WASHINGTON, D.C. - The University of Pennsylvania gymnastics team opened the season in the nation's capital on Sunday afternoon, competing at the 11th Annual Lindsey Ferris Invitational hosted by No. 25 George Washington, with Ball State and Cornell also in attendance. The Quakers finished the invite fourth with a total of 190.375, but featured several solid performances, including an all-around finish from freshman Darby Nelson in her collegiate debut. 

BARS
The Quakers began the day on bars, debuting three freshman in the process. The best score of the afternoon came in the anchor spot from senior captain Kyra Levi who tallied a 9.800, a number that would prove to be Penn's highest score on any event at the invitational. Jordyn Mannino proved solid in her first appearance with the Red and Blue, scoring a 9.600, while returning bars specialist sophomore Caroline Mitsch recorded a 9.650 to help Penn push past some tough results in the first rotation. All in all, Penn finished bars with a score of 47.075. 

BEAM
Next up for Penn was beam, an event that saw the Quakers improve upon their performance on bars. Alex Hartke started things off, followed by two 9.725 scores from freshman Darcy Matsuda and senior Ally Podsednik. Again, the anchor position proved key for the Red and Blue as senior captain Caroline Moore stepped up to deliver a 9.750, giving Penn a 48.475 total score for the event. 

FLOOR
Penn's best rotation of the afternoon came on floor, as all five scorers for the Red and Blue recorded at least a 9.700. Matsuda continued her impressive collegiate debut with a 9.725 in the first spot, followed by a 9.700 from Nicole Swirbalus. Mannino again held steady with another 9.725, while Darby Nelson and Hartke rounded things out with a 9.700 and 9.750 respectively, helping the Quakers total 48.600, taking second as a team in the event. 

VAULT
Vault proved tough for the Quakers with the highlights coming from the rookie class, as Nelson put the finishing touches on her all-around afternoon with 37.750 points, and Mannino posting the top score of 9.550.  

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Quakers continue the early portion of their schedule on the road, traveling to Ivy foe Yale for their first dual meet of the season. Action begins Saturday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m. in New Haven, Conn.