West Chester Scores Season High 193.450 in WCGNIC Finals

TEAM FINALS RESULTS

WEST CHESTER, PA – Host West Chester University put together its best performance of the season at nationals, but it was not enough at the 2026 Women's Collegiate Gymnastics National Invitational Championships Team Finals inside Hollinger Fieldhouse on North Campus Saturday night.
 
Texas Woman's University won the WCGNIC national championship for the second straight year with a team score of 195.300. Conference rival Southeast Missouri State was runner-up with a score of 194.300. University of Bridgeport just edged out West Chester for third place with a 193.525 while the Golden Rams put up a 193.450.
 
"I was really proud of the girls tonight," West Chester head coach Barb Cordova said afterwards. "We absolutely had the best meet of the year at the finals, and that's what you want. They went 24-for-24 for the first time in two years. That means 24 no-falls."
 
The Golden Rams opened the team finals on the floor where the hosts did not disappoint, turning out one of their best performances of the season. In fact, West Chester did so well, that they did not have to count a 9.625 – its lowest score in the event. West Chester scored a 48.6 as a team. Corinne Gruber (Boyertown, Pa.) led the way with a 9.775 from the anchor position. Catherine Keener (Holy Springs, N.C.) and freshman Gianna Smith (Pittsburgh, Pa.) each posted a 9.750. Fellow freshman Aly Sobczak (Pittsgrove, N.J.) scored a 9.675 while Karah Vargo (Fort Myers, Fla.) scored a 9.650.
 
From there, West Chester rotated to the vault, an event that has been very good to the Golden Rams in 2026. That proved to be the case again Saturday night. The purple & gold put up a team score of 48.250. Senior Sarah Eskew (Pittsburgh, Pa.) led West Chester with a 9.725 as the anchor. Freshman Ava Griffith (Palm Desert, Calif.) put up a 9.675 while Vargo and Smith each scored a 9.625.
 
Freshman Madelyn McCullough (Covington Twp., Pa.) started off the uneven bars the right way with a career-high 9.775. Vargo followed up with a 9.625 finishing out her evening in the finals by competing in the first three events West Chester rotated through. Junior Lianna Schultz (Allentown, Pa.), who equaled her career-best in each of the past two weeks with a 9.650 at the GEC Championships and against Cornell in the regular-season finale, went better than that rising to the occasion at nationals and scoring a career-high 9.700. Eskew finished up on the bars in the anchor position with a 9.700 as well. West Chester posted a new season-high 48.400 as a team.
 
West Chester concluded the evening on the balance beam. Lydia Stoner (Palmyra, Pa.) 9.725 was just shy of her career best, but it served as the Golden Rams' top score in that event until Tatm McGuinn (Glen Mills, Pa.) followed with a 9.800 from the anchor position. McCullough scored a 9.600 for the Golden Rams as well.
 
SUNDAY'S EVENT FINALS ARE SET; 7 GOLDEN RAMS WILL COMPETE
 
West Chester University also sent seven gymnasts into the event finals, which will be contested on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. inside Hollinger Fieldhouse. It is the most that West Chester has sent to the individual finals in Coach Cordova's tenure. Those seven are all first team WCGNIC All-Americans as a result of qualifying for the event finals. West Chester's All-Americans – and subsequently – the events in which they will compete on Sunday are listed below. Only senior, Sarah Eskew, is a repeat All-American. She was a second-team All-American on the vault in 2024.
 
VAULT
Fr., Aly Sobczak
Fr., Jaslyn McComeskey
Sr., Sarah Eskew
 
UNEVEN BARS
Fr., Madelyn McCullough
So., Grace McNamara
 
BALANCE BEAM
Jr., Lydia Stoner
 
FLOOR EXERCISE
So., Catherine Keener