2015 Gymnastics Review
May 06 | Women's Gymnastics
PISCATAWAY, N.J. -- Rutgers gymnastics experienced an historical 2015 season "On the Banks," competing for the first time as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Scarlet Knights placed three gymnasts at NCAA Regionals, broke the school record on floor exercise, competed in front of three home sellouts and hosted a meet at the RAC to highlight the campaign.
The Scarlet Knights posted a season-high mark of 195.375 on Jan. 24 at the Livingston Recreation Center.
RU graduated four Scarlet Knights, as Anastasia Halbig (Schwenksville, Pa.), Emma Hoffman (Union, N.J.), Luisa Leal (Cali, Colombia) and Sara Skammer (Dallas, Pa.) all wrapped up their collegiate careers. Thirteen gymnasts who saw action are slated to return next season.
Big Ten Debut
Ten of Rutgers' 12 meets this season involved Big Ten competition, which included an appearance at the Big Ten Championships. The Big Ten proved to be one of the most competitive conferences in the country, as nine made it to NCAA Regionals and two conference teams (Michigan and Nebraska) qualified for the NCAA Championships. Individual qualifiers also represented Illinois, Ohio State and Minnesota in the national field.
"We learned how to compete and what it was like to be in the Big Ten, which was an obvious huge first step," said head coach Louis Levine. "I think it's all positive. You compete against the best and it makes it easier to strive to get to that level."
Rutgers shined on vault at the Big Ten Championships as the Scarlet Knights posted a 49.150 team score, tied for the second-highest team total in program history. The score also tied Iowa for the highest vault score of the morning session. RU posted a 193.125 overall score at the meet, which was broadcast nationally on Big Ten Network.
At the Big Five qualifier in Minneapolis, Minn., Rutgers landed a 194.150 team score, which also featured Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota and Penn State on BTN.
"I think competing at both the Big Ten Conference Championship and the Big Five meet allowed us to see what big time gymnastics is all about. We've taken a lot from that and will use it moving forward."
NCAA Regional Individual Appearances
Three Scarlet Knights qualified for NCAA Regionals this season, as Leal, freshman Elizabeth Groden (Abbottstown, Pa.) and junior Jenna Williams (Bordentown, N.J.) each posted 9.800 totals in their respective events at West Virginia University.
"One of the main positives of the season was the appearance of Luisa, Libby and Jenna at Regionals," Levine said. "They didn't just go, they went and did well. Libby finished top-10 in all-around competition and both Jenna and Luisa hit their routines. To go into any meet, all you really hope is to hit 100 percent of your routines and we did that. That was a really good end note to our season."
Competing for the fourth time at the NCAA Regionals, Leal concluded her gymnastics career with a 9.800 on vault, the 10th time she eclipsed the 9.800 mark this season.
Williams ended her junior campaign with a 9.800 on uneven bars, representing the Scarlet Knights for the third time in her career. Her individual mark tied for 10th amongst 42 uneven bar competitors and was the ninth time she went above 9.800 in the event in 2015.
Groden impressed during her first appearance at Regionals, finishing 10th amongst all-arounders with a 38.850 total. The rookie scored best on balance beam with a 9.800, tying a personal high in the event. She also posted an impressive score on floor exercise with a 9.750.
Into the Record Books
Rutgers set numerous program records during its 2015 campaign, highlighted by a program-best 49.375 floor exercise team score March 7 at the RAC.
All six Scarlet Knight competitors went over the 9.800 mark during the record-setting rotation, with sophomore Claire Jones (Gaffney, S.C.) tying a personal career-best with a 9.900 individual total. Leal, Groden and senior Emma Hoffman (Union, N.J.) each landed 9.875 routines, while sophomore Charly Santagado (Celebration, Fla.) and freshman Jenna Crisalli (Freehold, N.J.) went over the 9.800 threshold.
