UB Hosts 2019 USAG National Championship Meet Gymnasts shine in the Park City BY CHUCK SADOWSKI
The eyes of the collegiate women’s gymnastics community were firmly fixed on the University of Bridgeport’s Wheeler Recreation Center from April 12-14, as the Purple Knights hosted the 2019 USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate National Championship Meet for the second time in program history. Bridgeport also hosted the meet in 2012. And what a show it was for three days in the Park City, as large and enthusiastic crowds watched some of the best female gymnasts in the nation in Friday’s and Saturday’s team competition and Sunday’s individual event finals. The host squad took third in the nation on Saturday, finishing behind first-place Lindenwood (Mo.) University, and secondplace University of Illinois Chicago. The Purple Knights, who
earlier in the season won their eleventh consecutive ECAC team title, wowed the home fans by posting season-high team scores of 195.750 on Friday to advance to Saturday’s team final, where UB surpassed that total with a score of 195.925. In Sunday’s individual event finals, freshman Julianna Roland took fourth place on the vault, scoring a 9.7500, and sophomore Kathryn Doran placed fifth on the bars with a score of 9.7750. On the balance beam, Roland and junior Maya Reimers tied for twelfth place with a score of 9.700, and in the floor exercise, senior Kelly Aycock took seventh place at 9.8250, while Reimers and freshman Crystal Gwinn tied for eighth place at 9.800. A total of 10 Purple Knights earned 2019 USAG All-America honors.
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