2011 Rutgers Gymnastics Season Preview
Jan 03 | Women's Gymnastics
As head coach Chrystal Chollet-Norton embarks on her final season “On the Banks” her program is rich in talent and full of promise. A group of eight seniors will provide leadership to a standout group of talented underclassmen that expect to continue to see an important role in the regular lineup.
A group of 20 letterwinners return to form a talented and experienced roster. Coupled with a group of six newcomers that have shown an abundance of promise in preseason workouts, RU will look to improve on its highest scores from a season ago. The Scarlet Knights will have strong depth in each of their rotations and, barring injuries, can expect to utilize a lot of their talented roster in each meet.
Rutgers, which earned a spot in the finals of the United States Collegiate National Championships in 2010, has elevated the program to compete in the NCAA Championships this winter. With the support of everyone associated with the program, the Scarlet Knights have made it their goal to compete with the best of the best in collegiate women’s gymnastics.
“The coaching staff is excited about this year,” said Chollet-Norton, the 25-year Scarlet Knight mentor who announced her intentions to retire at the conclusion of the season. “This team has great chemistry. They want to take this program to the next level and are working towards this goal. The team came back in great shape and the fall training has been outstanding. This is an exciting time for Rutgers gymnastics. We are a sleeping giant that will be a team to be reckon with this season. We are looking forward to surprising a lot of teams this season.
“As a head coach entering her last season, I told my team to have a great time every day in practice, to smile and enjoy and to surprise our competitors,” Chollet-Norton added.
ALL-AROUND
The Scarlet Knights return their most valuable gymnast from a year ago in Jenna Zito. The sophomore took home the prestigious award in her first season “On the Banks” with impressive showings in the all-around. She was honored as an All-EAGLE gymnast in the all-around and has improved on her 37.743 average. Fellow sophomore Nicole Romano (37.502 average last season) and junior Nicole Schwartz (36.850 average last season) each have experience competing in the all-around. Several promising newcomers may also compete in the all-around for the Scarlet Knights.
“This season will see a strong class of all-arounders,” said Chollet-Norton. “Our top all-arounder is returning in Jenna Zito. She has had a great pre-season and is looking sharp for the season. Incoming freshmen Luisa Leal, Alexis Gunzelman and Alyssa Straub may also perform in the all-around for us. All three have shown strong skills so far.”
VAULTING
Senior Kiah Banfield headlines a strong group in the vault. She averaged a 9.543 in the vault last season as one of the Scarlet Knights’ top vaulters. The departure of last season’s graduating seniors and standout vaulters Alyssa Lewandowski and Laura Sevarino will certainly be missed, but RU will display a solid unit with an abundance of depth. Junior Nicole Schwartz and sophomores Jenna Zito and Nicole Romano each have extensive experience in the vault, while junior Danae Johnson was a regular in the vault before suffering a season-ending injury last season.
“The vaulting team will have more depth and experience than we have had in a long time,” said Chollet-Norton. “With the return of our top vaulters, Kiah Banfield, Danae Johnson, Maddie Zwiebel, Jenna Zito and Nicole Romano we will have a lot of experience in the lineup. Kiah will be competing at a higher level vault for us this season. We also have several top freshmen to add to our depth in this event. Newcomers who will make an impact on the vault will be Luisa Leal, Alexis Gunzelman, Alyssa Straub and transfer Danielle D’Delia. We also expect to see Kerry Silverman and Leigh Heinbaugh contribute on the vault.
“This is the first season that our vaulting team will have a line-up of all 9.9 and 10.0 start values which will add a lot to the overall team score. The coaching staff is excited about our vaulting team. We have developed into a very strong team which we hope leads to great scores during the season. Our vaulting team has moved to the same level withthe top teams in the nation.”
BARS
With eight Scarlet Knights returning that have experience on the bars, the 2011 lineup will be another strong rotation for RU. Headlining the group is First Team All-American Erica Gerlach, who placed third on the bars at the United States Collegiate Nationals last April. The graduation of bars standout Prishani Seebadri will have an effect, but RU brings a plethora of talent to the 2011 line-up. Sophomore Emma-Rose Trentacosti (9.070 average) competed in every meet on the bars last season, while fellow sophomores Nicole Romano (9.310) and Jenna Zito (9.332) were regulars in the bars line-up in 2010. Fellow sophomore Jayne Jeffreys and junior Nicole Schwartz and senior Ellese Gold have experience in the event as well.
“This year’s bars line-up will be one of great experience,” said Chollet-Norton. “We are returning several leaders in Erica (Sunny) Gerlach, Jenna Zito, Nicole Romano, Jayne Jeffreys and Emma-Rose Trentacosti who will help guide our newcomers. Freshman Luisa Leal, a Colombian National Team member, as well as Alexandria Ivol, Alexis Gunzelman, Alyssa Straub and transfer Danielle D’Elia will have a major impact on the bars. The unit has more depth than we have had in several years and these girls have the potential to score a 9.8 or higher on their routines. We now have the depth to interchange the line-up and rest team members throughout the year.”
BALANCE BEAM
Returning to the balance beam line-up are six Scarlet Knights who have experience in the event. Sophomore Emma-Rose Trentacosti was one of RU’s top competitors on the balance beam last season with an average score of 9.482 in the event. Senior Leigh Heinbaugh (9.236 average last season) and junior Nicole Schwartz (9.337 average last season) as well as sophomore Jenna Zito (9.304 average last season) will also play an important role in the balance beam line-up in 2011. Heinbaugh advanced to the finals of the balance beam and earned First Team All-American honors in the event at the United States Collegiate Nationals last season. She will look to build on her experience in 2011.
“Once again, we expect the balance beam to be one of our most successful events,” said Chollet-Norton. “Leigh Heinbaugh, Nicole Schwartz, Maddie Zwiebel, Emma-Rose Trentacosti, Jenna Zito and Nicole Rose make for a very good line-up. Newcomers Luisa Leal, Holy Murray, Alexis Gunzelman and Alyssa Straub could also have a major impact in this event. All these newcomers have USA regional and national level competition experience and will add great depth to the line-up.”
FLOOR EXERCISE
The floor exercise has been one of RU’s top events in recent years and this year should be no different. RU averaged 48.044 in the floor exercise in 2010 and bring back several top gymnasts in the event this winter. A solid group of returning letterwinners who have excelled in the event make for a promising showing in 2011. Senior Kiah Banfield (9.682 average last season) and sophomores Jenna Zito (9.650 average last season) and Nicole Romano (9.498 average last season) will lead the group. Junior Danae Johnson, who earned First Team All-America honors in the floor exercise as a freshman in 2009, hopes to return from injury last season to perform at a high level.
“This year should be an exciting year for the floor exercise,” said Chollet-Norton. “With a strong returning class and a solid group of newcomers, this year’s squad should be one the best we have had in the past several seasons. The team is returning Kiah Banfield, Nicole Romano, Jenna Zito, Nicole Schwartz and Maddie Zwiebel, who will provide a strong foundation in this event. Several newcomers could have an immediate impact, including Luisa Leal, Alyssa Straub, Alexis Gunzelman and Danielle D’Elia. We hope to see scores in the 9.8 or higher range in this event this season.”
