Gymnastics squeaks by on senior night

Pat Longobardi, Sports Writer-
SUNY-Brockport senior Kaitlin Dewey won three of four events, but Rebecca Brady, who won the vault event, led the Southern Owl’s gymnastics team to a victory against SUNY-Brockport and Rhode Island College in a tri-meet, Feb. 12 at the Moore Field House.
Southern won the meet with an overall score of 185.825. SUNY-Brockport (184.750) placed second. Rhode Island (162) placed third.

Southern honored two seniors on this year’s squad before the competition, Justine Basley and Samantha Laraway.
“You know it’s crazy, it hasn’t really hit me yet,” said Basley. “I remember my freshman year, not really knowing what to expect.”
Southern was defeated by Temple University, 186.425 – 185.375, in their last competition on Jan. 29 in New Haven.
Southern’s order of competition included the vault, bars, balance beam and floor exercise. Dewey won the balance beam event with an overall score of 9.650. Southern’s Mallory Miller (9.550) placed second, and Deni Morgan (9.300) placed third. Southern scored a 45.050 in the event, a score of 137.900 overall. SUNY-Brockport scored a 44.800, a score of 44.800 [SAME SCORE TWICE] overall. Rhode Island scored a 40.600 in the event, a score of 76.725 overall.
“Well we had a few setbacks in warm-ups and we had to go deeper into the lineup,” said Basley. “You know, it’s gymnastics and those things happen, but we did all that we could do.”
Basley was held to only one event, the bars, due to rolling her ankle during warm-ups.
Southern’s Brady won on the vault event with an overall score of 9.450. There was a three-way tie for second place. Southern’s Shannon Martin, and SUNY-Brockport’s Taryn Kateridge and Dewey each had a 9.325. Southern scored a 46.000 in the event, 46.000 [SAME SCORE TWICE] overall. SUNY-Brockport scored a 45.550, 136.900 overall. Rhode Island scored a 42.525, 162 overall.
Dewey won the uneven parallel bars event with an overall score of 9.775. Basley placed second with a 9.650. SUNY-Brockport’s Elizabeth Levy placed third with a 9.600. SUNY-Brockport scored a 47.850 in the event, a score of 184.750 overall. Southern scored a 46.850, 92.850 overall. Rhode Island scored a 36.125, 36.125 overall.
Dewey won the floor exercise event with an overall score of 9.800. Southern’s Brianna Ecklof (9.700) placed second, and Laraway (9.650) placed third. Southern scored a 47.925 in the event, a score of 185.825 overall. SUNY-Brockport scored a 46.550, 91.350 overall. Rhode Island scored a 42.750, 119.475 overall.
Laraway said she was nervous knowing that this was her last home meet, but she did not want to let her nerves get to her.
“I will miss the family feeling here at Southern,” said Laraway. “I was close to everyone in my classes of exercise science, and then with gymnastics, it was like my second family.”
Four participants competed all-around. SUNY-Brockport’s Dewey (38.550) and Levy (37.500), and Rhode Island’s Kate Bachelder (33.625) and Courtney Mailloux (31.450).
Southern head coach Jerry Nelson said he is optimistic as Southern’s schedule really picks up from here against a bunch of Division I teams including Yale, Towson, Rutgers, Brown and California.
“I’m actually looking forward to it because the athletes rise to the challenge,” said Nelson. “It’s not so much about getting ‘Ws,’ but how well we perform.”
Southern moved to 7-2 on the season. SUNY-Brockport is 5-7. Rhode Island is 0-10.
Southern has six more regular season competitions. Southern’s next competition is on Feb. 19 at Yale University.