The Meet: Towson at Temple, vs. Maryland, Penn
When: Thursday, March 5 – 5 p.m.
Where: McGonigle Hall – Philadelphia. Pa.
Online Broadcast: ESPN+
 
PHILADELPHIA – The Towson University gymnastics team has come back to Philadelphia for a quad meet at Temple on Thursday, March 5 at 5 p.m.  The Tigers will compete against Temple, Maryland and Penn.
 
The meet will be broadcast online on ESPN+, available via subscription.
 
The competition against Temple is an EAGL regular season meet.  Towson will compete the EAGL regular season in the next two meets, including the competition at home vs. GW on March 13.
 
Towson finished its last meet with its second-highest team score of the season, notching a 195.675 for a third-place finish at home on March 5.  Towson has earned at least a 195+ team score each of the last three meets.
 
Towson currently stands at #39 in the Road to Nationals (RTN) rankings with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 195.153.  Host Temple is at #54 with an NQS of 193.421 while visitors Maryland is at #27 at 195.808 and Penn is at #35 at 195.235.
 
Towson competed against Temple on Feb. 27, winning 195.025-191.975, and will compete against the Owls in three of the next four meets.  Towson has three straight against Maryland and two more against Penn.
 
Towson has three meets left until the EAGL Tournament at LIU on March 21.
 
MINERVINI NOMINATED FOR 2026 AAI AWARD
Isabella Minervini has been nominated for the 2026 AAI Award, given to the top female gymnast in the country.  She is one of 45 nominees across the country.
 
The 2024 WCGA First Team All-American in an eight-time All-EAGL selection, including a three-time first team honoree on bars.  In 2025, she was the EAGL all-around and bars champion.
 
MINERVINI - #15 NATIONALLY ON BARS
Isabella Minervini continues her impressive performance on the uneven bars, currently ranking 15th overall in the Road to Nationals rankings with a 9.910 national qualifying score (NQS).  She has twice earned a 9.950 this season, tying for third in Towson history.
 
She also ranks 29th nationally in the all-around with a 39.245 NQS and 44th nationally on floor with an 9.885 NQS.
 
FOUR-TIME NCAA TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT FROM 2021-24
Towson earned a spot in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 2021-24 as part of the top-36 teams in the national qualifier scores (NQS) each year.
2021 – NCAA Morgantown Regional Second Round
2022 – NCAA Raleigh Regional First Round
2023 – NCAA Pittsburgh Regional First Round
2024 – NCAA Gainesville Regional Second Round
 
Despite the team missing the NCAA Tournament in 2025, Isabella Minervini and Clara Hong qualified as NCAA Tournament competitors in the all-around and beam respectively.
 
BRINGING BACK SEVEN 2025 ALL-EAGL HONOREES
Seven returners to Towson's roster earned a combined 15 All-EAGL selections last season. The returners are headlined by Isabella Minervini, who was a 2025 All-EAGL honoree in all four rotations and all-around, being First Team on all-around, bars and vault, and Ava Harper, the 2025 EAGL Rookie Specialist of the Year and First Team All-EAGL on vault.  Polina Belanovski was  a three-time All-EAGL recipient last year, First Team on vault and Second Team on bars and floor.
 
In addition to the above trio, Isabella DeCroo, Lauren Greene, Adriana Hoffman and Celia Trotter all were All-EAGL in 2025.
 
TOWSON PICKED TO FINISH SECOND IN EAGL IN 2026
Towson, the two-time reigning EAGL regular season champion, was predicted to finish second in the league in the EAGL preseason coaches poll.  Towson is coming off a perfect 4-0 EAGL campaign last year.  Reigning EAGL Championship winner George Washington is predicting to finish first.
2026 EAGL Predicted Order of Finish (first-place votes)
1. George Washington (2), 22
2. Towson (1), 18
3. New Hampshire (1), 14
4. Temple (1), 13
5. LIU, 8
 
THE FANTASTIC FLOOR
On March 1, Towson earned its second-highest team score on floor exercise ever, finishing with a 49.450.  The routines were spearheaded by three 9.900 performances by Carmella Calafati, Isabella DeCroo and Isabella Minervini.
 
As a team, Towson ranks 25th nationally on floor with a 49.138 national qualifying score, earning at least a 49+ score in eight meets this season in that event.
 
