Durham, N.H. – After a back-and-forth battle with North Carolina and NC State, the Towson University gymnastics team came out on top at the 2023 EAGL Championships, taking the title for the first time in program history.
                         
The Tigers started off steady for the first rotation, taking second place after posting a 49.250 on floor, led by a pair of 9.875s from Grace Vaillancourt and Isabella Minervini. The Black & Gold fell to third place after the second rotation, but managed to bounce back to second place after bars.
 
It all came down to beam for Towson as only .100 separated first through third place going into the last rotation. The Tigers put up a season high beam score led by huge career highs from Grace Vaillancourt and Lauren Keener to clinch the title at the conclusion of the championship.
 
Towson finished with a final of 196.500, the second highest EAGL score recorded. Nine Tigers picked up top-10 finishes, including one gold medal performance from Grace Vaillancourt. NC State followed with a 196.425. North Carolina took bronze with a 196.350 followed by University of New Hampshire (195.500), Temple (194.925), George Washington (194.525), LIU (194.275) and Pittsburgh (194.225).
 
How it Happened
 
Floor – 49.250

• Polina Belanovski opened the meet for the Tigers with a solid 9.775.
• Carmella Calafati followed with a 9.825.
• Grace Vaillancourt and Isabella Minervini logged a pair of 9.875s to tie for fourth place, only .25 off of both of the gymnasts career highs.
• Seniors Paige Casper (9.850) and Amy Stewart (9.825) closed out the rotation for the Tigers, placing seventh and 15^th respectively.

Vault – 48.950

• Jenna Weitz and Adriana Hoffman started off for Towson with 9.750s.
• Senior Lauren Bolen posted a 9.800.
• Polina Belanovski and Camille Vitoff posted the highest scores for the Tigers - 9.825s to tie for eighth.

Bars – 49.075

• Rookie Isabella Minervini took the lead for the rotation, placing fifth after earning a 9.875.
• Grace Vaillancourt was the next top finisher with a 9.850, good enough for 10^th place.
• Lauren Greene posted a 9.800 for the second consecutive meet.

Beam – 49.225

• Lauren Bolen matched her season high 9.825.
• Grace Vaillancourt posted an incredible career high 9.950 after a seamless routine, receiving a 10.0 from one of the judges. Vaillancourt tied with New Hampshire's Robyn Kelley for the championship title on the event.
• Lauren Keener picked up the second career high of the event for the Tigers, receiving a 9.900 for a routine with minimal errors.

 
Behind the Numbers

• Seventh highest score in program history.
• Fourth highest beam score in program history.
• Eighth highest floor score in program history.
• 13^th 49.000+ on bars this season.
• Grace Vaillancourt posted second best beam score in Towson history.
• Lauren Keener posted fourth best beam score in Towson history.
• 9^th 196.000+ recorded this season, breaks program record for the second time this season.

 
Quotes From Coach

• "This team. This team. This team. The amount of pressure that was on this meet and for them to soar through with grace just says it all! I couldn't be more proud. What an emotional night! Goh Tigers!" – Head coach Jay Ramirez
• "Hard to put into words how proud I am of this team, we did it! Longtime goal becomes a reality. The amount of time, energy and emotion this team has put in was all worthwhile." – Associate head coach Ashley Sauer

 
Up Next On Tiger Gymnastics

• The NCAA Women's Gymnastic Selection Show will air Monday, March 20th at 12 PM on NCAA.com.
• Regionals will take place on March 29 - April 2 at the University of Pittsburgh (subject to change).