PHILADELPHIA – The Towson University gymnastics team, the East Atlantic Gymnastics League regular season champion, prepares for its title defense as the Tigers go to Philadelphia for the 2025 EAGL Championship on Saturday, March 22 at 5 p.m.
 
The meet will be streamed on ESPN+, with Christina Chauvenet and Kevin Hession live on the call from the Liacouras Center.
 
Towson is the two-time defending champion of the EAGL Championship.  All five EAGL members will compete in the championship at Temple University as Towson will go against George Washington, LIU, New Hampshire and Temple. 
 
Towson is coming off a pair of second-place finishes in meets involving several top-50 teams, last earning a 195.975 team score at the Maryland Quad Meet on Sunday.  GW was in the same meet, getting third with a team score of 195.250.  LIU is entering after a third place finish in the North Star Collegiate Championship in Minnesota, taking third with a 191.900 team score.  New Hampshire had a team score of 195.750 on Sunday, its highest score of the year, in a dual meet defeat vs. Rutgers while Temple finished fourth at the Nebraska Quad Meet with a 194.550 team score.
 
The Tigers have taken on all EAGL teams at least twice this season.
vs. George Washington - 3-2
vs. LIU - 2-0
vs. New Hampshire - 3-0
vs. Temple - 2-0
 
Towson's victories over the EAGL teams include all the EAGL meets on the season.
 
TWO-TIME DEFENDING EAGL CHAMPION….
Towson returns in 2025 as the two-time defending East Atlantic Gymnastics League (EAGL) Tournament champion, the league's first repeat champion since North Carolina won in 2010 and 2011.
 
In 2023, a 9.9 beam routine by Lauren Keener secured Towson's first-ever EAGL title with a team score of 196.500 in Durham, N.H.  The next year, Towson, the EAGL regular season champion with a 4-0 league record, won the EAGL championship at TU Arena with a team score of 197.300, the highest team score in the history of the EAGL Championship, first competed in 1996.
 
…AND FOUR-TIME NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT FROM 2021-24
Towson has earned a spot in the last four NCAA Tournaments as part of the top-36 teams in the national qualifier scores (NQS) each year.  2024 saw Towson surpass the regional first round as the No. 21 team in the nation with a NQS of 196.935.
2021 – NCAA Morgantown Regional Second Round
2022 – NCAA Raleigh Regional First Round
2023 – NCAA Pittsburgh Regional First Round
2024 – NCAA Gainesville Regional Second Round
 
BRINGING BACK THE STAFF…….
Three-time EAGL Coach of the Year and four-time WCGA Southeast Region Coach of the Year Jay Ramirez is back for sixth season at the helm of Towson, having led Towson to a pair of league titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances.  His 2024 Towson team's NQS score of 196.935 was the highest in program history, including three 197+ team scores.
 
Ashley LeVine, the 2023 WCGA National Co-Assistant Coach of the Year and three-time WCGA Southeast Region Assistant Coach of the Year, is back for her sixth season while volunteer assistant coach Jasmine Kauffman is in her third season.
 
…..AND EIGHT 2024 ALL-EAGL HONOREES
Eight returners to Towson's roster earned a combined 10 All-EAGL selections last season, including at least one honoree on each rotation.  The returners are headlined by 2024 WCGA First Team All-American Isabella Minervini, who had a 9.960 NQS on the bars, and Retoshia Halsell, the 2024 EAGL Rookie of the Year after being First Team All-EAGL on vault and floor.
 
In addition to Minervini and Halsell, Carmella Calafati, Lauren Greene, Adriana Hoffman, Clara Hong, Lauren Keener and Felicia Poblete all are back after being All-EAGL in 2024.
 
TOWSON PICKED TO FINISH FIRST IN EAGL IN 2025
Towson was predicted to finish first in the league in the EAGL preseason coaches poll.  Towson is coming off a perfect 4-0 EAGL campaign last year.
2025 EAGL Predicted Order of Finish (first-place votes)
1. Towson (2), 21
2. George Washington (1), 20
3. New Hampshire (1), 15
4. Temple (1), 12
5. LIU, 7
 
ACROSS THE COUNTRY
The Towson roster has representatives from 15 different states across three of the four time zones across the contiguous U.S.  The Tigers connect most of the East Coast, going as far north as Massachusetts and down to Florida, also having student-athletes from California and Texas.
 
In addition, sophomore Brissa Portillo is from Lima, Peru.  Towson previously has had two Canadians in the last decade of competition.
 
NEARING PERFECTION
Among Towson's returners include several athletes who have notched a 9.9+ score on a rotation.
 
