One For The Thumb!! Bridgeport Women's Gymnastics Takes Fifth Consecutive USAG Collegiate Team Crown Posting A School Record Score Of 196.500

Shreveport, La.-The University of Bridgeport women's gymnastics team won its fifth consecutive United States Gymnastics Association Women's Collegiate Team Title in dominating fashion on Saturday night in Shreveport, Louisiana, as the Purple Knights led from wire-to-wire posting a school-record score of 196.500 to top second place Texas Women's University (194.800), third place and host Centenary College of Louisiana (193.975) and fourth place Brown University (193.575).  UB won all four events on the night.

The previous record score for Bridgeport in a meet came on March 4, 2012, when the team won a four-team meet hosted by the University of New Hampshire with a total of 196.350.

The Purple Knights opened the evening's competition in the floor exercise and posted a 48.950 team score led by sophomore Sasha Tsikhanovich (Marysville, Ohio), who posted a 9.850.

UB then headed for the vault and posted an impressive 49.350 score that was powered by senior Monica Mesalles Sallares (Barcelona, Spain) who score a school-record 9.975.

In the night's third rotation, Bridgeport competed on the uneven bars, and the team scored its second highest total in that event this season at 48.975.  Senior Natalie Saimeri (East Longmeadow, Mass.) was the top scorer for the Purple Knights with a 9.825.

Bridgeport closed out its run for one for the thumb with an impressive 49.225 on the balance beam, as they were again led by Sasha Tsikhanovich with a 9.950.

The 2013 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championship wraps up on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. (ET) with the individual event finals.  Competing for the Purple Knights on Sunday are:

Floor Exercise:  Monica Mesalles Sallares, Sasha Tsikhanovich and Caitlin Perry
Vault: Monica Mesalles Sallares and Sasha Tsikhanovich
Bars:  Sasha Tsikhanovich and Kamri Riles
Beam:  Sasha Tsikhanovich and Lorraine Galow