By Carley Crain
@carley_crain12
The men’s gymnastics team is coming off a historic weekend at the USA Gymnastics Men’s Collegiate Championships, which was hosted at Springfield College in Blake Arena. The team came away with a third-place finish, which was its best performance since 2011. Additionally, 11 student-athletes earned All-American honors and the duo of junior David Handron and senior Jakarie Williams won national titles in the still rings and the floor exercise respectively.
“We have pretty much used every gymnast on the roster this year at some point in the lineup,” head coach Matt Davis said. “That is something we are big on. Everyone needs to be ready. Everybody has a role, and when your name is called you have to be ready to help the team.”
Not only did the team excel, but the coaching staff was also recognized for their efforts on and off the mat. Head coach Matthew Davis was named the National Co-Coach of the Year, and the trio of assistant coaches Christian Wilkey Jr., Victoria Gendreau and Norm Boulerice was chosen as the USAG National Assistant Coaching Staff of the Year.
Handron made a statement from the start, as he was the first athlete to compete on the still rings. Handron made sure the judges remembered his performance, which earned him a score of 13.250 and his first national title – the first national title in the still rings at Springfield College since 2012.
Williams also was the first men’s Springfield gymnast since 2012 to win the floor exercise. Not only did Williams end his Springfield gymnastics career with a national title, he also came away with a career-best of 14.150.
Ramalho was another senior who dominated the meet, as he earned All-American honors in not just one event, but four: parallel bars, all around, vault and floor.
First-year Owen Carney also became an All-American in the high bar at his first collegiate national meet.
The underclassmen continued to dominate as the meet progressed. As a first-year, Sam Kaplan has had a historic season as a young collegiate athlete. Kaplan placed fourth overall on the first day of competition in the all-around, finished second in the parallel bars, and third overall on the still rings.
“As a coaching staff, we don’t want to just rely on the freshmen, but every year we do in key moments,” Davis said. “They have been stepping up every time. The freshman class is a very focused and motivated group.”
The Pride will travel to the ECAC Championships this upcoming weekend and are eyeing to qualify as a team for the NCAA D-I Championships.
“We have the talent to actually win the conference,” Davis said.
Photo:Springfield College Athletics