Last Saturday, the Cornell gymnastics team traveled to Maryland to participate in the Shelli Calloway Invitational hosted by Towson. At the Towson Invitational, Cornell placed third behind its host and Penn, ending the match with a score of 189.1. 

According to head coach Paul Beckwith, the team has been suffering numerous setbacks due to injury and illness, and looked to the Towson Invitational as a way to keep their energy up before the Ivy Classic.

The Red struggled on vault, with junior McKenna Archer scoring Cornell’s highest score of 9.675, placing her in sixth. On both bars and beam, the Red seemed poised to take back the match. Sophomores Alexis Schupp and Melanie Jorgenson placed second and third on bars, with a 9.775 and 9.750, respectively. For beam, senior Melanie Standridge tied for first, earning a 9.825, while Archer placed fourth in a four-way tie, with a 9.725.

The Red appeared to falter on the floor routine, though sophomore Mackenzie Sato had the team’s top score for the event, 9.475. Cornell finished in 13th overall for the event.  

“We were on track to have our best meet of the year,” Beckwith said. “Instead we were a point lower then what we’ve been doing. 

Injuries and illness seem to have come at a bad time for the gymnastics team, according to the coach, as the team prepares for the Ivy Classic on Sunday.

“They’ve struggled to get it all together in a single meet,” Beckwith said. “If there was a time to do it, it would be this weekend.” 

The Ivy Classic is one of the gymnastics team’s most important events, according to Hein. It will pit the team against every other Ivy League gymnastics program, including tough teams like Penn, Brown and Yale. 

“It’s our chance to reclaim the Ivy title,” said junior Sarah Hein. 

The Red won the Ivy Classic four years in a row, only to lose the title last year to Penn. Winning the Ivy Classic this year would be a major victory for the Red, and potentially provide the team with the mental boost it needs for the NCAA tournament.

However, Beckwith is not preoccupied with winning. He says he wants the team to focus on performing as best as they can at the Ivy Classic, and not to worry about winning or losing. 

“You can run your best day ever and still lose,” Beckwith said. “There’s no defense in gymnastics, it’s all offense … What I expect out of my team is to have one of our best days every time we go out and compete. That’s all you can expect out of athletes.”

Hein was in full agreement with Beckwith’s view towards the Ivy Classic. 

“I want us to stay focused on us, not to worry about winning or beating anybody,” she said. “I want us to be consistent and carry our energy throughout the four events.”

The Ivy Classic will be held on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Bartels. Keeping the team energy high will be a necessity for winning the Ivy Classic, according to Hein, and the Red can only hope to do that if they have full attendance on Sunday.