Tribe Gymnastics Scores Season-High at Sweetheart Invitational

Senior Stevie Waldman Has Career-Night For Tribe

02/16/08 11:00PM

Raleigh - Another standout performance by senior Stevie Waldman (Downingtown, Pa.) highlighted a terrific all-around team performance, as William and Mary recorded a season-high score of 189.625 against three nationally ranked teams Saturday at the annual Sweetheart Invitational. Host N.C. State, ranked 24th, delighted the raucous home crowd at historic Reynolds Coliseum with a first-place total of 195.150 ahead of 18th-ranked Penn State (194.775), 25th-ranked Kent State (195.150) and the Tribe.

Waldman shattered her previous personal record on vault with a 9.750 and was near flawless on beam, matching a career-high in that event with a dazzling 9.800 to tie for third place. Despite counting a fall in the first rotation on floor, Waldman shook off the tough start and still tallied a season-high all-around total of 38.225, punctuated by the 9.8 on beam in the final rotation. Waldman also led the Tribe on bars with a sixth-place score of 9.775.

Waldman wasn’t the only Tribe gymnast posting career marks on Saturday, as freshman Melissa Cream (West Windsor, N.J.) continued the impressive start to her collegiate career with a pair of season-highs. Cream boosted the team’s season-high total on beam with a brilliant career-high 9.625 and also came up big on floor with a career-high 9.575.

Sophomore Jen Stack (Enfield, Conn.) got into the act, recording a career-high 9.575 on vault to help the Tribe score a season-high in that event as well.

W&M began the evening with a solid showing on floor, though the team had to count a fall. Junior Becca Bacharach (Lancaster, Pa.) kicked off the meet in style with a season-high 9.600 to lead off. Classmate Sarah Jacobson (Brecksville, Ohio) added a season-high 9.500 on floor as well, before Cream continued the squad’s hot start with her season-high 9.575. Senior Tricia Long (Humble, Texas) also came through and continued to be the team’s most consistent performer in the event, matching Bacharach for team-high honors with a 9.600.

After the tough start on floor, Waldman went to work in the second rotation on vault, easily eclipsing her previous personal record of 9.550 set as a freshman in 2005. The senior was on-point in the anchor spot, putting the finishing touch on the team’s season-high 47.875. Junior Lauren Jackson (Westwood, Mass.) set the tone with another strong effort in the lead-off spot, scoring a 9.400. Long aided the effort with a season-high 9.625, and junior Megan Vincent (Newport News, Va.) was also strong on vault with a 9.525.

In the third rotation, the Tribe moved to bars and put together another decent effort, though the squad would have to count another fall. Though it was Waldman who once again stepped up in the anchor spot, sophomore Ali Medeiros (Hudson, Ohio) turned in the first of two very encouraging performances with a season-high 9.650 on bars.

W&M would count another fall on beam, though the team showed perhaps its biggest improvement in the final rotation with a season-high total of 47.400. Cream got it going for the line-up with her season-high 9.625, and Medeiros followed with a season-high 9.575 as she continues to round back into her all-conference form. Sophomore Stephanie Bevan (Bridgewater, N.J.) made the most of her only event, scoring a solid 9.450 before Waldman once again delivered a clutch performance.

Waldman’s all-around total (38.225) put her in seventh place, while Long finished with an eighth-placed all-around total of 37.600.

W&M is off next week, but returns to competition on March 1st at North Carolina.

Complete HTML Results | Photos

Final Scores: #24 N.C. State 195.150, #18 Penn State 194.775, #25 Kent State 194.025, William and Mary 189.625

W&M Event Scores:
Vault: 47.875
Bars: 47.175
Beam: 47.400
Floor: 47.175

Top W&M Individuals:
Vault: Stevie Waldman 9.750
Bars: Stevie Waldman 9.775
Beam: Stevie Waldman 9.800
Floor: Tricia Long, Becca Bacharach 9.600
All-Around: Stevie Waldman 38.225