Department of athletics, physical education and recreation
|
|
Injury-Hit Engineers Fall to Div. I Brown
Feb. 5, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Brown University sophomore Jennifer Sobuta edged out MIT sophomore Julia Zimmerman for the all-around crown and the Bears defeated the Engineers, 180.925-175.800, in women's gymnastics action on Saturday afternoon in the duPont Gymnasium. Boston University's club team also competed in the meet, finishing in third-place with a score of 148.500. Sobuta's 37.125 was enough to slip past Zimmerman (37.000) by the smallest of margins, but it was Brown freshman - and former World Champion on the vault and floor exercise - Alicia Sacramone that was the focus of many eyes in the audience. The Winchester, Mass., native didn't disappoint her fans, notching a 9.675 on the bars and a 9.875 on the beam to easily take home first-place in both events. Tech surely won its fair share of admirers as well, as the Cardinal and Gray put forth a gutsy performance without two of its top competitors. Junior Sophia Harrison was forced out due to severe back pain, while sophomore Alison Barnard sprained a foot during practice leading up to the meet. As if those obstacles weren't enough of a deterrence, senior Ashley Tran - preparing to return for the first time this season after suffering a torn ACL at the end of last year - dislocated her finger on Friday, leaving her status questionable. In need of some younger gymnasts to step up and fill the gaps, the Engineers proceeded to open the competition with six stuck vaults. Freshman Gina Policelli scored an impressive 8.700 on the first vault of her collegiate career, while junior Sarah Trowbridge (9.075), sophomore Laura Kelly (9.000) and freshman Katie Mingo (9.000) were all worthy of their solid scores. Zimmerman was tops among all gymnasts in the event, notching a 9.575. Next to step up for the Institute was freshman Gillian Conahan, who picked up a 7.050 on her first bar routine of the season. Zimmerman posted a season-high 9.500 to once again obtain Tech's highest score. Tran was able to compete for the first time this season on the beam, and her performance undoubtedly spurred on the rest of her teammates. Kelly was to follow with a career-high 9.15, while Trowbridge nabbed third place with a 9.500. Mingo was the highest scoring Engineer on the floor exercise, picking up a 9.200 in her first attempt at the event since months of shoulder rehab. Head coach Jen Miller-McEachern was delighted with the way that her squad dealt with the adversity brought on by the rash of injuries. "Our plan from the beginning of the week changed dramatically by the time we actually got to the meet on Saturday," she said. "However, the one thing that shone through was how well this team pulled together to be just that - a team." The Engineers' women's gymnasts will return to the gym on Sunday, Feb. 11, when they will travel to New Haven, Conn., to take on Southern Connecticut State University. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. |
