West Chester Gymnasts Open With Win in Tri-Meet

MEET RESULTS

WEST CHESTER, PA – West Chester University's women's gymnastics opened its 2023 campaign with a tri-meet victory over both Southern Connecticut State and Bridgeport Sunday afternoon inside Sturzebecker HSC.
 
Team scores north of 48 in the final two events completed the come-from-behind triumph. West Chester scored a 190.975, topping Bridgeport's 186.675 and Southern Connecticut's 186.225.
 
Junior Lily McFarland (Baltimore, Md.) won the beam while grad student McKenna Kissinger (Chambersburg, Pa.) won the floor to spark the Golden Rams' effort. Junior Madison Whitaker (Lancaster, Pa.) was third on the beam, and grad student Rose Fanara (Fredericksburg, Va.) and junior Caroline Cascadden (Ashburn, Va.) were second and third, respectively, on the floor.
 
West Chester scored a 48.125 on the beam and posted a 48.725 on the floor. Those two events should be the Golden Rams' bread-n-butter throughout the winter with a pair of All-GEC gymnasts returning on the beam and a USAG All-American on the floor, along with two other All-GEC honorees from a year ago, leading the way.
 
Freshman Sarah Eskew (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and senior Kiah Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa.) tied for second place on the vault with identical scores of 9.6. Caitlin Allen (Forest Hill, Md.) was fourth with a 9.55, and McFarland was fifth with a 9.5, as the Golden Rams claimed second through fifth on the vault.
 
Junior Hyla Betts (Shannock, R.I.) was the highest WCU gymnast to place on the uneven bars with a 9.6 that was good for third place. Supporting McFarland and Whitaker on the beam were Kissinger and freshman Anna Lacey (Bethlehem, Pa.). They tied for fourth place with scores of 9.625.
 
West Chester leaves for the "Land of the Midnight Sun" on Wednesday and a pair of meets against University of Alaska in Anchorage. Those meets will take place on Friday and Sunday.