Shreveport – The Centenary gymnastics team earned a 184.150 team score on Sunday afternoon as the Ladies placed second to the Texas Woman's University Pioneers in a Midwest Independent Conference dual meet and their home opener inside the Gold Dome.
The Pioneers posted a winning score of 192.450. The Ladies (0-2) improved upon their 181.325 in which they scored in their season-opening meet on Jan. 12 against the Southeast Missouri State University (SEMO) Redhawks in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Texas Woman's, a division III school located in Denton, Texas, is ranked 50th in the latest Road to Nationals rankings while the Ladies are 80th.
The Ladies earned their best event score of Sunday's meet on vault (47.725), which also marked their best event score of the season in any of the four events. Centenary scored a 46.050 on beam, followed by a 45.525 on bars, and a 44.850 on floor. The Pioneers earned a 48.725 on both floor and vault, their best score of the meet, followed by a 47.675 on beam and a 47.325 on bars.
Sophomore Olivia Stratmann (Houston, Texas) earned the Ladies' top score on vault with a season-best 9.65 to place seventh. The Pioneers took first, second, and third place in the event led by a winning score of 9.80 by Kaitlyn Hoiland. Senior Lacey Wedge (Belle Chasse, La.) earned a 9.625 to place eighth, sophomore Sophie Schmitz (Trophy Club, Texas) finished ninth with a season and new career-high 9.50. Sophomore Amy Foret (Bedford, Texas) and senior Isabel Plaza (San Antonio, Texas) tied for 10th place at 9.475 and senior Kendall Huff (Riviera, Texas) was 12th (9.45).
Junior Emma Lavelle (Mandeville, La.) had the Ladies' best finish on beam (9.625) to place fourth. Senior Rylie Molina (Moss Bluff, La.) was fifth (9.60) and Foret tied for seventh place with a 9.50. TWU's Madeline Gose (9.725) won on beam and two of her teammates, Caroline Bowns and Daisy Woodring tied for second place at 9.65.
Schmitz was the Ladies' top finisher on bars (9.375) to place fifth and Stratmann and freshman Olivia Williams (Cape Coral, Fla.) tied for seventh place at 9.15. Stratmann's score is her personal best and Williams made her debut in the event. TWU's Brooke Ferrari won the bars title with a 9.75, Hoiland was second (9.725), and Zarlengo was third (9.70).
Plaza had Centenary's top score on floor with a new career-high 9.45 to place seventh and Wedge finished eighth at 9.25. Gose and Sophie Hernandez tied for the floor title (9.775) and TWU's Kami Zarlengo was third at 9.75.
The Ladies will be back on the road for their next meet, a non-conference dual meet at Greenville University on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 2 p.m. Greenville is a fellow division III school located in Greenville, Ill.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/gymnastics/2023-24/schedule
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests. Live stats and live video stream are available for all Centenary home contests.
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