Gymnastics Set for Pair of Meets This Weekend

LEADING OFF: After needing to hold off competition at Kent State on Sunday due to poor weather conditions over the weekend, the George Washington gymnastics team will return to action this weekend with back-to-back meets on the road. GW will first go head-to-head with East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) foe Pittsburgh in dual meet action on Saturday at 2 p.m. before making the trip to Morgantown, W.Va. for a tri-meet with West Virginia and Kent State.

LAST TIME OUT: The Colonials are eager to return to competition after last seeing action on Jan. 13 at their season-opening Lindsey Ferris Invitational. North Carolina finished first with a score of 194.175, while GW (2-1, 0-1 EAGL) came in a close second with a 193.525 behind team scores of 47.875 on vault, 48.175 on bars, 48.675 on beam, and 48.800 on floor. Ball State (193.200) finished third and Cornell (190.750) took fourth.

COLONIAL CONDITIONING: In preparation for the postseason, GW will compete in back-to-back meets for the first and only time this weekend. In the updated NCAA Regional Competition format, four regionals consisting of nine teams will be conducted at campus sites over a series of three days (April 4-6). The first round will consist of two teams, with one team advancing to round two the next day. Round two will consist of two sessions of four teams, with two teams advancing from each session to compete on the final day of competition, Super Regionals. Two teams from each Super Regional will move on to the NCAA National Championship.

FIRE FROM FIRST-YEARS: Four Colonials made their collegiate debut at GW's Lindsey Ferris Invitational. Deja Chambliss, the reigning 2018 Virginia State Champion on vault, lived up to her reputation, posting a team-high 9.800 to take first on the event. On bars, Olivia Raymond finished with a 9.750 to earn third place honors while her 9.775 on beam tied for second along with fifth-year co-captain Alex Zois. Simone Banen, who also had a strong performance on bars with a 9.700, had her best event of the day on beam, finishing with a 9.825 to win the event and complete the Colonials' podium sweep on beam. Also making her debut in the season opener was Olivia Zona, who scored a 9.500 on vault before having a stellar 9.750 performance on floor. In total, four of GW's eight podium appearances were from first-year gymnasts.

BACK ON TOP: After suffering a season-ending injury on Senior Day last season, Zois made her return to competition picking up right where she left off. The 2018 All-EAGL First Team (all-around) member finished first in the all-around (39.050) behind scores of 9.600 on vault, 9.825 on bars, 9.775 on beam, and 9.850 on floor. The 39.050 also marked the ninth time in her career that she has scored a 39.000 or better.

SETTING THE STANDARD: GW had its best event of its season opener on floor, totaling a team score of 48.800. Leading the way was Cydney Crasa, who matched her career-high score of 9.875 to tie for first in the event. The Stony Brook, N.Y., native previously set her career-high at EAGL Championships last season. Rachel Kaplan also matched her personal best in the Colonials' home opener, finishing with a 9.775.

ABOUT PITT: The Panthers (4-2, 0-1 EAGL) are coming off of a second place quad meet finish on Friday evening at New Hampshire. UNH came out on top at 194.925, Pitt totaled a team score of 193.725, Bridgeport took third with 193.575, and Temple finished fourth with 191.850. The Panthers currently rank third in EAGL and 35^th in the national rankings. Pitt also holds the highest national ranking on vault in the conference, sitting at 34^th with an average score of 48.600.

ABOUT WVU: The Mountaineers (6-2, 0-1 Big 12) boast an average score of 194.800 and No. 26 national ranking. Following three weeks of competition, WVU also sits in the top-15 on vault (14^th, 48.950 avg.) and floor exercise (12th, 49.058 avg.).

ABOUT KENT STATE: The Golden Flashes (2-1) last saw action on Jan. 13 at UIC. Kent State finished second in the tri-meet with a score of 191.250. Dara Williams was the lone event winner for the flashes, scoring a 9.750 to take home the vault title.

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Simone Banen

Deja Chambliss

Cydney Crasa

Rachel Kaplan

Olivia Raymond

Alex Zois

Olivia Zona

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