WEST CHESTER, PA – Senior
Kiah Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa.) tied the school record on the vault while the Golden Rams posted their season-best overall score en route to a tri-meet sweep over visiting SUNY-Cortland and Ursinus College Saturday afternoon inside Sturzebecker HSC.
Johnson put up a 9.85 on the vault to finish first in that event and equal the school mark established by Majesta Valentine in 2016 and
Meghan Chan in 2018. West Chester cruised to the meet victory with a season-high 193.85 that bested both SUNY-Cortland (187.75) and Ursinus (185-675). It also marked the fourth-best score in head coach Barb Cordova's tenure at the school, dating back to the 2008-09 campaign.
West Chester did not score below a 48.000 in any of the four events Saturday. The Golden Rams posted a 48.675 on the beam while registering a 48.525 on the floor and vault. The bars was the low score of the day with a 48.125. The Golden Rams swept the top three spots on both the balance beam and the floor exercise.
Lily McFarland (Baltimore, Md.) was right behind Johnson on the vault in second place with a career-high 9.75. She won the balance beam with a 9.825, which was just .25 under her career best performance last season at William & Mary. West Chester's team score of 48.525 on the vault was the third-highest in school history. The Golden Rams' 48.675 ranked as the ninth-highest score ever at WCU on the balance beam.
Supporting McFarland on the beam were
McKenna Kissinger (Chambersburg, Pa.) and
Caitlyn Allen (Forest Hills, Md.). Kissinger scored a career-best 9.775 to finish second while Allen secured a 9.725 to place third.
Kissinger won the floor with a 9.825.
Anna Lacey (Bethlehem, Pa.) and
Caroline Cascadden (Ashburn, Va.) tied for second with a 9.725 each. Lacey's 9.725 tied her high mark from the season opener against Southern Connecticut State and Bridgeport.
Jordan Coleman (Bowie, Md.) won the uneven bars for West Chester with a 9.725. Teammate
Sarah Eskew (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was second with a 9.675.
Kristina Rodriguez (Cincinnati, Ohio) and
Hyla Betts (Shannock, RI) tied for fourth with a 9.6 each.
Rodriguez posted a career-best 38.4 in the all-around.
West Chester travels to Ursinus next weekend for a dual meet with the Bears.
