Purple Knights Capture Fifth Straight ECAC Division II Women’s Gymnastics Crown

Bridgeport, Conn.-For the fifth consecutive season, the University of Bridgeport women's gymnastics team has won the ECAC Division II Women's Gymnastics Title.  UB won the 2013 edition of the ECAC Division II in is home arena at the Wheeler Recreation Center in the Park City, as the Purple Knights amassed a total team score of 195.875.  Southern Connecticut State was second with a total of 191.450, and West Chester University took third place with a score of 187.700.  UB won all four events on Saturday taking the vault with a score of 48.800, the bars (49.050), the beam (48.550) and the floor exercise (49.975).

UB sophomore Sasha Tsikhanovich (Marysville, Ohio) won the 2013 ECAC Division II All-Around crown with a total of 39.500 of the four events.  Sasha won the bars (9.925) and the floor exercise (9.950), and she was third on the vault (9.800) and fifth on the beam (9.675).

Teammate Lissette La Fex (Jr., Diamond Bar, California) was second in the all-around with a total of 39.100. La Fex was second on the bars (9.900) and the beam (9.775), and she was seventh on the vault (9.600) and the floor exercise (9.825).

Senior Monica Mesalles Sallares (Barcelona, Spain) won the vault with a score of 9.925, and Monica took second in the floor exercise (9.925).

UB graduate student Lorraine Galow (Suwanee, Georgia) won the beam with a score of 9.850.

The Purple Knights took the first five places in the floor exercise as sophomore Caitlin Perry (N. Kingston, R.I.) and junior Melissa Doucette (Somersworth, N.H.) tied for third with a score of 9.875, plus junior Jenna Hamala-Smith (El Cerrito, California) was fifth with a score of 9.850.

Bridgeport senior Natalie Saimeri (E. Longmeadow, Mass.) took third place on the bars with a score of 9.875.

The ECAC also announced its 2013 End of the Year Division II Women's Gymnastics Awards after Saturday's meet.

ECAC Athlete of the Year:  Sasha Tsikhanovich-Bridgeport

ECAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year:  Emily Seigel-West Chester

ECAC Rookie of the Year:  Nicole Pruchnik- Southern Connecticut State

ECAC Assistant Coach of the Year:  Becky Caravetta-Bridgeport

ECAC Coach of the Year:  Byron Knox-Bridgeport

The University of Bridgeport gymnastics time will now await a history making announcement on Monday afternoon, March 25, when the Purple Knights figure to become the first non-Division I school to be invited as team the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals since the event went to its present non-divisional format.  36 teams will be selected for the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals, and last week, the Purple Knights checked in at number 31 in the nation.  The announcement of the teams that have qualified for the 2013 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Regionals can be seen on www.ncaa.com