Gymnastics Sets New Program Record with Second Place Finish at GEC Championship

Saturday, March 19

Providence, R.I.

6:00 pm

Brown University

GEC Championships

Photo by: Stew Milne

Gymnastics Sets New Program Record with Second Place Finish at GEC Championship

3/19/2022 10:55:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics

Complete Results Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2 Photo Gallery 3 Photo Gallery 4 Photo Gallery 5 Photo Gallery 6 Photo Gallery 7 Photo Gallery 8

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Behind a school record score of 195.975 and eight all-conference performances, the Brown gymnastics team took second place at the inaugural Gymnastics East Conference Championship on Saturday evening. Performing in front of a packed crowd on their home floor, Brown also set team records on vault, bars and floor, and a season-high on beam.

Brown's program record performance eclipses the previous school benchmark of 195.175 from the 2016 USAG Nationals meet.

Penn took home the team title with 196.950 points, followed by the host Bears (195.975), with West Chester taking third place (195.250). Yale placed fourth followed by Southern Conn. State, Cornell, William & Mary and Bridgeport.

As part of the post meet awards ceremony, Brown senior Mei Li Costa earned the GEC Performance of the Year award for her outstanding performance in setting the Brown and Ivy League record of 9.975 on bars in the March 6 dual meet against Bridgeport.

All-Conference Performers
First Team (1-3)
Angela Xing (Vault)
Julia Bedell (Vault)
Abby Contello (Bars)
Taylor Schulze (Beam)

Second Team (4-6)
Mei Li Costa (Vault)
Ella Poley (Bars)
Maya Davis (Floor)
Julia Bedell (Floor)

"I could not be prouder of these young women than I am right now," head coach Sara Carver-Milne said. "They were at their absolute best tonight and the energy they brought in front of our home crowd was incredible. They were so poised and determined and really shined with everything they had."

Brown started the meet on bars, setting the tone early to take the lead after the opening session with a school record score of 49.225, the highest score on any event in program history. Three Bears set new career-highs on the event, with another tying her PR. Contello led the way by tying for second overall with a new career-high of 9.925, a mark that had been the program record until earlier this season. Poley had a new career-high of 9.875, with Paige Richter setting a new career-high at 9.850 and Schulze tying her career-high of 9.850. Sophia Petrillo tied her season-high of 9.725 to round out Brown's five scorers.

Next on beam, Brown stayed hot with a season-high 48.575 points, with Schulze leading the way with a second-place showing at 9.875 to tie her career-high. Xing posted a monster career-best of 9.800, surpassing her previous high of 9.650. Lauren Lazaro followed with 9.750 and Contello tied her career-high of 9.700, giving Brown 97.800 through two rotations.

On floor, the Bears once again broke a program record with a performance of 49.200, led by Davis and Bedell who earned second team all-conference honors by smashing their career-highs at 9.900 to tie for fourth overall. Carolanne Van Zandt tied her career-high at 9.875, while Lauren Lazaro averaged 9.775 and Xing added a 9.750. Abby Walsh also turned in a strong performance at 9.650.

Finishing off the meet on vault, Brown landed three on all-conference teams, with Xing and Bedell tying for second at 9.825. Costa landed on the second-team with a 9.800, tying for fifth overall. Poley followed with her second career-high of the night at 9.775, with Alyssa Gardner scoring 9.750 and Lauren Kramer at 9.675. The team's score of 48.975 was also a new program record.

Brown will now wait to see which athletes and teams will qualify for the USAG and NCAA Regionals, both of which will be announced this coming week. The NCAA Selection Show will air live on NCAA.com on Tuesday, March 22 at noon ET.

Gallery: (3-19-2022) 2022 GEC Championship

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