PHILADELPHIA -- Sophomore Michaela DeFrancisco took home a share of the vault title with a career-best 9.825 to lead the Cornell gymnastics team to a third-place finish in the 2024 Ivy Classic on Saturday night from the Palestra. Cornell's 194.625 team score is the highest the Big Red has recorded in the meet since scoring 194.350 in a runner-up finish in 2018.
The red and white began its first rotation on vault, earning its fifth-straight score north of 48.000 with a combined 48.375. DeFrancisco was not the only Cornell athlete in the top five, as junior Sydney Beers followed up her career-best 9.900 from last weekend at LIU with a 9.800 to earn fifth overall. Cami Whitaker (9.750) closed out the top scoring in the event for the Big Red, securing her fourth season score of 9.700, grabbing a tie for 12th with Brown's Angela Xing and Yale's Kiersten Belkoff. Avery Byun (9.625) and Addy Rothstein (9.375) were the other two qualifying scorers for the Big Red.
Cornell rolled into its second rotation on uneven bars and netted its third score of 48.000 or better this season, putting together a 48.450. Sophomore Morgen Shambo led the way for the Big Red as the fifth gymnast to compete, scoring a 9.750 to earn a three-way tie for sixth with Brown's Lauren McKeown and Yale's Lauren Holt. Two Big Red gymnasts followed right behind Shambo, as Rothstein and Natalia Tehrani tied their career-highs with 9.700 to earn a tie for twelfth. Freshman Josie Moylan and Beers secured the other two scores with 9.625 to tie for sixteenth.
Heading into the third rotation, the Big Red were looking for a spark in an event they have excelled in all season with the balance beam. The unit showed out, besting the previous team record from its opening meet hosted by George Washington with a 49.075. All five scorers were also in the top ten individually, led by a 9.850 from sophomore Mikayla Burton, which placed her in a tie for third overall. That score also tied her season high from the Empire State Collegiate Championships. Beers followed suit behind Burton, securing a 9.825 to finish tied for fifth and bested her previous career-best 9.800 from the 2022 USAG Championships. Cornell's other three qualifying scores were 9.800 from Byun, Tehrani, and Alexandra Quiana, putting the trio in a tie for ninth in the final individual standings. That 9.800 was also a career-high for Byun.
The final rotation of the day saw the Big Red on floor as it looked to climb in the final standings. Cornell would put together its best shot, scoring a 48.725. Beers led the way as the fifth gymnast in the lineup for the Big Red, earning a tie for second overall with a 9.875. Byun also put together a stellar performance, matching her career high (9.850) to finish tied for fourth. Whitaker (9.725), Moylan (9.650), and Quiana (9.625) finished out the scoring for the red and white.
Alongside its podium finish, Cornell also hit its best team score since recording 195.000 in the semifinals of the 2018 USAG Collegiate National Championships hosted by Texas Woman's University.
UP NEXT
Cornell will close out its three-weekend road trip with a visit to New Jersey for a quad meet against Rutgers University, Ursinus College, and Gymnastics East Conference foe West Chester on Saturday, March 2, at 2 p.m. Action will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
