ITHACA, N.Y. -- The program record book saw some shuffling for the Cornell gymnastics team, as the Big Red earned third overall with a final score of 192.075 in the first-ever Empire State Collegiate Championships held on Sunday afternoon in Newman Arena. SUNY Brockport earned the top spot in the six-team meet with a season-best 193.025, followed closely by Long Island University, who took the runner-up spot with 192.500. Slotted behind Cornell in the final standings were SUNY Cortland (191.225), Ithaca College (189.050), and Utica (184.325). Top finishers were scattered around for the Big Red, earning outright victories in two events and eight top-five finishes.

Cornell fed off the home crowd energy on the first rotation, notching a 48.450 on vault to sit in the top spot after the first rotation. Junior Sydney Beers led the way for the Big Red, sticking the landing to earn a 9.875 and first overall. Beers' score was also a new career-best, knocking down her previous best of 9.850 which gave her the event win at the 2022 GEC Championships. Calista Brady also put together an excellent performance in her first appearance in the lineup this season with a 9.725 to earth sixth overall, while Cami Whitaker nailed her third straight performance of 9.600 or better (9.650) and Michaela DeFrancisco also recorded a 9.650 to earn a tie for 11th. Josie Moylan (9.550) rounded out the qualifying scores for the Big Red. 

With six teams competing in the meet, the Big Red saw itself on a bye for the second rotation and was slated fourth going into the third. Staring Cornell in the face for its second event of the day was the uneven bars, an event that the team recorded its first scoring of 48.000 or better last weekend at Penn. Cornell did not hit that mark but did recover from two falls to earn a 46.500. Morgen Shambo was the star on bars for the home team, besting her score of 9.750 set last weekend in Philadelphia with a spectacular 9.800, a new career-high for the sophomore. That performance was also the best of the day for any gymnast, as Shambo finished 0.25 points ahead of LIU's Brisa Carraro to grab first. Josie Moylan also impressed for the Big Red, earning a 9.725 to earn a three-way tie for third with Brockport's Rachel Swick and Cortland's Taylor Goldstein. Finishing third in the rotation was Melanie Stone (9.550), making it the third time in the last four meets that the senior has hit 9.500 or better. 

Sitting fifth after uneven bars, Cornell needed a shift to climb back into contention. And the Big Red did just that, earning a combined 48.975 to shoot to the top of the leaderboard, with each qualifying score above 9.500. Regina Walton provided the spark that the Big Red needed, shattering her previous career-best (9.850) set at the 2022 Lindsey Ferris Invitational with a 9.925. It was also a historical performance for the senior, as she bested the previous program record set of 9.900 set by Melanie Standridge (2011) and Lexi Green (2016, 2019). Walton would not have the record to herself for long, as fellow upperclassmen Alexandra Quiana fed off the Big Red faithful with a 9.925 of her own as the third gymnast on the beam, shattering her previous best (9.850) set in Newman Arena during last season's Big Red Invitational. Walton's and Quiana's historical performances transferred over to Mikayla Burton, who was the third-highest Big Red scorer with a new career-high 9.850 to grab the team's third top-five finish in the event with LIU's Cael Bixler and Brisa Carraro. Sydney Beers (9.700) and Natalia Tehrani (9.575) were the final two qualifying scores for the Big Red. 

The fifth rotation saw another bye for the Big Red, and it found itself again in fourth place going into the final rotation on floor. Cornell had a valiant effort with its fourth-consecutive team score of 48.000 or better, earning a 48.150. Beers led the way for Cornell, earning her third-straight score of 9.800 or higher with a 9.850 to finish third overall. Caitlyn Walsh (9.775) and Quiana (9.725) slotted right behind the junior, followed by Cami Whitaker (9.425) and Michaela DeFrancisco (9.375). Beers rounded out the top finishes with a second-place showing in the all-around (38.150). 

Cornell's 192.075 extends the team's streak of scoring 192.000 or better to three consecutive meets. 

UP NEXT
Cornell hits the road next weekend on Saturday, Feb. 17, when it heads to Long Island to battle the Sharks and Penn at 7 p.m. from Pratt Recreation Center. Meet action will be available to stream on ESPN Plus.