Tribe Scores Season-High in Victory over JMU

Jacobson, Padilla and Bacharach All Earn Individual Titles

02/02/07 11:00PM

Harrisonburg, VA - Bolstered by the return of several key performers, the William and Mary women’s gymnastics team posted a season-high score of 186.22 to defeat James Madison in a dual meet between ECAC rivals Friday night at Godwin Hall.

The Tribe received individual first-place finishes in three events and recorded team season-high scores on bars, beam and floor to notch the win.

Two of the squad’s veteran performers were on point Friday night, as junior Tricia Long (Humble, Texas) enjoyed her finest outing of the year with a season-high all-around total of 38.00, while senior Christina Padilla (Sterling, Va.) hit on her bars routine for a first-place score of 9.650.

A pair of the Tribe’s younger gymnasts, however, may have provided two of the bigger highlights of the evening, as sophomores Sarah Jacobson (Brecksville, Ohio) and Becca Bacharach (Lancaster, Pa.) each captured their first-career event titles. Jacobson place first on vault with a solid 9.425, and Bacharach used a career-high 9.750 on beam to pace the field.

Senior Jess Randall (West Hartford, Conn.) and junior Stevie Waldman (Downingtown, Pa.), both returning USAG All-Americans and All-ECAC performers, competed for the first time this season Friday night, and each made an immediate impact in their return. Randall tied for the team-high on floor with a 9.475 to place fourth and also took fourth on beam with a 9.550. Waldman was a boost to the bars line-up, using a third-place mark of 9.475 to help the team to a season-high total of 47.425.

The Tribe swept the top-five spots on bars with Padilla leading the way. Long was second on bars with a 9.550, followed by Waldman, Jacobson’s season-high 9.450 and freshman Ali Medeiros (Hudson, Ohio) if fifth.

Long was the only all-around competitor in the meet and was solid in every event. She was second on beam with a season-high 9.675, placed fifth on vault with a 9.300 and was fourth on floor with a team-high tying 9.475.

Jacobson was equally impressive, adding a 9.400 on floor to go along with her top score on vault and fourth-place mark on bars.

The Tribe is off next weekend and returns to action on Feb. 17, competing at the annual Hearts Invitational at N.C. State. W&M will be up against a strong field, which includes the host Wolfpack, Nebraska, West Virginia and George Washington.

Compete Results