Oregon State beavers gymnastics show incredible team effort with a 197.275 win over Rutgers

Sydney+Gonzales+celebrates+after+a+successful+vault+at+Gill+Coliseum+in+Corvallis%2C+Ore%2C+on+Jan+27+in+a+meet+with+Rutgers+University.+The+Beavers+won+the+meet%2C+197.275+to+194.150.

Jason May

Sydney Gonzales celebrates after a successful vault at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore, on Jan 27 in a meet with Rutgers University. The Beavers won the meet, 197.275 to 194.150.

The Oregon State University Beavers gymnastics team hosted the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Friday night in Gill Coliseum and came up with a win of 197.275, Rutgers behind with 194.150.

With a notable change in lineups and the pull of Madi Dagen seconds before her floor routine, head coach Tanya Chaplin states, “I’m really really proud of them…it’s a team sport. It’s not just have the same girls going over and over and over again.”

The Beavers first faced Vault with sophomore Kaitlin Garcia nailing a strong finish and a score of 9.825. Junior Ariana Young followed up with her vault and received a 9.750. Sophomore Lauren Letzsch, junior Sydney Gonzales, and Dagen all contributed to the board with 9.825, 9.850, and 9.825 respectively. Putting up a fierce performance, sophomore Jade Carey scored a 9.900. The Beavers kicked off the meet with a productive finish on vault that added up to an overall score of 49.225. The Rutgers Scarlet Knights seemed to be a little rocky with two girls falling. They still were able to come up with a 47.700.

Next for the Beavers were bars. Sophomore Carley Beeman kicked it off as she stuck her dismount and scored a 9.800. Freshman Ellie Weaver followed as well as she stuck her dismount and scored a 9.850. Freshman Francesca Caso made her first showering as a Beaver in her career and landed her triple back dismount and came up with a 9.825. Freshman Jennifer McMillan followed and scored a 9.850. Sophomore Natalie Briones showed off a beautifully executed routine with a minor stumbling in her landing that produced a 9.725 score. Carey finished off for the Beavers as she glided through the air in her routine and stuck her dismount to come up with a 9.950 score. This added up to an overall score of 49.275 on bars. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights were on vault and came up with an overall score of 48.725.

In the second to last event, the Beavers came up with sharp routines. Graduate Kristina Peterson started with her wobble-free routine that featured a double back handspring and came up with a score of 9.825. Following was senior Jenna Domingo who stuck her dismount and came up with a 9.850. Letzsch scored 9.850. Gonzales put a 9.875 on the board with her clean and skillful routine. Dagen had a minor wobble in her performance but managed to stick her dismount and come through with a 9.775. Carey finished off the Beavers with a flawless, wobble-free routine that came up with a 9.975. These scores added up to 49.375 for the Beavers on the beam. The Scarlet Knights finished with a 48.950 as they showed notable improvement from a bumpy start.

With floor being the last event for the Beavers, they made it worth it. Graduate Kristina Peterson started as she showcased a powerful routine and stuck her triple back.

“It was really amazing…as one of the older kids it’s been such a journey,” Peterson said in the press conference after the meet.

Garcia followed with a 9.800 score that featured a triple back. Kayla Bird was next and came up with a 9.825 for the Beavers. Freshman Savannah Miller with her noticeable music-filled routine and her clean routine produced a 9.900, coming away with second place on floor. Lauren Letzsch came through with a dazzling performance that managed to get her first place, with a 9.950 score. Junior Julia Melchert, who made a spur-of-the-moment swap with Madi Dagen, showcased her skillful routine with a triple back that put a score of 9.850 on the board for the Beavers. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Knights scored 48.775 on the beam.

The Beavers have a quick turnaround to face UCLA in Los Angeles at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday at 3 P.M.

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