Temple University Athletics
Thursday, January 9
Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
8 p.m.
Temple University
at
Illinois
Relen']['less: Gymnastics is Elevating the Standard in 2020
1.7.20 | Women's Gymnastics
PHILADELPHIA—Temple gymnastics is poised to capitalize on its diligent preseason training and ascend to new levels in 2020 following its historic 2019 campaign. The Cherry and White will open their 2020 slate on Thursday, Jan. 9 in Champaign, Ill. as they face WCGA preseason No. 27 Illinois and No. 36 Lindenwood.
The Owls shifted their mentality last season and successfully executed their focus on depth, control and simplicity. The result was a record-breaking year under the leadership and vision of head coach Josh Nilson and assistant coach Rachel Inniss.
The floor lineup tied the program record of 49.3 on Alumni Night and Monica Servidio broke the all-around record with a 39.225 on March 17. For the first time in program history, Temple took home the ECAC Championship trophy, capturing the title with a program-record 49.225 performance by the beam lineup. The Cherry and White won five of the six ECAC Yearly Awards: Ariana Castrence, Rookie of the Year; India Anderson, Specialist of the Year; Monica Servidio, Co-Gymnast of the Year; Inniss, Assistant Coach of the Year; Nilson, Head Coach of the Year. Six Owls combined for 15 spots on All-ECAC teams and 11 earned places on the All-Academic team.
The season culminated with Anderson, Castrence and Servidio qualifying for the NCAA Athens Regional, tying the most individuals the program has ever had qualify for the event. Servidio and Anderson were Temple's first-ever qualifiers on beam and floor, respectively.
Heading into the new season, the reigning ECAC Champions aim to defend their crown and accomplish something no Temple team has done since 1992: qualify for NCAA Regionals as a team.
"Going into this season, the biggest goal for us is to repeat as ECAC Champions," said Nilson. "I think that's very doable. Qualifying for regionals as a team is another huge goal. That's the next step for us as a team and a program."
The Cherry and White are favored to hoist the ECAC trophy again, as they earned the top spot in the preseason poll with 34 points (four first place votes). A key to achieving the goals they set for themselves is a strong mentality and competitive spirit.
"This year's team has a tough, competitive mindset," said Nilson. "Last year they believed they could accomplish their goals, but this year that belief is on another level. They've trained all preseason to be as close to perfect as they can. We are already sticking more dismounts than we did at the end of last season. That is going to make significant difference for us."
The 2020 Temple gymnastics squad is captained by seniors Jazmyn Estrella and Daisy Todd and junior Delaney Garin. The team features a strong mix of contributing newcomers and impactful returners that promise to yield an even more successful campaign than last year.
Castrence was a spark plug for the Owls in 2019, as she competed in the all-around in all but one meet and set personal records of 9.825 or above in all four events. In her freshman campaign, she earned All-ECAC honors on every event and qualified for the NCAA Athens Regional on vault.
"Ari looks great this year," said Nilson. "She's extremely talented. She is very tuned in all of her four events and is going to debut a lay-out double twist on vault. Last year, Ari was figuring out what college gymnastics was all about, but she's really focused in this year."
Freshmen Madison Brooks and Heidi Vanderboom are poised to make an impact in the bars and vault lineups, respectfully, as they make their collegiate debuts at Illinois on Thursday.
"Madi is very sharp on bars," said Nilson. "She's going to be a gamechanger on that event for us. Heidi is also doing a great job leading off the vault team."
Garin, Jordyn Oster and Tori Edwards have come into their junior campaigns as essential contributors as well. Each had strong seasons last year but have made key improvements to be pivotal performers on numerous events.
As the Cherry and White approach their 2020 slate, one word resonates with everything they do: Relen']['less.
"Relentless to us means never giving up, it doesn't mean being perfect," said Nilson. "That is something we remind each other of every day. We may be in a spot where we have to be tough, but we are not going to quit."
The Owls' 2019 slate is very competitive, as they face two opponents who received rankings in the WCGA Preseason Poll (No. 27 Illinois and No. 36 Lindenwood ) in their first meet of the season. Overall, Temple will compete against seven teams that were ranked in the WCGA Preseason Poll (No. 20 Iowa State, No. 27 Illinois, No. 30 West Virginia, No. 32 George Washington, No. 33 Maryland, No. 35 New Hampshire and No. 36 Lindenwood).
"I'm very excited about this year's schedule," said Nilson. "It really sets the team up to achieve its goals. The biggest thing we are focusing on is proving that we are just as good as these great teams. We approach these competitions just like every other meet, we will do our very best, regardless of the competitor. For us to achieve our goal of qualifying for regionals, we need to do our job the majority of the time."
Temple will host five meets at McGonigle Hall this season. The home-opening meet is set for Jan. 18 and the Ken Anderson Invitational will be held on Jan. 31. Alumni Night is slated for March 6 and the Owls will honor their seniors on March 8. To wrap up its home schedule, Temple will host the ECAC Championship on March 21.
