PHILADELPHIA -- It was a highlight-filled performance for the Cornell gymnastics team on Sunday afternoon from the Palestra, as the team netted a new season-high 194.125 to take the top spot in its first all-Gymnastics East Conference quad meet of the season. Cornell's combined score was also the most the team has scored in a regular season meet since putting together a 194.575 in a quad meet hosted by Penn State in 2019. 

The host Quakers took home second place with a 193.750, snapping its streak of three meets of 195.000 or higher, while William & Mary (192.750) and the University of Bridgeport (191.225) earned third and fourth. 

Cornell's first rotation on the day came in uneven bars, the lone event this season that the Big Red had not scored north of 48.000 through three meets. The early-season struggles disappeared, as the team earned a season-high 48.600, with all five qualifying scores above 9.600. Sophomore Morgen Shambo netted a new career-high with a 9.750. Shambo was not alone on the podium, as freshman Josie Moylan also nailed her routine, earning a 9.750 to finish tied for third with her underclassmen counterpart. The Big Red's other top ten in the event came from junior captain Sydney Beers, who finished seventh with a 9.725.

The Big Red's second rotation saw a combined 48.330 on the balance beam, with all five scores in the top ten. Sophomore Mikayla Burton led the way, earning a 9.750 to finish second overall, 0.25 points behind top finisher Skyelar Kerico of Penn. The top-five finish mojo also rolled over to Melanie Stone, as the senior finished tied for fourth with a 9.675. Natalia Tehrani and Regina Walton each also put together excellent performances with a 9.650 to earn a tie for seventh. Freshman Avery Byun earned ninth overall (9.625) to close out the scoring in the event for Cornell. 

Rolling into the third rotation, Cornell held a .050 advantage over the Quakers, needing a shift to stay ahead. And with the pressure on, the red and white delivered on floor, earning its best event score on the day with a 48.950. It was a four-way tie at the top of the leaderboard in the event, as freshman Avery Byun scored a new career-high and Sydney Beers also scored a 9.850 to earn the top spot alongside Bridgeport's Lola Sepulveda and Penn's Emma Davies. Byun and Beers were not the only representation in the top five for Cornell, as senior Caitlyn Walsh and Moylan finished in a six-way tie for fifth with a 9.800. Cami Whitaker was the last qualifying score in the event with a 9.650. 

With some added cushion, the Big Red headed into the final rotation on vault, looking to earn the quad meet win. And it did by scoring above 48.000 for the third time this season with a 48.225. Michaela DeFrancisco was the headliner in the event, besting her previous career-high (9.725) set last week at the Chelli Calloway Invitational with a 9.775 to be the lone Big Red athlete in the top five, earning fourth place. Whitaker and Beers followed closely behind with a 9.700 each, while Byun (9.650) and Moylan (9.400) rounded out the scoring in the event.

Beers was the lone Big Red representative in the all-around, earning second with a combined 38.875 over the four rotations. 

Its meet victory over the Quakers, Tribe, and Purple Knights on Sunday makes it the first time that Cornell has taken the top spot in an all-Gymnastics East Conference meet in program history and earned a quad meet win since taking last season's Cornell Invitational over Ithaca College, SUNY Brockport, and SUNY Cortland on Feb. 12, 2023. 

UP NEXT
The Big Red returns to Ithaca for its lone home meet this month when it hosts the Empire State Collegiate Championships on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. Ithaca College, Long Island University, SUNY Brockport, SUNY Cortland, and Utica will join Cornell at the meet, which will be streamed exclusively on ESPN plus. It will also be the first time six teams will compete in Newman Arena since hosting the USAG Collegiate Nationals in 2022.