GW Gymnastics Opens 2015 Season on Friday Night

1/8/2015 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics

Jan. 8, 2015

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WASHINGTON - The George Washington gymnastics team will open its 2015 season on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. at Maryland's Beauty and the Beast Meet at the XFINITY Center against the host Terrapins and West Virginia in College Park, Maryland.

Friday marks the first time that the Colonials will open a season on the road since 2005.

GW will return to the Charles E. Smith Center for the first of four regular-season home meets at the eighth annual Lindsey Ferris Invitational on January 18.

For the second time in program history, GW will host the 2015 East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Championship on Saturday, March 21.

2015 Season Outlook

The George Washington gymnastics team accomplished a number of program-firsts during the 2014 season.

Then-freshman Chelsea Raineri became the first gymnast in program history to win a major end-of-year award from the East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) when she was named the conference's Rookie of the Year.

Raineri, along with recent alumnae Betsy Zander, Kiera Kenney and Brittany Doran, also became the first student-athletes to win an event title at the EAGL Championship. Raineri was named co-champion on vault while the other three shared the event title on uneven bars.

The Colonials also set program records for team scores on vault (49.225) and uneven bars (49.20) during the year.

"This team has a "so what, what's next?" mentality which I love," said Margie Foster-Cunningham, who enters her 30th season as head coach. "They get over things really quick and are looking ahead, not back. They are very focused on what the big picture is this year. For such a young team, I have never seen anything like it. It is incredible. They really know where they are headed and what it will take to reach our goal. Our motto this season is "Rise Up" and they have taken that to heart. I can hear the chatter in the gym every day, these girls want to be better."

GW, still seeking its first team championship since joining the EAGL in 2008, is poised to compete for the title with a deep roster that features 10 upperclassmen and a large freshman class of seven student-athletes.

"I like to describe this team as very confident," said Coach Foster-Cunningham. "We are young but incredibly confident. We have great veteran leadership in the locker room and tremendous faith in the freshmen class. I think we are going to have some ups and downs because of the inexperience, but our highs are going to be much higher."

With a full roster of 17 student-athletes, Coach Foster-Cunningham is enjoying something she has not had in her 30 years at the helm of the program - a surplus of depth.

"The depth on this team is incredible," said Coach Foster-Cunningham. "When I try to put a lineup together, there are so many interchangeable parts at this point. This much quality depth is something that we have never had at GW before."

Following a regular season that will feature four home meets, the EAGL Championship will return to the Charles E. Smith Center for the first time since 2011.

"Since its renovation, the Smith Center has been such a warm and comfortable environment for our team," explained Coach Foster-Cunningham. "Our athletes mark off on their calendars when they are going to be here because they are so excited about competing here. Having the EAGL Championship here is an advantage, no question. It is such a great environment and a fantastic gymnastics venue."

SENIORS

Kaija Aploks - New Hartford, N.Y./New Hartford - Vault, Floor Exercise

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Aploks: "Kaija is such an energetic leader. She has really stepped up to help lead the freshmen class. Kaija's vault has been very strong this preseason and I am hoping to get her into the lineup this season. Her floor exercise is also coming along strong as well."

Elena Corcoran - Pittsburgh, Pa./Sewickley Academy - Vault, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Corcoran: "Elena had a great year last season and is coming off of hip surgery over the summer, but she has never been more fit and ready to go. She is so focused. She will be our balance beam starter this season. I love it when seniors are at their peak. As a coach, that is my main goal. She is committed to that and is in the best physical condition she has ever been in."

Brenna Marcoux - Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury - Balance Beam, Floor Exercise

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Marcoux: "Brenna continues to work hard and push herself to improve on floor exercise and on balance beam. She has also taken on a unique leadership role on this team, especially with academics and serving as a mentor of sorts to the freshman. She recognized that was something we needed and she stepped up into that role."

Courtney Willoughby - Stow, Mass./Nashoba Regional - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Willoughby: "Courtney is coming off a torn achilles last season and has looked fantastic in preseason. She looked great at the intrasquad scrimmage. Her floor exercise and vault have been outstanding and she will be in the lineup on both of those events. She has a lot of energy and just owns her skills right now. She is doing a great job."