Temple is primed for excellence in 2020. The Owls aspire to be in the conversation with the best teams in the nation and they have the personnel, skill and mentality to do just that.
"As a team, we have elevated our standard," said Nilson. "We have committed to making consistent excellence the standard for Temple gymnastics."
The Owls shifted their mentality last season and successfully executed their focus on depth, control and simplicity. The result was a record-breaking year under the leadership and vision of head coach Josh Nilson and assistant coach Rachel Inniss.
The floor lineup tied the program record of 49.3 on Alumni Night and Monica Servidio broke the all-around record with a 39.225 on March 17. For the first time in program history, Temple took home the ECAC Championship trophy, capturing the title with a program-record 49.225 performance by the beam lineup. The Cherry and White won five of the six ECAC Yearly Awards: Ariana Castrence, Rookie of the Year; India Anderson, Specialist of the Year; Monica Servidio, Co-Gymnast of the Year; Inniss, Assistant Coach of the Year; Nilson, Head Coach of the Year. Six Owls combined for 15 spots on All-ECAC teams and 11 earned places on the All-Academic team.
The season culminated with Anderson, Castrence and Servidio qualifying for the NCAA Athens Regional, tying the most individuals the program has ever had qualify for the event. Servidio and Anderson were Temple's first-ever qualifiers on beam and floor, respectively.
Heading into the new season, the reigning ECAC Champions aim to defend their crown and accomplish something no Temple team has done since 1992: qualify for NCAA Regionals as a team.
"Going into this season, the biggest goal for us is to repeat as ECAC Champions," said Nilson. "I think that's very doable. Qualifying for regionals as a team is another huge goal. That's the next step for us as a team and a program."
The Cherry and White are favored to hoist the ECAC trophy again, as they earned the top spot in the preseason poll with 34 points (four first place votes). A key to achieving the goals they set for themselves is a strong mentality and competitive spirit.
"This year's team has a tough, competitive mindset," said Nilson. "Last year they believed they could accomplish their goals, but this year that belief is on another level. They've trained all preseason to be as close to perfect as they can. We are already sticking more dismounts than we did at the end of last season. That is going to make significant difference for us."
The 2020 Temple gymnastics squad is captained by seniors Jazmyn Estrella and Daisy Todd and junior Delaney Garin. The team features a strong mix of contributing newcomers and impactful returners that promise to yield an even more successful campaign than last year.
Castrence was a spark plug for the Owls in 2019, as she competed in the all-around in all but one meet and set personal records of 9.825 or above in all four events. In her freshman campaign, she earned All-ECAC honors on every event and qualified for the NCAA Athens Regional on vault.
"Ari looks great this year," said Nilson. "She's extremely talented. She is very tuned in all of her four events and is going to debut a lay-out double twist on vault. Last year, Ari was figuring out what college gymnastics was all about, but she's really focused in this year."
Freshmen Madison Brooks and Heidi Vanderboom are poised to make an impact in the bars and vault lineups, respectfully, as they make their collegiate debuts at Illinois on Thursday.
"Madi is very sharp on bars," said Nilson. "She's going to be a gamechanger on that event for us. Heidi is also doing a great job leading off the vault team."
Garin, Jordyn Oster and Tori Edwards have come into their junior campaigns as essential contributors as well. Each had strong seasons last year but have made key improvements to be pivotal performers on numerous events.
As the Cherry and White approach their 2020 slate, one word resonates with everything they do: Relen']['less.
"Relentless to us means never giving up, it doesn't mean being perfect," said Nilson. "That is something we remind each other of every day. We may be in a spot where we have to be tough, but we are not going to quit."
The Owls' 2019 slate is very competitive, as they face two opponents who received rankings in the WCGA Preseason Poll (No. 27 Illinois and No. 36 Lindenwood ) in their first meet of the season. Overall, Temple will compete against seven teams that were ranked in the WCGA Preseason Poll (No. 20 Iowa State, No. 27 Illinois, No. 30 West Virginia, No. 32 George Washington, No. 33 Maryland, No. 35 New Hampshire and No. 36 Lindenwood).
"I'm very excited about this year's schedule," said Nilson. "It really sets the team up to achieve its goals. The biggest thing we are focusing on is proving that we are just as good as these great teams. We approach these competitions just like every other meet, we will do our very best, regardless of the competitor. For us to achieve our goal of qualifying for regionals, we need to do our job the majority of the time."
Temple will host five meets at McGonigle Hall this season. The home-opening meet is set for Jan. 18 and the Ken Anderson Invitational will be held on Jan. 31. Alumni Night is slated for March 6 and the Owls will honor their seniors on March 8. To wrap up its home schedule, Temple will host the ECAC Championship on March 21.
Temple is primed for excellence in 2020. The Owls aspire to be in the conversation with the best teams in the nation and they have the personnel, skill and mentality to do just that.
"As a team, we have elevated our standard," said Nilson. "We have committed to making consistent excellence the standard for Temple gymnastics."
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
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/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
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