Gymnastics Preparing For Ken Anderson Invitational at Home Friday

Friday, February 16

Philadelphia, Pa.

6:00 PM

Temple University

Southern Connecticut State

Gymnastics Preparing For Ken Anderson Invitational at Home Friday

2.14.24 | Women's Gymnastics

Live Results Watch (ESPN+)

PHILADELPHIA - The Temple gymnastics team will return to action inside McGonigle Hall on Friday, Feb.16 at 6 p.m. with the Ken Anderson Invitational, featuring Ursinus, Southern Connecticut State, and Bridgeport. Friday's meet will be the second annual Cause Meet in which each of the Temple gymnasts will display a cause that is important to them. The meet will be available on ESPN+.

Following the meet, Temple gymnasts will move to the concourse level for post-meet autographs.

ROAD TO THE NATIONALS
The Owls fell from 59th to 60th in the Road to Nationals rankings after Week 6 when they scored a 194.075 in the dual meet at Penn. After six meets in 2024, Temple has averaged 193.608. Thus far, the Owls' best event after five meets is the floor exercise where they have averaged a 48.888 which the team 49th in the nation. The other NQS national scores include Vault - 48.567 (60th), Bars - 48.196 (59th), Beam- 47.958 (66th).

VAULT
The Owls used nine gymnasts thus far this season on vault, with freshmen Hailey Best, Hannah Weklar, Amelia Budd, and junior Madison Dorunda seeing action on the apparatus for the first time in their careers. Fellow junior Summer Ruskey returned to the Owls' vault lineup for the first time since 2022.

Both senior Mackenzie Aresta and freshman Hannah Weklar tied for second place as the duo scored 9.8. For Weklar, it was a career-high score on vault, while Aresta picked up her second score of 9.8 or better this season. Budd and junior Summer Ruskey earned respectable scores on the apparatus with a 9.775 and 9.7, respectively.

Notably, senior Renee Schugman has been the most consistent TU performer on vault, averaging 9.725. She's earned a 9.7 or better in four of the five meets she's competed.

BARS
During their last time out during the Feb. 9 during the dual meet at Penn. Junior Sarah Stallings added her third bars event championship with tie of first place with a 9.850.

Including Stallings, sophomore Emily Johnson and senior Cyrena Whalen finished in the top three places on bars. Both Johnson and Whalen tied for third place. Both Owls' gymnasts have put together a 9.775. It was Johnson's four score in the 9.7 range, while Whalen has put together her third in a row of such scores.

Thus far through five meets, the junior Stallings has won a team-best three times on bars. Stallings started out the season with three-straight 9.8s or better and now her fourth overall. In her career, the Raleigh, N.C. native has earned 19 scores of 9.8-plus and eight bars event championships.

BEAM
Senior Brooke Donabedian's 9.825 led the meet as she picked up her second event win on the night and second on beam this season. Junior Madison Dorunda and senior Schugman secured a pair of 9.8s. Freshman Payton Monk was inserted to the beam lineup for the first time this season. The Hanover Township, Pa. native picked up a 9.7 score.

After six meets in 2024, Schugman has been the Owls' most consistent gymnast on beam, averaging, 9.775. Schugman has scored 9.8 in four of the six meets, including picking up a win at West Virginia earlier in the season.

FLOOR
The Owls outscored Penn in the third rotation as they scored 48.825 to 48.600 for the Quakers.

Senior Brooke Donabedian added a 9.9 winning score. It was her third win of the season and eighth of her career. Including Donabedian, each of the last four Owls on floor scored a 9.7 or better. The other trio of Owls includes, Madison Dorunda (9.750), Hannah Stallings and Payton Monk (9.8).Skylar Shafran got her first action on the floor for the first this season, picking up a 9.600.

The Owls have used the seven gymnasts on the floor all season which includes Hannah Stallings, Brooke Donabedian, Renee Schugman, Summer Ruskey, Payton Monk, Madison Dorunda, and Skylar Shafran.

Temple's floor team put on its best performance of the season one month ago at home versus Towson as it scored a 49.175, tying the score from a week earlier. During the meet, senior Brooke Donabedian led the team as she scored a 9.875. As a team, each of the six gymnasts scored at least a 9.800 or better. Highlighting that group, was 9.850s from freshman Payton Monk and junior Hannah Stallings. For Monk, it was the second time in meets she scored her career-benchmark, while Stallings earned her career-high for the first time.

The freshman Monk and the senior Donabedian have been the only two floor team members to score at least a 9.700 each time out this season. Monk has scored at least a 9.800 in four of the first six meets, including putting together a 9.850 in back-to-back meets earlier this season.

Donabedian has also been a consistent performer in the event with four scores in at least the 9.8 range. The Maple Valley, Wash. native has added three events wins and twice this season she's scored a 9.900 and now 11 times in her career.

SCOUTING BRIDGEPORT
In its last time out, Bridegeport faced off against two other Connecticut schools, scoring 192.650 at Yale's Tonry Invitational. The Purple Knights scored their third highest team score this season, but fell to the host Yale with a 195.125 and Southern Connecticut which scored 193.050.

During the meet, Bridgeport earned the top team score vault as well with Emily Hernandez scoring a 9.750. Senior Kieran Ross followed with 9.725 in the same event. Abigail Kenney led SCSU on the beam with a 9.775, which was good for second place. At meets' end, Kenney also finished second in the all-around with a tally of 38.650.

SCOUTING SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT STATE
The Owls picked up their first win of the season and three event titles during a tri-meet at home on Saturday against Rhode Island and Springfield. Junior Alexa Melanson recorded the highest score and a career-best of 9.800, good for first place. On the uneven bars, freshman Gigi Mastellone tied for the highest score of the day with a 9.800, which matched her career-best and a first-place finish. On the vault, junior Lexi Bracher had the highest score of 9.750 and recorded a first place finish for the Owls.

On Sunday Southern Connecticut posted a season-high score of 193.050 against Yale and Bridgeport at the Tonry Invitational on Sunday. The freshman Mastellone added a first-place score of 9.850 on bars.

SCOUTING URSINUS
During Saturday's meet at West Chester, the Bears fell to the Golden Rams, 193.850-186.575.

Ursinus' best event coming out of the meet came from the vault. The top three Bear's performers on vault scored at least a 9.625. Arianna Ellis scored a season-high 9.7, leading to finish sixth overall. Megan Matteucci followed, finishing with a 9.650, while Ashley Cromer registered a career-high score of 9.625.

UP NEXT
Temple gymnastics will return to action on Feb. 23 with a dual meet at Towson.