Just like the women did two weeks ago, the William and Mary men claimed a runner-up finish at the conference championship this weekend. With a team total score of 399.85, the men took second place at the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship Saturday. The Tribe trailed Navy (405.55) but beat out Army (389.3), Springfield (384.7) and Illinois-Chicago (377.25).
Although the College was unable to repeat as ECAC champions, it put up top marks in several events, and several gymnasts earned all-conference honors.
On floor, the Tribe put up the top team score of 66.95 points. Freshman Cutter Fugett earned first place for the College on that event, putting up a score of 14.2, a career best and the ninth highest score in school history. Senior Juan Palma took second with a season-high score of 14.15.
The Tribe also earned the top score on rings, with senior Jeremiah McReynolds (13.75) placing first to lead the College to a team score of 65.15. Another Tribe senior took first place on parallel bars; Griffin Antle put up a score of 13.85 for a season high.
When it came to pommel horse, several athletes from the College had strong showings. Junior Jacopo Gliozzi took first place with his season-high score of 13.9. Antle placed fourth with a score of 13.65 and Fugett took fifth with a career-high score of 13.5.
The Tribe’s 70.3 on vault was a season-high team total, as was the team score of 66.25 on high bar. Junior David Allen took fourth place on high bar, posting a 13.9. In the all-around, junior Jack Hasenkopf finished with a score of 75.55, placing fifth.
In addition to the all-conference honors earned throughout the meet, several members of the Tribe were honored by the ECAC. Antle was named Senior Gymnast of the Year, junior David Watkins was named Most Improved Gymnast of the Year and assistant coach Bo Morris was named Assistant Coach of the Year.
The men’s gymnastics National Collegiate Athletic Association championships will be held in Chicago, Illinois, April 20-21. Tuesday, April 10, the teams and individuals advancing to the championships will be announced.
Meanwhile, the women’s team sent representatives to the NCAA Raleigh Regional Saturday. Freshman Katie Waldman and sophomore Taylor White both competed in the all-around at the regional competition. Sophomore Caroline Caponi also attended the meet as an alternate for the all-around.
Waldman took 14th with her all-around score of 38.900. Her best performance was on beam, where her score of 9.750 earned her 24th place. She posted a 9.725 on vault, 9.700 on bars and 9.725 on floor.
White placed 17th Saturday, putting up a total score of 38.250. Her best score was on bars (9.675) and she also competed on vault (9.550), beam (9.425) and floor (9.600).
Because only the top two all-around competitors from each of the six regions advance to the national competition, this marks the end of the season for the women’s team.