JUNIORS

Alexsis Petrikis - Grove City, Pa./Grove City - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Petrikis: "Alexsis' best event is vault and she can really give us an added kick on that event. She is powerful, quick and can really stick a landing."

Taylor Redmond - Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet Senior - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Redmond: "Taylor is right there for us on balance beam, uneven bars and floor exercise. She has a few minor injuries that have held her back at the moment, so we won't see her early in the year. She is working hard and training hard. She is a solid beam competitor and has really improved on the uneven bars."

SOPHOMORES

Kaitlin Cowles - Canton, Conn./Canton - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Cowles: "Kaitlin will be out this season with an injury but she was looking great in preseason before it happened. It is a tough break for her but she will continue to be a huge part of this team."

Alex DeMoura - Garden City, N.J./Garden City - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on DeMoura: "Alex has completely bought in to what we are trying to achieve this year. She will be in the all-around coming out of the gate right now. There has been a lot of competition throughout the lineups but she has been so strong and is in great shape. She is at her best right now on every event. We are going to see some great things from her this year."

Chelsea Raineri - Telford, Pa./Boyertown Area Senior - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Raineri: "Chelsea is so ready to go this season. I have to hold her back a little bit. She is better than she was last year. She is such a competitor and a real leader on the floor for us this season. She has fine tuned her Yurchenko 1 Â½ on the vault and is going to be challenging for that championship this season at EAGL."

Kaila Solomon - Woodcliff Lake, NJ/Garden City - Vault, Floor Exercise

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Solomon: "Kaila just keeps getting better and better on balance beam. She did a great job at the intrasquad scrimmage. She has a great attitude and is so positive. She is a great person to have in the locker room. She is truly all in."

FRESHMEN

Cami Drouin-Allaire - Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Drouin-Allaire: "Cami has such poise and focus as a freshman. She graduated high school early so is young compared to the rest of the team but she has this confidence about her that makes her so exciting to watch. We are going to see her in the all-around this season."

Sara Mermelstein - Northport, N.Y./Northport Senior - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Mermelstein: "Sara is a bundle of energy and is a rock star on balance beam. She is coming along on floor exercise where we will see her later this year. She has exquisite execution and has had great training in her past. She is going to be fun to watch."

Jessica Mishlove - Phoenix, Ariz./Shadow Mountain - Vault, Uneven Bars

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Mishlove: "Jessica is going to be on uneven bars for us in our first meet. She is filling a void that we have on that event and has been doing a great job. She recognized a need that we had and she stepped up. We will also see her on vault this season."

Liz Pfeiler - Decatur, Ga./The Paideia School - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Pfeiler: "Liz is a little inexperienced as far as competition goes, but her execution and performance capabilities have huge upside. We expect her to make key contributions on uneven bars and balance beam this season."

Madeline Seibold - Tampa, Fla./Home School - Balance Beam, Floor Exercise

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Seibold: "Madeline is a nice little surprise for us. She is very strong on floor exercise with great performance capabilities. Fans in the audience will be tapping each other going "watch this one". Her vault is very good and she is solid on balance beam as well, but floor exercise is where she shines."

Jillian Winstanley - Arlington, Mass./Arlington - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Winstanely: "Jillian is going to be our top all-around performer. She has skills that we haven't had in the Smith Center before. She is technically extremely gifted. We have been working on her presentation, which is a huge part of college gymnastics. She is awesome; she scored a 10.0 on vault as a senior in high school with the Yurchenko 1 Â½ vault. Her balance beam is just unique, not a stock routine. There are some things people haven't seen before."

Alex Zois - Crofton, Md./Archbishop Spalding - All-Around

Coach Foster-Cunningham on Zois: "Alex is an ice-water-in-her-veins competitor. She is going to be on three events for us. She is an excellent balance beam performer and she will be our starter on uneven bars. As a freshman, that really speaks to her ability."