UTICA, NY - The Utica University gymnastics team is set to welcome Cortland to Valley Gymnastics for the team's first home meet of the season on Friday, January 23. Start time is set for 6pm. 
 
Follow Along: For those unable to attend, live video can be found here, and live results can be found here, courtesy of Virtius. 
 
Last Time Out: The team put forth a strong showing in the team's season opening meet at the SCSU Quad, hosted by Southern Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon. The Pioneers combined for a total of 185.850 points to take fourth place. Utica posted its highest event score on the floor exercise (48.250), paced by Grace Marra's (St. James, NY/Smithtown East) 9.875. On the balance beam, Utica scored 46.975, highlighted by another leading effort from Marra with a 9.575. The Pioneers added a 47.000 on the vault, led by Jenna DiPalo's (Port Jefferson Station, NY/Comsewogue) 9.550. Utica opened the meet on the uneven bars, totaling 43.625, as Alyssa Langston (Pearland, TX/Pearland) recorded the team's best bars score at 9.675. 
 
Freshman Standout: In her first appearance as a Pioneer, freshman Alisya Dorman (Killingworth, CT/Haddam Killingworth) posted an impressive 37.025 in the all-around at the SCSU Quad. In the vault, Dorman posted a 9.150, and followed that up with an 8.725 on the uneven bars. Balance beam and the floor exercise were Dorman's strongest events, posting the second highest scores on the team in each event. On beam, Dorman posted a 9.450, a mark that was good enough to fall just inside the top 10, in ninth place. On floor, Dorman posted one of the highest scores in program history, locking up fifth place with a 9.700. 
 
Taking the Floor: The Pioneers' floor lineup was the strongest of the meet last time out, with three Pioneers registering top-10 finishes. Grace Marra (St. James, NY/Smithtown East) paced the lineup with a career high 9.875 to take second place in the event, followed by Doman who registered a fifth place 9.700. Emily Plone (Hudson, OH/Hudson) continued her dominance in the event from last season, registering a 9.675, also topping her career high of 9.625 from last season. Finishing just outside of the top-10 was Adisson Ferri (Gillbertsville, PA/Boyertown) who posted a strong 9.550 in the event. Rounding out the lineup for the Pioneers was Christina Troche (Manalapan, NJ/Saint John Vianney) and Angelina Merulla (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), with Troche posting a 9.450 and Merulla posting a 9.325. This Pioneer lineup managed to combine for the second highest team floor score in program history of 48.250, nearly matching the program's highest score of 48.275 from last season's East Regional. 
 
A Look at Cortland: Cortland opened its season with a tight dual meet and showed balanced scoring potential across all four events, with particular strength on vault and floor. The Red Dragons were competitive from the start, matching Ursinus through two rotations and demonstrating lineup depth that can produce multiple 9.5+ routines in several events. Vault is an early strength. Cortland posted a solid 46.925 team score and was led by Gianna Mirigliano, who captured the event title with a 9.65. Olivia Chapman added a 9.55, while Tayah Graham contributed a mid-9.4, giving the Red Dragons consistency through the lineup. On uneven bars, Cortland showed depth with Autumn Adkins leading the way with a 9.425, followed closely by Kiana Wong (9.35) and Kyleigh Brown (9.20). The balance beam is anchored by strong individual routines but showed some vulnerability as a group. Samantha Meadows won the event with a 9.575, and Tayah Graham added a 9.50. Cortland's floor exercise lineup is a clear asset. The Red Dragons outscored Ursinus in the event behind strong performances from Tessa Sutton (9.75), Aria Roberts (9.70), and Rylee Fishkin (9.65). 
 
Up Next: The Pioneers will welcome Ursinus College to the Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center on Sunday, February 8. Start time is set for 1pm.