On March 22, Brown gymnastics competed in the annual Gymnastics East Conference Championships. The Bears scored 192.875 points, landing sixth place in a contest that was decided by immensely narrow margins — fourth through sixth place finishers all scored within one-tenth of a point of each other.
The Bears’ effort on Saturday was spearheaded by Maya Davis ’25 — a current Herald staff writer — who showcased her versatility by winning First Team All-GEC Championship on both bars and floor. An all-around event gymnast, Davis secured a National Qualifying Score of 9.865, the highest in the GEC.
“My D1 career has been anything but linear, so reaching this pinnacle as a senior — especially after injuries where I wasn’t sure I’d be able to continue my sport — means everything,” Davis wrote in an email to The Herald.
After her stellar performance on Saturday, Davis was awarded GEC Specialist of the Year. In late March, she was announced as a qualifier for NCAA Regionals. She was the only Bear and one of just three gymnasts from the GEC to qualify for the event.
Last Thursday, Davis traveled to Salt Lake City to compete in NCAA Regionals. Davis concluded her decorated career on College Hill with a solid floor routine that earned a score of 9.825, tying for 18th overall. Davis’s impressive performance in Utah capped off an incredible year where she led the team with seven individual victories, including four on floor and three on bars.
While Davis was the star of the GEC Championships, she was not the only Bear who thrived. Julia Bedell ’25 — who in 2024 set a school record on floor with a winning score of 9.950 at the GEC Championships — also impressed, posting a 9.800 on floor that landed her second-team honors.
For Bedell, she secured second-team honors when she was able to “just go out there and enjoy myself,” she wrote in a statement to The Herald.
“By the end of the season I took the pressure off and genuinely let myself soak in every moment,” Bedell wrote. “My support system and allowing myself to have fun led to one of my proudest routines this season.”
In addition to Davis and Bedell’s star-studded performances, high scores on floor from Lindsey Yang ’27 and Avery Walters ’28 helped Brown land a 48.875 score on floor — outscoring every team but Cornell.
After floor, the Bears moved to the vault, where Sophia Dewar ’26, Bedell, Umi El Mammann ’26 and Gabby Mautner ’28 took charge, helping the team post a 48.350 score.
Next, Bruno competed on bars. Led by Davis and Liza Marcus ’26 — whose 9.825 and 9.750 scores tied for third and eighth place overall, respectively — the Bears’ earned a score of 48.00. Saturday’s competition concluded with beam performances that granted Bruno a score of 47.650.
While the squad did not finish atop the GEC rankings, the gymnasts enjoyed the season because of their team environment.
“The people were my favorite thing about this year’s team,” Bedell wrote. “The team culture was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t have been happier to have been a part of creating that.”
“I’m deeply grateful for these past four years on the team, training and competing alongside such supportive, talented, and driven women,” Davis wrote. “To pursue both athletic and academic excellence in the Ivy League has been an extraordinary opportunity.”
Cooper Herman is a senior staff writer covering sports. He is a sophomore from Alexandria, Virginia studying Economics and International and Public Affairs.
