Falcons Break 194-Point Mark in Home Triangular

Feb. 11, 2017

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. –The Air Force women's gymnastics team registered the fourth-highest team total of head coach Doug Day's 11-year tenure this evening (Feb. 11), as it scored a 194.500 in its home triangular with conference opponents UC Davis (194.625) and Seattle Pacific (190.400). The Falcons' score also marked the first time since 2014 that the Falcons have broken the 194-point plateau.

Junior Casey Bell led the Falcons on Saturday night, scoring a career-best 9.850 to win the floor exercise and pace Air Force to four finishes within the top half of the 18-gymnast field. Senior Kara Witgen tied for second on the floor with a season-high 9.825, while junior Jamie Lewis and senior Darby Germain finished sixth (career-best 9.775) and eighth (season-best 9.700), respectively.

Witgen, who finished second in the all-around with a career-high score of 39.125, was the Falcons' top finisher on the vault (9.750) and tied with sophomore Mariana Murphy and freshman Anna Salamone for the team lead on the uneven bars. The trio was part of a four-way tie for fifth on the bars, following matching performances of 9.750 (season-high for Witgen and Murphy, career-high for Salamone).

The Falcons tallied four of top-five scores on the balance beam, with sophomore Riley Hill earning runner-up honors following a career-best performance of 9.850. Witgen finished third on that event (9.800), while Murphy and sophomore Brittney Reed tied for fifth behind matching marks of 9.750 (season-high for Murphy).

Murphy, who posted a career-high total of 38.825 to take third in the all-around, also finished within the top half of the field on the vault (fifth, 9.725), while Lewis completed the Falcons' list of top-nine finishers after tying for seventh on that apparatus with a score of 9.675.

The Falcons added season-high team marks on the uneven bars (48.575) and floor exercise (48.775), en route to a team score that was nearly two points higher than their previous season-high mark.

Air Force returns to action next Saturday (Feb. 18), when it closes out the home portion of its season with a conference contest with San Jose State and the program's annual Senior Night Celebration for Germain and Witgen.

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