Three Rutgers Gymnasts Set For NCAA Regionals Saturday
Apr 01 | Women's Gymnastics
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (April 1, 2011) – Three Rutgers gymnasts were selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Gymnastics Northeast Regional Championships and will competed this Saturday, April 2 inside Crisler Arena on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. Sophomores Danielle D’Elia (Colts Neck, N.J.) and Jenna Zito (Rockaway, N.J.) and freshman Luisa Leal-Restrepo (Cali, Colombia) each earned a berth in the NCAA Regionals with Zito and Leal-Restrepo competing in the all-around and D’Elia competing in the floor exercise.
“We are very excited for Danielle, Jenna and Luisa,” said Rutgers head gymnastics coach Chrystal Chollet-Norton. “I know they will represent Rutgers well in the regionals and we look forward to their competition.”
Rutgers was last represented in the NCAA Regionals during the 2007 season when the Scarlet Knights competed as a team in the NCAA Northeast Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich., placing sixth overall.
There are six regional competitions taking place on Saturday. Six teams, five all-around competitors and one individual event specialist per event were named to each of the six regions. The top two teams and the top two all-around performers (who are not on the advancing team) from each region will receive an automatic berth to the national championships in Cleveland, Ohio April 15-17.
Leal-Restrepo earned a regional qualifying all-around score of 39.025 which ranks sixth best in the Northeast Region. She has averaged an all-around score of 38.680 this season. Leal-Restrepo’s regional qualifying score of 9.880 in the floor exercise is fourth-best in the region, while her regional qualifying score of 9.845 on the vault is tied for sixth-best in the region. The freshman has averaged a score of 9.832 in the floor exercise, a 9.798 on the vault, a 9.586 on the bars and a 9.404 on the balance beam this season.
Zito posted a regional qualifying all-around score of 38.390 in the all-around which ranks 12th best in the region. She has averaged a score of 38.228 in the all-around this season. Zito competed in the all-around in nine meets on the season. The sophomore has averaged a score of 9.731 in the floor exercise, a 9.628 on the vault, a 9.469 on the bars, and a 9.397 on the balance beam.
D’Elia earned a berth in the NCAA’s in the floor exercise with a regional qualifying score of 9.840, good for ninth-best in the Northeast Region. In her first season competing with the Scarlet Knights after transferring from Central Michigan, D’Elia competed in the floor exercise in every meet this season. She averaged a score of 9.796 in the floor exercise with a career-high mark of 9.875 in two meets during the season.
The Scarlet Knights are coming off their highest ever finish in the EAGL Championship since becoming a member in 1996 in Saturday’s conference meet. RU posted its highest ever score in the event with a 193.625 to place fifth overall in the eight-team tournament held inside the Charles E. Smith Center on the campus of George Washington University.
