SUNY Cortland Women’s Gymnastics breaks the Cortland Uneven Bar team record in the 2024 NCGA East Regional Championships and advances onto Nationals.
With the high competition at Ithaca College, each team put their best routines together with hopes of getting a spot to be one of the top two teams to advance to Nationals. SUNY Cortland competed alongside five other teams: Rhode Island College, SUNY Brockport, Springfield College, Utica University, and Ursinus College. For most teams, this would be their last competition of the 2024 season but not SUNY Cortland.
The girls started strong with a floor party giving them the chance to bring high energy that would stay consistent for the duration of the meet. Each routine was performed with eye-catching dance and powerful tumbling. Leading off the rotation, freshman Kathryn McSweeney showed off her skills scoring a 9.675 and setting the tone for the rest of the team. Not only were the girls performing their best routines, but two of them reached their personal. Gabrielle Nadler, a junior from Potomac, Maryland owned her routine and received a personal best of 9.800 placing 6th on the floor. Autumn Adkins a freshman from Aledo, Texas proved her talent by getting another personal best of 9.825 and placing third on the floor. This put Cortland in a comfortable place boosting their confidence for the events to follow.
Moving onto Vault, there was amplitude in the girls’ skills and their excitement to give it their all. They had a safe vault rotation and yet, another personal best. Kyleigh Brown, a freshman from Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania scored a 9.725, her best vault yet this season.
After a break in the competition, it was Cortland’s turn to bring the heat to Uneven Bars. Little did the fans, judges, or athletes know this would be a bar rotation that would make history for Cortland Gymnastics. Freshman Alexa Rosa Pahila from Greenville, South Carolina, started off the rotation with a clean routine scoring a 9.45, and from then on, the scores would continue to rise. Next up, Chloe Block, a freshman from Lockport, New York, exceeded her career-high score of 9.40 with a 9.675 alongside freshman Autumn Adkins who beat her personal best of 9.675 with a 9.725 on bars. The expectation was high and All-American Rianna Adams, a junior from South Setauket, New York, did not miss putting out a high of 9.700. There were two girls left in the rotation and there was no doubt that Cortland was underway of a record-breaking bars rotation.
It was time to put the freshman skills to the test under pressure and Kathryn McSweeney succeeded scoring a 9.750, beating her personal best of 9.600. Last up, Taylor Goldstein, a freshman from Dix Hills, New York, named NCGA East Rookie of the Year earned a career-high score from the judges of 9.800 bringing tears to the eyes of the Red Dragon Family. Not only did the girls surpass their personal best scores, but their dedication and teamwork would put them almost a whole point higher than SUNY Cortland Women’s Gymnastics Team Uneven Bar’s record of 47.875. The girls ended the bar rotation with a total score of 48.65.
Following bars, they had one final rotation left that would determine the fate of their season. Ending on Balance Beam, the rotation came to an end following the routine of freshman Samantha Meadows from Cypress, Texas with a score of 9.700. This was the moment when they knew this would be their year. The girls earned a total beam score of 46.850 getting them just where they needed to be to advance further into the season.
The SUNY Cortland women’s gymnastics team proved their talent was one of the best when they received a team score of 191.650, tying the school record and placing second in the NCGA East Regional Championship overall. For the first time since 2019, the girls would be moving on to the 2024 NCGA National Championships.
It was a good day to be a Red Dragon Gymnast and this season will be one to remember for these girls. The team will take on nationals hosted by Ursinus College on March 23rd where the girls will compete alongside 12 other teams fighting for a chance to be named National Champions.