Gymnastics | 1/21/2023 12:00:00 AM

DENTON, Texas (Jan. 20, 2023) – Behind a season-high 194.1500, the Texas Woman's gymnastics team recorded their first first-place finish of the season at their home opener on Friday night.

Tonight marked a special night in Kitty Magee Arena. The Pioneers opened their season in front of an energized crowd. Additionally, TWU honored cancer awareness. Every gymnast from all teams and fans wore a ribbon of the color of their choice in honor of a type of cancer.

In partnership with Cancer Support Community of North Texas, TWU celebrated "hope comes in all colors." Prior to the announcement of the final results, the entire stadium rose to its feet as a representation of individuals who have been affected by cancer. This powerful moment reminded all in attendance how many people are affected by cancer.

We encourage you to take a look at the services Cancer Support Community of North Texas provides, as they "strive to be a community lifeline of strength, hope, support, and guidance to anyone dealing with a cancer diagnosis".

"Wow," TWU Head Gymnastics Coach Lisa Bowerman said. "It sure was great to be home. The energy of KMA is always unmatched."

The Pioneers began on vault tonight, doing the Olympic rotation for the first time in the 2023 season. They opened the meet with a season-high 48.4000 in the opening rotation. Daisy Woodring continued improving on the high-flying apparatus, scoring her first 9.8000 of the season and winning the event. Madeline Gose finished with a season-high 9.7500. To round out the final three scores of the top five, Mara Johnson hit a 9.6500, Beth Lazarus scored a 9.6250 and Maddie Griffith recorded a 9.5750.

Rotating to bars, TWU scored a season-high and meet-high 47.9500. Brooke Ferrari continued her impressive freshman campaign, placing second in the event with a 9.7500 in the anchor position for the Pioneers. The leadoff for TWU, Kami Zarlengo, hit a 9.6500, and Maddie Griffith scored a 9.600 to help advance the uneven bars score for TWU.

After starting out a little inconsistent in the first two rotations, the Pioneers fought to finish strong, recording a pair of 48.9000s on both the balance beam and floor exercise. The team score on balance beam represented a season-high, while the score on floor tied TWU's season-high.

The Pioneers had two top three finishers on the beam, earning the title of beam queens. Gose topped the leader board in second overall with a season-high 9.8500. In third place overall, Ruby Goad scored another career-high with a 9.825, continuing to excel on the beam in her freshman year. The other three top performances from TWU were all 9.7250 or higher. Alix Pierce and Kyla Podges both finished with season-high 9.7500s. Emily Six rounded out the top five scores for TWU with a season-high 9.7250.

Finishing on floor proved to be a strong exclamation point for the Pioneers. Pierce crushed every skill in the fifth spot on floor. She recorded a career-high 9.9000 in the first meet of their senior season in KMA.  Woodring tied her career-high with a season-high 9.8250. Continuing the season-high trend, Sierra Muns fed off the energy of the crowd and scored a 9.7750. Goad and Gose helped lead the Pioneers to their high final score with a pair of 9.7000s.

"After starting off a little slow on bars and vault, I was so proud of how our team picked it up through beam and floor to come out on top and with a season high," Bowerman said. "Our freshmen continued to shine today with hit routines in critical spots and big scores that continue to make an impact on the success of our team."

TWU goes on the road for their next meet. They will travel to Southeast Missouri on Friday, Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m.