The Scarlet Knights also registered two of the top 10 scores in program history, including a season-best 195.375 Jan. 24 during their home opener at the Livingston Gym. The score was the sixth highest in team history. RU added to the record books with a 195.200 during its RAC meet, ninth best for the program.
Two gymnasts contributed 9.900 scores during the season, as Hoffman and Jones both eclipsed the impressive mark. Hoffman landed a 9.900 on uneven bars Jan. 24, which was tied for second in program history. Jones' 9.900 at the RAC tied for the fourth highest total in the event for a Scarlet Knight. Luisa also got a 9.9 on vault at Towson.
Sellouts and Record Crowds
Rutgers competed in front of sellout crowds in each of the team's three home meets at the Livingston Gym during the 2015 campaign. The Scarlet Knights have appeared in front of five straight sellouts at the Livingston Gym dating back to last season.
In its final home competition of the season, Rutgers competed at the RAC for the first time since the 2006 season. In front of 1,477 fans, RU secured a 195.200 to finish first during the tri-meet.
In four meets on campus, the Scarlet Knights finished with at least the second highest score during competition.
"We've really done a great job of selling out the arena," Levine said. "We feed off of the energy level that comes from it and the energy levels that come off of it are great. It was great for our three home meets and it was great for the RAC meet. It's an advantage."
Levine Q&A
On the depth of the team: "I think we definitely used our depth through the course of the season. Just about every one of our kids competed during the season, I think we competed 17 of our athletes, so we used it. We've been trying to build that depth and the freshmen played a huge role in that. They contributed a lot of routines, and that will bode well for us in the future."
On how competing in the Big Ten has helped recruiting: "Being able to compete on live television this season helps and opens up doors in all of the Big Ten states because you're able to tell those recruits that they will be able to compete in front of their parents and family at least once every other year. The recognition of the Rutgers' brand has become even more noticeable than ever before. All of those things help."
On the performance of freshman Elizabeth Groden at Regionals: "Libby probably had, if not her best, one of her top-two all-around meets of the year. I think that was important for her to finish on a high note and be able to build off of that moving forward. It's hard to do all-around and there are not a lot of people who do it, so it is one of the more difficult things to be at a high level for all four events and I think she did a really good job and should be proud of her performance."
On the impact of the senior class: They came in when I came in. They were freshmen when I was in my first year. We've learned and there have been growing pains along the way. They competed a lot for us. They did a lot of routines during their careers and between the four of them, they saw the highs and lows. Those highs were obviously making Regionals last year and breaking most of the records there are here in their time with the program. Unfortunately at the end of every year, you lose somebody, so we'll take a step forward and try to keep them involved with the program as alumni. That was the first class when I got here. No one else can say that so they will hold a special place in my heart."
On vault: "Vault was probably our most consistent event throughout the year. It really came down to the competition within our team in the gym. You had to have been hitting day in and day out if you wanted to vault. It was definitely the deepest vault lineup we've had since I've been here. We had contributions from all of the classes there. You had Luisa and Sara from the senior class, and then Jenna and Nicolette in the junior class. April in the sophomore class and then Libby and Sahara. It was a really diverse event that helped us push 49s week in and week out. We set a standard and that will help us in the long run."
On uneven bars: "We had the individuals to do really well there. Emma put up a 9.9 this year. You had April and Jenna Williams who were doing 9.8s and 9.85s this year. It was a good group and a pretty consistent group. Only seven competed there this year. They really pushed one another and really had the ability to put up 49s."
On balance beam: "Beam wasn't always our best event, but at times it was. We have some really great beam workers. Beam is one of the hardest events to score high and consistently on. You take a big step on floor and you're still on, but you take a big step on beam and you're off the beam. The margin for error is smaller, so I think we had some really outstanding performances."
On floor exercise: "At the beginning of the year, floor was a struggle for us and I was a bit worried. By the end, we were strong in it. During our final home meet, we broke our floor record. We used depth, using four freshmen, three sophomores. It was really one of our youngest lineups, and that bodes well for us and our future. They had some great success in that event."
Players Mentioned
