The University of Pennsylvania gymnastics team is set to open its home season at The Palestra on Sunday, February 1, facing Bridgeport in the first dual meet of the year. The event, which begins at 2 p.m., will also serve as Youth Day.
Penn enters the meet with a 3-0 record for the season. In their last competition, the Quakers achieved a season-high score of 195.075. Sophomore Manama Fofana placed in the top six in all three events she competed in, earning season highs on beam (9.775), floor (9.850), and vault (9.800). Her performance on floor matched her career best.
Freshman Ava Hooten played a key role as the closer on floor during last Friday’s meet, scoring a 9.875 and helping Penn surpass the 49 mark on floor for a total rotation score of 49.025.
Senior captain Alisha Werlen recorded her personal best on beam with a score of 9.850, improving upon her previous high of 9.800.
Penn’s current ranking is #40 nationally according to Road to Nationals and #5 in the Northeast Regional rankings. Sophomore Luci Toczydlowski leads the Gymnastics East Conference (GEC) on bars with an average score of 9.792 through three meets.
Bridgeport comes into Sunday’s contest ranked #65 nationally after finishing third, fourth, and first in their opening three meets this season. In their most recent outing against Brown, LIU, and Springfield, Bridgeport scored a meet-leading four routines above 9.800 and finished first with a team total of 194.050.
Bridgeport athletes Nova Staruk and Abigail Kenney are leading performers in GEC vault standings; Staruk averages a score of 9.825 while Kenney averages 9.783 and leads all-around competitors with an average of 38.608.
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