Gymnastics Welcomes Eight Newcomers this Fall

PHILADELPHIA - Temple women's gymnastics welcomes eight new Owls to the nest to compete in the 2017-18 season. This year's freshman class is comprised of Aryanna Anderson, Tori Edwards, Erica Fuchs, Delaney Garin, Kaci Martir, Jordyn Oster, Madison Rennix, and Monica Servidio.

"This is definitely one of the most talented recruiting classes the program has ever brought in. With eight freshmen joining the team, we have a great deal of talent to pull from," head coach Umme Salim-Beasley says. "So far, the freshmen have brought a ton of energy and excitement to our team and have definitely pushed the upperclassmen to get back into gymnastics shape very quickly."

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Aryanna Anderson
Cherry Hill, N.J. | Cherry Hill East | TNT Elite Gymnastics

Notes: Anderson was able to make her mark as a standout in high school. In 2016, the Cherry Hill junior placed second on vault and third all-around at regionals. During her senior campaign, Anderson earned third place all-around at the regional meet. The two-time national qualifier will add great skill to the floor and vault lineup.

"Aryanna will be a wildcard for us this season. She has explosive gymnastics skills that could potentially place her in a position to contribute on every event." – Salim-Beasley

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Tori Edwards
Haymerket, Va. | Battlefield | GMS Gymnastics

Notes: Edwards is a four-time Level 10 Region 7 and Virginia State qualifier. As a junior, Edwards placed first all-around at both the Arizona Sunrays Classic Rock Invitational and Ozone Invitational. The Haymarket, Va., native gave a third-place show on floor at the 2016 Level 10 Region 7 Championships and then returned to place second all-around in 2017.

"We can tell that Tori's skill set could definitely be used in all four events. Based off of the intensity of her practices, she shows the determination to challenge for a spot in every lineup. She has impeccable form which makes her gymnastics very pretty to watch. We look forward to having Tori add consistency on all four events."– Salim-Beasley

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Erica Fuchs
Easton, Pa. | Easton Area | Parkettes National Gymnastics Center

Notes: Fuchs, is an all-around two-time state qualifier. As a junior, the Easton, Pa., native qualified for regionals and then emerged as the floor state champion her senior year. For the Owls, Fuchs is projected to contribute to the all-around line-up this season.

"Erica is a very hard worker. She gets assignments done immediately. Her dedication and commitment have been great contributions to our training this fall. Look for Erica to make an immediate impact on bars, beam and floor. Her elegant style will be reflected in her beam and floor routines."- Salim-Beasley

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Delaney Garin
Fairfax, Va. | W.T. Woodson | Capital Gymnastics NTC

Notes: Garin is a two-time Junior Olympic National qualifier and served as a 2014 alternate. A Fairfax, Va., native, Garin was a four-time state champion on bars, a three-time state champion all-around, and was named the 2015 floor state champion. Throughout her high school career, she racked up eight top-10 finishes at the Level 10 Regional across beam, bars, floor and all-around.

"In each of Delaney's routines, she proves to be a gymnast that doesn't give away deductions. Her performances are very clean and precise, which makes her a reliable addition to our lineups." – Salim-Beasley

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Kaci Martir
Liberty Township, Ohio | Lakota West | Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy

Notes: In 2017, Martir qualified for the Junior Olympic Nationals and earned third place overall all-around. As a sophomore, she was named the all-around Level 9 Region 5 champion and qualified for the Eastern National Championships. During her freshman year, Martir qualified for the Region 7 Championships. In the classroom, she managed to maintain a spot on the honor roll throughout her high school career.

"Kaci hails from one of the best gymnastics clubs in the country. The solid gymnastics foundation that she learned as a gymnast there helped her to learn great technique as well as achieve a tough competitive mindset. Kaci's skills are high flying and explosive. We should be seeing big scores from her on bars and floor". - Salim-Beasley

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Jordyn Oster
Perry Hall, Md. | Eastern Technical | Harford Gymnastics Club

Notes: As a junior, Oster was named Maryland Outstanding Gymnast of the Year. She was a member of the Maryland State team and placed third all-around at state championships. Oster is a three-time regional qualifier and reached an all-around high of 37.7 during her junior year. Once fully recovered from a senior-year shoulder injury, she is expected to contribute to every lineup.

"Jordyn is very a determined athlete. She was sidelined last year due to a shoulder injury. Her will to compete pushed her to progress very quickly this fall. She has positioned herself to be a possible contributor on every event. Her difficult tumbling on floor will drastically elevate the status of our lineup." - Salim-Beasley

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Madison Rennix
Ambler, Pa. | Philadelphia Montgomery Christian | Silvia's Gymnastics

Notes: Rennix is a four-time regional and two-time Junior Olympics qualifier. As a senior, she was a national qualifier placing third overall on floor, fifth on beam, and seventh all-around. In 2016, she was Pennsylvania's floor state champion and earned two top-10 finishes in both beam and all-around. During her sophomore campaign, she earned fifth overall on beam at regionals. As a freshman, she was the floor state champion and earned second and third place finishes at regionals on floor and vault, respectively. Rennix was a four-year honor roll student at Philadelphia Montgomery Christian outside of gymnastics. Her combination of skills will make her an immediate contributor on both the floor and vault lineups.

"We've noticed that Madison's strengths are on floor and vault and predict that she will be an immediate contributor on each of those events. She is pushing herself to compete a 10.0 start value vault this season. If we are able to add her vault to our lineup, we should be able to increase our teams scoring potential. Maddy is a very powerful tumbler. Her performance has a lot of personality and her tumbling looks to be effortless. Her floor routine should be an exciting one to watch." - Salim-Beasley

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Monica Servidio
Howell, N.J. | Howell | Action Gymnastics Academy

Notes: Servidio is a four-time Level 10 Regional qualifier. In 2017, she qualified for the Junior Olympics Nationals where she took 11th place on vault. Servidio earned four top-10 finishes at the 2017 Level 10 Regional, highlighted by a second-place show on vault. At states the same year, she earned two top-10 finishes on vault and all-around placing sixth and ninth, respectively. At the 2015 Level 10 N.J. State Championship, she earned sixth place on bars, beam and all-around. As a freshman, she was a regional beam medalist and was then named the Level 10 N.J. State Champion on both floor and beam.

"Monica takes her training very seriously. She never wastes any time during practice. She has a fantastic work ethic. So far, she has been doing a great job perfecting her routines. She constantly works to upgrade her skills. Monica's goal is to be an all-arounder for us this season. By increasing her difficulty this fall, she has positioned herself well to be considered for a spot in all four lineups."- Salim-Beasley

Overall, Temple women's gymnastics is excited for the squad's new additions.

"This year's freshman class is the start of the direction our staff wants the gymnastics program to move in," says Salim-Beasley. "We were able to spend a good amount of time recruiting each of these young women, diligently putting together a team that could add depth to all of our lineups. The consistency, skill level and determination each freshman brings with them will place our team in a position where we can be competitive with every team we compete against. We had a standout season in 2017, which came as a pleasant surprise to us. This year's team has all the qualities necessary to continue to build off of last year's momentum and raise the program to new heights."