By David F.P.

Very soon I will be doing individual previews for the meets but with the season barely a few weeks old and some teams having their first meets last week, it’s still early yet. (Scores from Troester) While all team members contribute in tangible and intangible ways, I use scores which are meant to serve as a snapshot of the top scorers for each team on each event. It’s not an exact science where I cut off the top scorers mark, more of an eyeballing it thing. More detailed info will come in later weeks.

Yale, New Hampshire at Bridgeport (Saturday 4pm, Bridgeport, CT)

New Hampshire Wildcats Team High Score: 194.025 Best Event High Score: Vault, 48.65

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Danielle Reibold 38.125

Vault: Helena Diodati 9.82, Justine Turner 9.8, Katie Caliendo 9.775, Diane Grey 9.7

Uneven Bars: Diodati 9.825, Reibold 9.75, Grey 9.725

Balance Beam: Taryn LaFountain 9.875, Chelsea Steinberg 9.825, Justine Turner 9.8, Helena Diodati 9.775

Floor Exercise: LaFountain 9.85, Julie Sauchuk and Turner, 9.775

Yale University Bulldogs Team High Score: 182.8 Best Event High Score: Beam 48.2

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Alina Liao 38.575,

Vault: Allison Mak and Lauren Tatsuno 9.575, Liao 9.55

Uneven Bars: Liao 9.7

Balance Beam: Mak and Tatsuno 9.775, Brigitte Kivisto 9.675

Floor Exercise: Liao 9.7, Kivisto 9.65

Bridgeport Purple Knights Team High Score: 188.475 Best Event High Score: Vault 48.2

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Lorraine Galow 38.425, Miranda Der 36.725

Vault: Ravin Iasiello 9.75, Der 9.65, Galow 9.625, Niki Calderon 9.6

Uneven Bars: Galow 9.55

Balance Beam: Galow 9.65

Floor Exercise: Breanna Collins 9.625, Galow 9.6, Iasiello 9.575, Der 9.55, Emily Repko 9.55

Notes: This will be the second encounter between Bridgeport and New Hampshire in as many weeks. UNH is currently ranked as one of the top 36 teams in the country. This matters because only the top 36 make it to regionals. Helena Diodati was the EAGL gymnast of the week for her performance versus Pitt, UB, and Air Force. Yale has been fighting to fill their lineup slots due to injuries (Source: Yalebulldogs.com) but despite that has still had their top performers from last year putting up solid performances. Yale is scoring below its usual scoring, but that’s likely due to the lineup issues and will likely be resolved eventually. Division 2 Bridgeport is off to a great start to the season with a mix of rookie starters and returnees, though many were just freshmen last year as well. All three teams have different backgrounds with UNH being a nationally ranked team, Yale an Ivy League school with no athletic scholarships but plenty of talent, and D2 Bridgeport who has an large mix of various gymnasts with various skills. At this meet, Alina Liao, Lorraine Galow, Helena Diodati, Taryn LaFountain, will all be present, and they were part of the handful of NCAA Regionals qualifiers from last year. Regardless of score it will be an exciting meet with so many interesting gymnasts on the floor.

Pennsylvania, William and Mary, George Washington at Rutgers (Saturday 1pm, Piscataway, NJ)

Penn Quakers: Team High Score: 184.9 Best Event High Score: Vault, 46.975

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Jordan Brewer 37.65, Elise Bowe 36.725, Megan Metsgar 36.7, Rebecca Engberg 36.7

Vault: Laura DiPaolo 9.75, Brewer 9.5, Metsgar 9.45

Uneven Bars: Marissa Rosen and Brewer 9.5, Bowe and Lizzie Lowe 9.45

Balance Beam: Sarah Parsons 9.625, Brewer 9.55, Engberg 9.525

Floor Exercise: Brewer 9.525

William & Mary Tribe Team High Score: 185.1 Best Event High Score: Vault, 47.4

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: N/A

Vault: Jen Stack 9.6, Dina McNaughton 9.475, Kristin Milardo 9.45, Megan Vincent 9.45, Sarah Jacobson 9.425.

