Against Bridgeport and former Olympian Monica Mesalles Sallare, Penn narrowly fell 195.325-193.975 at the Palestra despite posting its fourth-highest overall score in program history.

In the Quakers’ only meet at the Palestra all season, against Bridgeport, it is the Red and Blue’s most–and least–experienced members that merit watching.

On Saturday, the Quakers will travel to neighboring West Chester for their second dual meet of the season after beating Yale back on Jan. 27.

The Quakers came in second with a 189.575, beating the Centenary score of 187.550, but falling to host Ball State, which came out with a 193.800.

The Red and Blue beat their team score from last weekend and achieved a new season high of 191.525. With only one fall on the balance beam, the women are becoming stronger and more consistent.

Engaged in a four-way battle royal with Rutgers, Bridgeport and Ursinus, the Quakers came away from New Jersey with a final score of 190.525, good for third place.

Penn gymnastics will face off against Rutgers, Bridgeport and Ursinus in New Brunswick, N.J., on Saturday at 1 p.m.

After finishing third last year with an overall score of 189.025, Penn finished 4th this year at the Lindsey Ferries Invitational, despite a final score of 189.575, their highest to date at the annual competition.

The Quakers showed off their depth in what amounted to a season preview for the Ivy League Champs in the Red vs. Blue Intrasquad Meet.

Coach John Ceralde’s freshmen are joining a squad with high expectations following a season in which the team won the Ivy Classic and the ECAC Championship.

They came into the meet as the third seed, and lived up to expectations, finishing behind the University of Bridgeport and Texas Women’s University (TWU), while beating out five other squads.

This should be considered one of Penn gymnastics’ best-ever seasons, but if the last word is the most memorable, the Quakers need a strong final performance to cement their successful year.

On Saturday afternoon, gymnasts Dana Bonincontri and Kirsten Strausbaugh competed in NCAA Regionals at North Carolina State and although they turned in career-best performances, neither will advance to the NCAA Championships.

Penn gymnastics won its first ECAC title since 2004 at the Palestra Saturday, beating Towson in the teams’ third meeting of the season.

While the Red and Blue would like to bring home their first win at the meet since 2004, they’ll have to go through a Towson squad that has outperformed them on two separate occasions this year.

The Quakers’ final score of 191.550 put them just a point shy of the second place finisher, George Washington, while host Towson was well ahead of the field with 194.800.

The Red and Blue finished with a score of 191.650, a total that is just a point less than their Ivy Classic-winning score from February 26. Bridgeport, a program ranked second among Division II teams, took second place in the tri-meet with a total score of 192.950, and host team Maryland was well ahead with 195.075.