Brockport, NY – The defending National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) 2022 East Region Champion and National Runner-Up Brockport gymnastics team starts the 2023 campaign on Sunday. The Golden Eagles head to Ithaca College to begin the season, with the competition starting at 3pm.
 
Leading the Way: Head Coach Dr. Rene Lyst returns to Brockport for her second season with the Golden Eagles. The team saw an impressive amount of success last year under Lyst, with two individual national champions in Senior Kyra Figurelli (floor) and Junior Taylor Bushey (uneven bars), eight NCGA All-Americans, and the east region title.
 
After an undefeated regular season, the Green and Gold fell just short of defending their national title, taking second place behind the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Although the team lost some experience, including NCGA Outstanding Senior of the Year Lexi Castellaneta, Lyst looks poised to help guide the team to another strong season.
 
A Storied History: Brockport continues to be a staple of Division III gymnastics. The team sits on two national titles (2012 & 2019) and 10 regional championships, including the 2022 regional crown. The program has also seen 17 individuals claim national titles, and has 156 NCGA All-Americans.
 
Some New Challenges: The Golden Eagles have some new faces on the schedule this year, after taking on SUNY Cortland and Ithaca on five separate occasions last season. Across their eight regular season meets, Brockport will still see Ithaca the most with four meetings.
 
The Golden Eagles will see Ursinus twice during the regular season, including their first visit to the Bears since 2017. In addition to the annual trip to Division I Cornell, Brockport will also host the Big Red on March 4^th for Senior Day.
 
Another upper division opponent, the Golden Eagles will visit the Purple Knights of Bridgeport for their first meeting since 2018. Brockport will also see SUNY Cortland, Springfield College and Rhode Island College once during the regular season.
 
Roster Moves: Brockport saw six seniors graduate following the 2022 season, as well as one losing one gymnast that transferred to Fisk University. Freshman Lilly Blowers (All-Around), Cali Czarcinski (Balance Beam & Floor Exercise), and Gracie Weaver (Vault, Balance Beam & Floor Exercise) will look to make an immediate impact for the Green and Gold.
 
On top of the freshman, Brockport will see the return of junior Maren Eramo, who missed the 2022 campaign due to injury. A number of gymnasts who saw limited competition time last year will also be looking to jump into the lineup this year.
 
What to Expect – Vault: Coach Lyst has said that this team is deeper and is increasing their difficulties on the vault this year. With both Lexi Castellaneta and Nicole Jackson graduating, there will undoubtedly be a bit of a different look to this lineup.
 
After leading the team last year, junior Sydney Schumaker has two vaults ready for the new season, including a potential 10.0 start value option. Senior Kyra Figurelli and junior Maren Eramo both have start value vaults of 9.95.
 
Sophomore Laken Sooy competed in the vault twice last season and hopes to become a regular with her 9.90 start value. Senior Lauren Blair (9.80 start value) and junior Emma Grace Sargent (9.90 start value) are both returning to the lineup, while junior Marina DelVecchio (9.80 start value) and freshman Gracie Weaver (9.75 start value) will both look to make their mark.
 
What to Expect – Uneven Bars: Expect bars to be an important piece of the puzzle for the Golden Eagles this year. After only losing Jackson, this lineup carries significant experience into the new season.
 
Junior Taylor Bushey is a defending Nation Champion on the bars, and will look to help lead with her 10.0 start value routine. Senior's Rachel Swick and Gabbi Gare, and junior Emma Grace Sargent each have 10.0 start values as well.
 
Junior Maren Eramo and sophomore Aladiana Tosado both have 10.0 start values with a .1 up to the level deduction. You can also expect to see junior Sydney Schumaker, senior Kyra Figurelli, and junior Marina DelVecchio make an impact when called upon.
 
What To Expect – Balance Beam: After a 2022 campaign where beam proved in could be both the teams low and high points during a season, Coach Lyst hopes that returning five gymnasts with competitive experience will help the team find some consistency. All of the gymnasts Brockport expects to see on beam to start this year have 10.0 start value routines.

Juniors Natalie Galioto and Sydney Schumaker return to help lead the team on beam, along with senior Emmie White, and sophomores Olivia Stinnette and Maya Pecoraro. Freshman Gracie Weaver and Cali Czarcinski, sophomores Miranda LaRobardiere and Laken Sooy, and junior Kirsten Paultre all have routines that could land them in the rotation any given week as well.
 
What to Expect – Floor Exercise: Brockport was dominant on the floor in 2022. Losing Castellaneta and Naimah Muhammad will certainly make the lineup look different than last season. The Green and Gold will look toward reigning National Champion and senior Kyra Figurelli to help guide this lineup.
 
Floor returners Emmie White, Natalie Galioto, and Kirsten Paultre will also be key contributors. Similar to beam, expect to see options on the floor, as a total of 11 gymnasts have 10.0 start value routines.
 
This Season:  Brockport will open the 2023 campaign on the road, facing Ithaca on Sunday, January 15th at 3pm. The Golden Eagles first home meet of the season will be on January 28th against Springfield College and Ithaca.
 
Senior Day is scheduled for Saturday, March 4th against Cornell, which will conclude the regular season. The NCGA East Region Championships is being hosted by Ursinus College this year, and will happen the weekend of March 11^th. The National Championships are being hosted by Winona State on March 25^th.
 
Next Weekend: The Golden Eagles will travel to Collegeville, PA next Sunday to compete against Ursinus and Ithaca at the Ursinus Tri-Meet. The action begins at 1pm.