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AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

GW vaults past URI

The GW gymnastics team defeated Atlantic 10 rival Rhode Island 195.000-192.200 Friday night at the Smith Center. GW’s highest team score of the season came a night after the Colonials defeated host University of Maryland 194.550-192.275.

Devin McCalla and Jessica Mantak led a balanced GW team over the visiting Rams. McCalla won the all-around with a score of 39.400 by winning both the beam (9.850) and the floor exercise (9.925). She also tied her career-high on the vault with a combined 9.825.

Mantak came in second in the all-around competition with a 38.950. The junior placed second on the beam with a 9.825 and tied a career-high on the floor exercise with a 9.850, which earned her a tie for second place.

“She’s a fierce competitor,” coach Margie Foster-Cunningham said about Mantak. “She’s one of the hardest workers and she makes her teammates better.”

Sophomore Kacey Coyne continued her impressive season by winning the vault with a 9.90 and in the process tying a school record. Senior Darden Wilee, who tied for first in the all-around at Thursday’s meet at Maryland, placed third overall against the Rams.

The team’s second win in two days was important for the Colonials, who finished a disappointing third place at the University of Kentucky last weekend.

“That was the low point of our season,” Foster-Cunningham said. “The seniors really pulled together and helped us (this weekend).”

URI hoped to come into the Smith Center and send a message to GW. Many in the league believe that Rhode Island poses the biggest threat to GW’s recent A-10 dominance. The Colonials will be looking for their fourth-straight conference championship. GW knew this and spent the whole week preparing with a great deal of team workouts.

“We have a team that really wants to take it from us,” McCalla said. “But you don’t want to lose at home. No one comes into our house and does that to us.”

Foster-Cunningham said she believes that the team will need to improve on finishes and landings if they hope to win another A-10 title.

Next up for the GW gymnastics team is Sunday’s Towson Invitational. Last year, GW gained its first-ever win at Towson.

“We want to beat them twice so people don’t think last year was a fluke,” Foster-Cunningham said.

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