The UC Davis gymnastics team wanted to start the season off on the right foot.
It’s safe to say the Aggies have accomplished this goal.
UC Davis cruised past Cal State Fullerton by a score of 191.950 to 186.125 for the win. The Aggies are now 4-1 on the year and off to their second straight 4-1 start.
After their first two competitions were decided by a point or less, one could say this dual meet was somewhat lopsided.
UC Davis won three out of five events en route to the victory.
Freshman Anna Shumaker won the individual vault and beam titles to lead the Aggies to victory.
Senior co-captain Stacey Nicolini was proud of the freshman’s performance this early in the season. Nicolini believes the team’s established goals helped Shumaker.
“I feel I have a positive impact on the team,” Nicolini said. “We got really excited and were ready to show them our stuff. Our goal this meet was to hit five for six routines in every event.”
After their first teammate fell during her routine on the balance beam, the rest of the squad felt the pressure to hit their marks. Shumaker, junior Erika Van Dyke and senior Michele Hurlock stepped up their game and took first, second and third in the balance beam, respectively.
“I felt a lot more confident and ready for this meet,” Shumaker said. “This is the first time I’ve won an event in college. It feels good to contribute to the team.”
Coach John Lavallee comments on the event that led the team to a solid victory.
“Our performance on the balance beam was the highest we’ve had all year,” Lavallee said. “We were very happy with our performance.”
Other highlights include senior Marcy Miller winning the uneven bars with a score of 9.675 and sophomore Michelle Ho taking second with a 9.700 in the floor exercise.
“Finishing my routine is the best feeling in the world,” Miller said. “I land and then I just look up at the judge. I see that all that work I’ve been doing has finally paid off.”
The Aggies will travel to Seattle Pacific to take on the Falcons this Friday.
CALEIGH GUOYNES can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
