Department of athletics, physical education and recreation
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Julia Zimmerman Named ECAC Div. III Gymnast of the Year
March 12, 2007
ITHACA, N.Y. - MIT's Julia Zimmerman was honored as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Gymnast of the Year this past weekend, making her the first Engineer gymnast to ever win the award. The sensational sophomore broke the Institute record for the all-around competition for the third time this season at the ECAC Championships on Saturday afternoon, amassing an incredible 38.300 to pace Tech to a fifth-place finish amongst the eight competing schools. MIT's score of 182.975 was a season-high and placed them ahead of SUNY-Cortland (182.850), Rhode Island College (172.650) and Wilson College (164.750). Perennial powerhouse SUNY-Brockport won the competition with a point-total of 188.325, while host Ithaca College (186.425) and Ursinus College (186.100) rounded out the top three to earn spots in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Team Championships. Springfield College finished in fourth-place with 184.450 points. Zimmerman's record-breaking 38.300 was good enough for a third-place finish in the all-around, as Brockport's Sarah Bulka (38.425) and Lauren Gildemeyer (38.325) took the top two spots, respectively. MIT junior Sophia Harrison earned 37.525 points to finish fifth and join Zimmerman in qualifying for the NCGA Championships. Junior Sarah Trowbridge will join Zimmerman and Harrison at the competition, as she qualified on the beam. However, while the individual qualifications were well deserved and provided some of the meet's biggest highlights, it was a total team effort that earned the Engineers their highest overall score of the season. The squad started on vault and received solid performances from each and every competitor. Sophomores Rachel Tatem (8.750) and Laura Kelly (9.05) opened the event in style, while Trowbridge (9.025) and Harrison (9.325) kept up the consistency. Senior Ashley Tran put together a nice vault to earn an 8.900 before Zimmerman closed with a front-handspring-front-layout, which earned hear a 9.450 and a 10th-place finish. MIT then moved on to the bars, where Harrison and Zimmerman wowed the crowd with near-flawless routines to earn a 9.650 and 9.625 and finish 1-2, respectively. Harrison became just the fourth Tech gymnast to capture an individual conference gold medal in the past 20 years with the performance and the first since Sonja Ellefson in 2001. Senior Lara Hershcovitch led off on beam with an 8.900 to steady the group, while Harrison (9.35), Trowbridge (9.050) and Zimmerman (9.500) followed with no-fall routines. The Engineers closed on the floor exercise and didn't disappoint, providing perhaps their most impressive routines of the day. Kelly stuck her double-back with ease to score a 9.125, while freshman Katie Mingo (9.350), Trowbridge (9.125) and Harrison (9.200) turned in excellent performances. Zimmerman concluded the afternoon for the Cardinal and Gray with a 9.725 to earn runner-up honors in the event. Zimmerman's Gymnast of the Year award represents the second straight campaign in which she has been honored by the ECAC. Last season, she was tabbed Freshman of the Year. Head coach Jen Miller-McEachern praised the individual performances of her athletes, as well as the determination of those whose season came to a close on Saturday. "Although, for the most of the team, the season has come to an end, their plans have already begun with improvements for next year," she said. "The motivation and drive of this team never seems to end." Zimmerman, Harrison and Trowbridge will travel to Whitewater, Wis., on Friday, Mar. 23, to compete in the NCGA National Championships. |
