PISCATAWAY, N.J. – An unexpected run of success on the uneven bars and a terrific all-around performance by senior Alexandra Puryear helped the Ursinus College gymnastics team post its highest score of the season in a quad meet at Rutgers on Saturday night.
Four gymnasts registered season highs on the bars and the beam as the Bears notched a team tally of 188.125, easily surpassing their previous season standard of 187.425.
Ursinus totaled a 47.475 on the bars, its highest event score of the evening. The bars had been the Bears' worst rotation in all but one meet to date this season, and the squad had eclipsed the 46-point mark just once before Saturday's renaissance.
Puryear's all-around total of 37.950 was more than a full point better than her previous standard. The senior co-captain matched the highest score of her career on both the vault and the uneven bars.
Remarkably balanced, the Bears scored 47.400 on the floor and 47.300 on the vault.
Senior Amanda Palladino led the stunning sequence with a 9.600. Junior Lindsay Rush and sophomore Sabrina Tusavitz each a season best with a 9.500, as did Puryear at 9.450. Freshman Abigail Schwerdt's 9.425 marked a new personal record.
Sophomore Eleanor LaFountain remained outstanding on the floor, collecting a 9.725 to finish in eighth place overall. She has recorded at least that high of a score in all but two routines this year. Puryear's 9.625 was just off her season best on the floor exercise; like LaFountain, she has been remarkably consistent, posting scores between 9.525 and 9.650 in six of seven meets.
Senior Kelsey Stewart earned a 9.425, and Tusavitz logged a season-high 9.325. Freshman Alex Lacey's 9.300 was tied for her second-best score of the year.
Rush and Puryear each snagged matching scores of 9.550 on the vault, both representing their top performance of the season. Stewart was right behind with her best score of 2018, a 9.525, and Lacey tallied a career-high 9.475.
Palladino equaled her second-highest beam routine with a 9.675 to tie for 12th place overall. Senior Kelly McLaughlin secured a 9.475, and Puryear scored 9.325.
The gymnastics team will honor McLaughlin, Palladino, Puryear, Stewart, and Heather Brubaker on Senior Day against Rhode Island College on Saturday, March 3.