Rutgers Gymnastics Places Third In George Washington Invitational
Jan 16 | Women's Gymnastics
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Jan. 16, 2011) - Led by placewinners freshman Luisa Leal-Restrepo (Cali, Colombia) and sophomore Danielle D'Elia (Colts Neck, N.J.), the Rutgers women's gymnastics team placed third out of seven teams in the fifth annual Lindsey Ferris George Washington Invitational Sunday afternoon inside the Charles E. Smith Center on the campus of George Washington University. North Carolina captured first-place honors with a score of 193.900, while the host Colonials scored a 191.975 to edge out the Scarlet Knights for runner-up in the seven-team event. Cornell placed fourth with a score of 191.275, while William & Mary scored a 190.275 to place fifth and Temple (189.625) and Pennsylvania (189.425) finished sixth and seventh, respectively.
Leal-Restrepo placed third in the vault with a score of 9.800, while senior Kiah Banfield (Newbury Park, Calif.) was right behind with a score of 9.775 to tie for fourth place in the event. Freshman Alexis Gunzelman (Tabernacle, N.J.) scored a 9.675 to place 10th for RU. North Carolina's Zoya Johnson took the vault title with a score of 9.875.
D'Elia scored a 9.750 to tie for third place on the bars and lead the Scarlet Knights in the event. Gunzelman scored a 9.725 to tie for fifth overall and fellow freshman Alexandria Ivol (Woolwich Twp., N.J.) posted a score of 9.700 on the bars to place ninth overall. Freshman Jenna Zito (Rockaway, N.J.) scored a 9.650 to tie for 11th. Morgan Evans of UNC won the bars title with a score of 9.850.
Sophomore Emma-Rose Trentacosti (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) paced RU on the balance beam with a score 9.725 to tie for eighth overall. Maura Masatsugu of North Carolina scored a 9.850 to take top honors on the balance beam.
Zito scored a 9.800 in the floor exercise to lead the Scarlet Knights and tie for sixth overall in the event. D'Elia posted a 9.775 to tie for ninth, while Leal-Restrepo recorded a score of 9.750 to tie for 11th in the event. George Washington's Leslie Delima scored a 9.875 to take the title in the floor exercise.
Zito and Leal-Restrepo each competed in the all-around for Rutgers. Zito scored a 38.200 to place sixth, while Leal-Restrepo registered a score of 37.925 to finish tied for eighth. Evans took first place in the all-around for North Carolina with a score of 39.250.
Sunday's score was a dramatic improvement from Rutgers' last appearance in the very competitive Lindsey Ferris Invitational as RU placed fifth with a score of 186.250 in 2009.
Rutgers returns to action next Saturday at 1 p.m. when the Scarlet Knights host North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Brown in their 2011 home opener at the Livingston Recreation Center. RESULTS