Highest Scores (Date)
Polina Belanovski – Vault (9.925, 2/26/23)
Carmella Calafati – Floor (9.950, 2/23/24)
Isabella DeCroo - Vault (9.925, 3/4/25)
Chelsey Dennis - Bars (9.900, 2/8/25)
Callie Gardner - Vault (9.900, 1/31/25)
Retoshia Halsell – Vault (9.900, 3/23/24), Floor (9.975, 2/23/24)
Adriana Hoffman - Floor (9.900, 2/21/25)
Clara Hong – Bars (9.950, 3/16/25), Beam (9.900, 3/4/25)
Lauren Keener – Bars (9.900, 3/12/23), Beam (9.925, 3/15/24)
Steph Macasu – Bars (9.925, 3/5/23)
Isabella Minervini – Bars (9.975, 2/16/24), Floor (9.900, 2/1/23)
Brissa Portillo – Bars (9.900, 2/16/24)
 
1,000-POINT CLUB
Towson brings a lot of experience to the 2025 team, including Clara Hong, who has been an All-EAGL honoree all four years with the team.  Hong surpassed the career 1,000-point mark last year, standing at 1,338.775 in her career.  Lauren Keener, a three-time All-EAGL honoree on beam, surpassed the 1,000-point mark on March 4, 2025 while 2025 five-time All-EAGL honoree Isabella Minervini passed the 1,000-point mark on Mar. 16, 2025.
 
Career Points
Clara Hong (Sr.): 1,397.650
Lauren Keener (Sr.): 1,072.450
Isabella Minervini (Jr.): 1,029.150
 
TOP-10 PERFORMANCES IN HISTORY
Towson's gymnasts have earned scores in 2025 that currently stand in the top-10 all-time in program history.
Isabella Minervini
--All-Around: 39.300, 10th all-time (Feb. 21, Mar. 9)
--Bars: 9.925 (Feb. 16)
Isabella DeCroo
--Vault: 9.925, t-6th all-time (Mar. 4)
Adriana Hoffman
--Floor: 9.900, t-9th all-time (Feb. 21)
Clara Hong
--Bars: 9.950, t-3rd all-time (Mar. 16)
--Beam: 9.900, t-10th all-time (Jan. 17, Mar. 2)
Lauren Keener
--Beam: 9.900, t-10th all-time (Jan. 31, Mar. 4)
 
MOST WINS IN NCAA
With 27 victories in meets this year, Towson has the most meet wins in the NCAA.  This includes a 10-1 record in the month of February and seven first-place finishes in meets this season.
 
UNDEFEATED AT HOME
Towson defended home turf well this season, being undefeated in all four home meets in 2025.
Feb. 8 - defeated Illinois St., Bowling Green, W&M
Feb. 21 - defeated Ball St.
Mar. 4 - defeated West Virginia, GW, Penn
Mar. 9 - defeated Alaska Anchorage, West Chester
 
AN ALL-AROUND COMPETITOR EMERGES
Isabella Minervini has been serving as Towson's all-around competitor in eight meets, earning five first place and two second place finishes.   This includes a 39.300 total on Feb. 21 as well as on Mar. 9, 10th all-time in Towson history.  Before Minervini, Towson's last all-around competitor was in 2022.
 
STUDENTS FIRST
23 Towson University gymnastics student-athletes have earned a place on the 2025 All-EAGL Scholastic Team.  To be honored on the All-EAGL Scholastic Team, a student-athlete must have kept a 3.0 or better grade point average (GPA) throughout the 2024 calendar year.
 
CATANZARO ENTERS TOWSON ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Towson alum Kacy Catanzaro '12 earned a spot in the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024, being inducted in October.  A former First Team All-ECAC honoree in all four events, she finished her career with 1,414 points and earned 2012 NCAA Southern Regional Gymnast of the Year. 
 
Since graduation, Catanzaro became the first woman to scale the Warped Wall on the NBC TV show American Ninja Warrior and later signed a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment.
 
MINERVINI NAMED TO 2024 CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT® TEAM
Isabella Minervini was selected to the 2024 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team.  For gymnasts to qualify, nominees must have a 3.5 or higher grade point average, be at least sophomore standing and rank top-75 in any event via Road To Nationals.  Minervini, a mass communication major, was joined by 2024 Towson graduate Grace Vaillancourt.
 
Senior Clara Hong earned CSC Academic All-District® Team distinction in 2023, being joined by Vaillancourt and Lauren Bolen.  Lauren Bolen later earned a 2023 CSC Academic All-America® selection.  Bolen was the first Towson gymnast to earn CSC Academic All-America® since Sari Lehmuskallio in 1996.
 
TOWSON VS. GEORGE WASHINGTON BY THE NUMBERS (since 2009)
--Series Record: 16-29                          Last Meeting: Mar. 16, 2025 – College Park, Md.
--Home Record: 12-8                             Towson 195.975
--Away Record: 1-14                             George Washington 195.250
--Neutral Record: 3-7
 
TOWSON VS. LIU BY THE NUMBERS (since 2021)
--Series Record: 9-0-1                           Last Meeting: Mar. 2, 2025 - Brookville, N.Y.
--Home Record: 4-0                               Towson 195.650
--Away Record: 4-0-1                            LIU 193.100
--Neutral Record: 1-0                                                
 
TOWSON VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE BY THE NUMBERS (since 2009)
--Series Record: 10-14                          Last Meeting: Feb. 16, 2025 - New Haven, Conn.
--Home Record: 3-5                               Towson 195.400
--Away Record: 2-5                               New Hampshire 194.500
--Neutral Record: 5-4
 
TOWSON VS. TEMPLE BY THE NUMBERS (since 2013)
--Series Record: 13-7                            Last Meeting: Feb. 2, 2025 - Philadelphia, Pa.
--Home Record: 8-3                               Towson 195.375
--Away Record: 4-1                               Temple 194.175
--Neutral Record: 3-3                                                
 
-TowsonTigers.com-