BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The College at Brockport reigning National Champions are ready to pick things up where they left off, scheduled to start the 2020 season on home turf against the Cortland Red Dragons. The women's gymnastics team finished the 2019 season with an overall 13-3 record, a regional and national championship, four All Americans and seven Academic All Americans.
The Journey Ahead: The defending National Champions look to start their season at home on Tuesday January 7, at 4 p.m. against SUNY Cortland. The Golden Eagles will only hold one other competition in Brockport this season on January 18th in a tri-meet against Ithaca College and Springfield College. With their continued success, the Golden Eagles also look forward to stepping up their game this season, adding three Division 1 teams to the schedule including Yale, Cornell and Kent State.
Last Season: Last year the Golden Eagles finished with a 13-3 overall record, including making history at the regional competition where they notched a 193.7 overall, the highest ever all-around team score in the East region. The Green and Gold had also surpassed the previous record that they had set in 2017 (193.325). The team kept their record-breaking momentum into the National Championship where they secured their first title since the 2012 season with a score of 191.050 while also being the first team in history to win a championship hosted by the West Region.
Brockport currently holds the record as the only team in the East region to have won two National Championships. The team's performance also set records on campus as the only female team to have won a National Championship. Former senior
Candis Kowalik was named 2019 NCGA East Region Gymnast of the Year after breaking the all-around and regional record with her all-around score. After a noteworthy freshman season,
Lexi Castellaneta also received recognition, picking up the 2019 NCGA East Region Rookie of the Year.
Preseason Rankings: Brockport ended last year ranked 1
st in Vault, Bars, Floor, and the Team All Around and 4
th on the Beam.
New Additions: The Golden Eagles welcome eight new freshman to the team this year including
Nikky Aiello,
Madison Baker,
Lauren Blair,
Hunter Czajkowski,
Kyra Figurelli,
Gabbi Gare,
Rachel Swick and
Emmie White. The Green and Gold are eager to see the edge that this group can bring to the team and the strength they can provide in helping the Golden Eagles secure their place at the National Championship.
Seasoned Vets: Despite losing eight seniors at the end of the year, the Golden Eagles return a wealth of talent to the floor this season including sophomores
Lexi Castellaneta,
Nikki Jackson,
Jensen Todd and
Dorothy Wernick. The junior and senior class create the core of the returners, welcoming back seven juniors and five seniors, each of whom have played their part in the team's recent successes. These returners include juniors
Rachel Doll.
Chanya Earle,
Amy Eck,
Gina Ferdinandi,
Kylie Moran,
Madison Ramper and
Jamie Sklenar and seniors
Rachel Gurgiolo,
Courtney Kamberalis,
Alyssa Klock,
Kim Musall and
Shelby Schumaker.
All-American Status: Jackson and Castellaneta both capped off the 2019 season with All-American status in their respective events. Jackson nailed a 9.725 on the vault to seal the deal and Castellaneta's 9.775 on the floor earned her a spot.
Winning in the classroom: Not only were the Golden Eagles recognized for athletic success but for the hard work they put into their academics as well. With a strong focus on winning in and out of the gym, the Golden Eagles not only marked themselves as an elite group of athletes but also had seven of their eight seniors named Academic All-Americans.
What's Next: After hosting the Red Dragons, the Golden Eagles will be on the road for their next meet where they will head to Providence, Rhode Island Sunday, Jan. 12 for a dual meet against Rhode Island College.
