TWU SCORES A SEASON-HIGH TO WIN THE BATTLE FOR THE ROSE

TWU SCORES A SEASON-HIGH TO WIN THE BATTLE FOR THE ROSE | https://twuathletics.com/

By Press release submission

Mar 10, 2023

TWU SCORES A SEASON-HIGH TO WIN THE BATTLE FOR THE ROSE

For the third meet in a row, the Texas Woman's gymnastics team scored a season-high. Tonight, the season-high came in a win at the Rose City Classic over Centenary, as the Pioneers scored a 195.650.

TWU increased their previous season-high score of 195.375, which was set on Feb. 26 against West Virginia, by a big margin.

In the first collegiate meet hosted in Tyler, Texas, the Pioneers competed against Centenary College at The Oil Palace in the Rose City Classic.

TWU started on bars at the meet for the battle of the rose and set the bar high on their way to a season-high finish.

The Pioneers began the meet with by scoring a new season-high on uneven bars of 48.9000. The standout freshman Brooke Ferrari led the way for the Pioneers in the opening rotation with a 9.825 to tie for first overall in the event. Not far behind, Maddie Griffith continued her high performances on bars, placing third overall with a 9.800. Competing on bars for just the second time this season, Steelie King scored a season-high 9.775. Alix Pierce continued the high-flying scores for TWU, sticking with a 9.750. In her freshman campaign, Kami Zarlengo performed strong again to match Pierce's 9.750, and Mara Johnson excelled, scoring a season-high 9.725.

Next, the Pioneers rotated to vault and maintained the high-level of energy. All six competitors on vault scored a 9.7 or higher to lead the Pioneers to a total score of 48.850. Daisy Woodring, Madeline Gose and Maddie Griffith all topped the TWU leaderboard on vault with 9.800s, tying for the event title. The 9.800 marked a season-best for Gose. Johnson and King both tied for the second highest score on the apparatus, soaring to a pair of 9.725s. In the leadoff spot for TWU, Emily Six rounded out the Pioneer scores on vault with a 9.700.

Moving onto floor, TWU showcased more strong performances to record a 48.925 on the event. Leading the Pioneers, Woodring matched her career-high of a 9.850 to claim the event title and excite the fans. Pierce and Johnson tied for second on the event with their electrifying performances to score 9.825s for TWU. Kyla Podges, in her senior season, continued to shine for the Pioneers, finishing on floor with a 9.725. Rounding out the top five scores on the event, Gose competed a strong routine and scored a 9.700.

In their final rotation on balance beam, the Pioneers closed the meet on a high note, scoring a 48.975 on beam—their highest event score of the day. King earned the title of beam queen tonight, winning the event title with a 9.825. The seniors Pierce and Woodring hit their routines to score 9.800s and tie for second. With the third highest scores, Podges performed strong to score a 9.775, and MacKenzie Kunzman elevated her score to a new season-high of 9.775 in her second week back on beam.

"I am proud of how we came out with confidence tonight," TWU Head Coach Lisa Bowerman said. "To continue to elevate our scores and raise our level of performance shows our athletes commitment to growth and achieving their best. We look forward to continuing to build as we prepare for senior night and post season."

The Pioneers will host their final meet in Kitty Magee Arena on Sunday, March 12 at 1 p.m. TWU will honor their seven seniors in the quad meet against Florida, Washington and NC State.