Results
SHREVEPORT, La.- After earning a spot in the team finals of the USAG National Championships for the first time in program history a year ago in Hollinger Field House, West Chester punched its ticket back to the team finals on Friday night in the Inaugural Women's College Gymnastics National Invitational Championships in the Gold Dome at Centenary College with a season-high team score of 192.850.
West Chester's score was good enough for second place in the second semifinal on Friday night as the Golden Rams finished behind only Texas Woman's (195.700) while beating out both Alaska-Anchorage (190.625) and host Centenary (190.400) to advance to the team finals for the second year in a row.
In addition to advancing to the team finals, West Chester also saw three gymnasts qualify for the individual event finals on Sunday as
Caroline Cascadden (Ashburn, Va.), Lily McFarland (Baltimore, Md.), and Jordan Coleman (Bowie, Md.) will compete in the beam, floor, and bars finals, respectively.
"I am extremely proud of this team," an ecstatic coach Barb Cordova said following the meet. "They peaked at the right time and accomplished so many huge goals tonight! We watched The Woman and the Sea prior to the season. It was about a woman who crossed the English Channel, and it talked about how she needed to leave any doubt on the beach to accomplish that goal. Today, I told the team that to compete at a National Championship, they needed to have that same mentality and leave any doubt in the corral, and they did just that."
West Chester started its night on beam and scored a 48.700, led by a 9.800 from
Caroline Cascadden (Ashburn, Va.) and a pair of 9.750s from
Tatum McGuinn (Glen Mills, Pa.) and
Lily McFarland (Baltimore, Md.). Cascadden's 9.800 was enough for the veteran to earn her spot in the Sunday event finals as she tied for fourth along with Bailey Upton, Sophie Hernandez, Steelie King of Texas Woman's, and Claudia Lessig of Alaska-Anchorage.
McGuinn and McFarland placed in a tie for 11
th on the beam to start the night for the Golden Rams.
West Chester followed this up with a 48.500 on floor, led by a 9.8 from McFarland and a 9.700 from
Cat Keener (Holly Ridge, N.C.) as the two highest Golden Ram scores in this event. McFarland's 9.800 was also enough for the senior to earn her spot in the floor finals on Sunday, as she placed fifth. Keener was not far behind, finishing in a tie for eighth.
West Chester scored a 47.825 on vault, led by a 9.650 from
Rylee Harada (Runnemede, N.J.) and a 9.625 from McFarland as they finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
Corinne Gruber (Barto, Pa.) was the next highest finisher for the Golden Rams, finishing 14
th with a 9.550.
West Chester wrapped up its night on the bars with a 47.825. The 2024 USAG National Champion,
Jordan Coleman (Bowie, Md.), did not disappoint in her return to the National Stage as she scored a season-high 9.875, which was the top score of any gymnast in the semifinals to earn her spot in the event finals on Sunday.
Sarah Eskew (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was also impressive on the bars on Friday night as she completed her season-long comeback with a 9.750, which set a new season-high for her as well.
Melina Ringas (Glen Allen, Va.) was close behind with a 9.700
Beam 48.700
Macarthy Keane 9.675
EmmaGrace Kelly 9.000
Tatum McGuinn 9.750
Natalie Marshall 9.725
Caroline Cascadden 9.800
Lily McFarland 9.750
Floor 48.500
Lydia Stoner 9.675
Kelly 9.625
Cat Keener 9.750
Cascadden 9.600
McFarland 9.800
Bridget Sullivan 9.650
Vault 47.825
Sullivan 9.450
Shannon Carroll 9.500
McFarland 9.625
Rylee Harada 9.650
Keane 9.500
Corinne Gruber 9.550
Bars 47.825
Karah Vargo 9.100
Harada 9.400
Melina Ringas 9.700
Sarah Eskew 9.750
Jordan Coleman 9.875
Keane 8.600
Up Next
West Chester will compete in the Saturday night team finals for the second time in as many seasons after making its debut in those finals last year in Hollinger Field House. The team finals will begin at 7 pm local/8 pm Eastern time tomorrow night. Coleman, McFarland, and Cascadden also earned WCGNIC All-American citations and will compete in the event finals on Sunday, beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern.
