

Top W&M Individuals
Vault: Christina Padilla (9.725)
Bars: Stevie Waldman (9.725)
Beam: Jess Randall (9.750)
Floor: Jess Patterson (9.600)