Uneven Bars: Jacobson 9.5

Balance Beam: McNaughton 9.5

Floor Exercise: Melissa Cream and McNaughton 9.45

George Washington Colonials Team High Score: 192.9 Best Event High Score: Beam 48.65

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Leslie Delima 38.7, Amanda Murphy 37.175

Vault: Kristen Simpson 9.825, Erin Quigg 9.775, Delima 9.725

Uneven Bars: Bree Plotsker 9.7, Christa Devine 9.7

Balance Beam: Devine 9.775, Delima and Plotsker 9.75, Murphy 9.7

Floor Exercise: Simpson 9.7, Gillian Coleman 9.6

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Team High Score: 186.25 Best Event High Score: Beam 47.925

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Laura Sevarino 37.725, Latara Northcutt 37.625

Vault: Sevarino 9.625, Kiah Banfield and Northcutt 9.6

Uneven Bars: Northcutt 9.525, and Behr 9.5

Balance Beam: Sevarino 9.8, Danae Johnson 9.675, Northcutt and Maddie Zwiebel 9.65

Floor Exercise: Johnson 9.6

Notes: Admittedly this is the meet I know the least about going into this weekend. Rutgers had a tough time at UNH, but improved by a point at the GW meet last week. GW is climbing the EAGL ranks, while Rutgers mixes together a lineup of veterans and newcomers. William and Mary and Penn are both within the ECAC league and will be looking to build there resumes in that league. The Quakers knocked off Yale last week, but like their Ivy colleagues, are also facing injuries. It’s early yet and this meet may be an important sign of things to come. In a sport where the only wins that truly statistically matter are at the end of the year not the beginning wins could still help morale and GW, W&M, Rutgers, and Penn will likely be looking for some.

SCSU is up in Central Mass (Still working on clearances for talking about their opponent) (1pm.)

Southern Connecticut State University Owls Team High Score: 185.075 Best Event High Score: Vault 46.875

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Justine Basley 37.125

Vault: Taylor Murray 9.525, Briana DiPinto and Basley 9.45

Uneven Bars: Sarah Darst 9.575, Basley 9.525

Balance Beam: DiPinto 9.725, Murray 9.5

Floor Exercise: Basley 9.475, and DiPinto 9.45

Notes: D2 SCSU has had to fill some lineup holes with newcomers though their team scoring remains solid. Their rival from down I-95 in Bridgeport has had a great start, but the season is still young. The Owls have a core of good scoring and new blood being phased in. This will be another opportunity to see how they do.

MIT at Brown (Sunday, 1pm, Providence, RI)

MIT Engineers Team High Score: 174.575 Best Event High Score: Beam 45.325

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Julia Zimmerman 37.65, Leanna Morinishi 35.95

Vault: Zimmerman 9.475, Morinishi 9.3

Uneven Bars: Zimmerman 9.45

Balance Beam: Morinishi 9.55, Zimmerman 9.525

Floor Exercise: Zimmerman, Katie Mingo 9.2

Brown Bears Team High Score: 185.95 Best Event High Score: Floor 46.925

Top Scorers Per Event:

All Around: Lilly Siems 36.375

Vault: Siems 9.35, Carli Wiesenfeld 9.3

Uneven Bars: Vicki Zanelli 9.4, Jennifer Sobuta 9.3

Balance Beam: Wiesenfeld 9.6, Siems 9.5, Katie Goddard 9.4

Floor Exercise: Chelsey Binkley 9.725, Goddard 9.6, Helen Segal 9.55

Notes: Brown opened their season with a new look as they mixed together their veterans with a strong mix of newcomers who made their presence felt early. With the exception of Sobuta, all of Brown’s top scorers are in the Freshman or Sophomore classes. They may have lost to the defending D1 ECAC Champions, Towson, last week but the only time wins truly count is at the end of the season and Brown already has some highlights to look to. As it stands now the Ivy League is going to be an interesting competition this year. Division 3 MIT has not scored off the charts recently, however they have integrated a large class of newcomers into the lineup though several have already made their mark. They also had to deal with Julia Zimmerman’s minor injury last week though MIT athletics reports she should be back at full strength this year. It is critical to approach the differences between the schools with perspective. This meet is not going to be about whether Brown beats MIT, it’s going to be about how each team performs within their own sphere of rivals, but also in terms of individual performances, as really each gymnast is competing against the apparatus first and foremost.