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), Floor (9.900, 1/9/26)
Carmella Calafati – Floor (9.950, 2/23/24)
Isabella DeCroo - Vault (9.925, 3/4/25), Floor (9.900, 3/1/26)
Adriana Hoffman - Floor (9.900, 2/21/25)
Isabella Minervini – Bars (9.975, 2/16/24), Beam (9.900, 1/23/26), Floor (9.900, 2/1/23)
Brissa Portillo – Bars (9.900, 2/16/24)
Celia Trotter - Beam (9.900, 1/23/26)
 
1,000-POINT CLUB
Several Tigers are approaching the career 1,000-point mark.
Career Points
Isabella Minervini (Sr.): 1,474.200
Polina Belanovski (Sr.): 932.350
Isabella DeCroo (Gr.): 821.550
---Illinois State (2022-24): 392.100
---Towson (2025-26): 429.450
 
TOWSON VS. MARYLAND BY THE NUMBERS (since 2013)
--Series Record: 2-17                         Last Meeting: Mar. 16, 2025 - College Park, Md.
--Home Record: 0-4                            Towson 195.975
--Away Record: 0-5                            Maryland 196.175
--Neutral Record: 2-8
 
TOWSON VS. PENN BY THE NUMBERS (since 2011)
--Series Record: 8-3                           Last Meeting: Feb. 15, 2026 - Philadelphia, Pa.
--Home Record: 4-0                            Towson 194.825
--Away Record: 4-1                            Penn 195.550
--Neutral Record: 0-2
 
TOWSON VS. TEMPLE BY THE NUMBERS (since 2013)
--Series Record: 16-8                         Last Meeting: Feb. 27, 2026 - Pittsburgh, Pa.
--Home Record: 8-3                            Towson 195.025
--Away Record: 4-2                            Temple 191.975
--Neutral Record: 4-3
 
THREE TOWSON ATHLETES EARN EAGL WEEKLY AWARDS
Towson's strong performance last week resulted in three EAGL weekly awards.
--Isabella DeCroo: EAGL Specialist of the Week
--Natalie Lindgren: EAGL Rookie of the Week
--Jocelyn Lannon: EAGL Rookie Specialist of the Week
 
TOP-10 PERFORMANCES IN HISTORY
Towson's gymnasts earned scores in 2026 that currently stand in the top-10 all-time in program history.
Polina Belanovski
--Floor: 9.900, t-9th all-time (Jan. 9, 2026)
Carmella Calafati
--Floor: 9.900, t-9th all-time (Mar. 1, 2026)
Isabella DeCroo
--Floor: 9.900, t-9th all-time (Mar. 1, 2026)
Isabella Minervini
--All-Around: 39.450, 4th all-time (Jan. 23, 2026)
--Bars: 9.950, t-3rd all-time (Feb. 15, 2026)
--Beam: 9.900, t-10th all-time (Jan. 23, 2026)
--Floor: 9.900, t-9th all-time (Feb. 13, 2026)
Celia Trotter
--Beam: 9.900, t-10th all-time (Jan. 23, 2026)
 
AN ALL-AROUND COMPETITOR EMERGES
Isabella Minervini served as Towson's all-around competitor in 10 meets in 2025, earning six first place and two second place finishes.   This includes a 39.425 score to be the EAGL all-around champion, 4th all-time in Towson history Before Minervini, Towson's last all-around competitor was in 2022.  In the first four meets, she has finished first in the all-around each time.
 
Polina Belanovski also is an all-around competitor this season, finishing top-3 in the first three meets.
 
WILLACY ENTERS TOWSON ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
Decelia Willacy '08 was inducted into the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025.  At time of induction, she was third on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,865 points.  The 2008 ECAC Gymnast of the Year was an All-ECAC honoree in all events, including all-around, and helped the Tigers win the 2007 USA Gymnastics National Championship and four ECAC titles.  Willacy is the 19th gymnast to be inducted into the Towson Athletics Hall of Fame.
 
DAN O'CONNELL (1953-2026)
Dan O'Connell, who worked in the Towson media relations office for 35 years from 1979-2014, passed away in January 2026.  He was the longtime SID for Towson gymnastics among other sports at Towson plus worked with statistics in the NFL, CFL, MLB and several colleges in the area.  He was a Towson Athletics Hall of Fame inductee in 2021.