TOWSON, Md. — The Tigers gymnastics team is heading to Brookline, New York, this weekend to compete for the Eagle Conference championship and a potential spot in the NCAA tournament.
Entering the tournament, the Tigers hold the top national qualifying score among conference teams and are ranked 42 nationally. A conference title does not guarantee a trip to the NCAA tournament, as the team must finish in the top 36 to earn a berth.
"Even though you're competing against the person that's in the arena with you or the team that's in the arena with you, you're really competing against every single team in the country every single weekend," said head coach Jay Ramirez said.
The Tigers chase an Eagle Conference title and NCAA berth!
Although the Tigers did not qualify for the NCAA tournament as a team last year, individual gymnasts advanced. One of those athletes is Isabella Minervini, who is nominated for the 2026 AAI Award. The award is given to the top female gymnasts in the country.
"She's the same inside the gym as she is outside the gym as she is in a competition," Ramirez said. "She's kind of humble. She's motivated. She's got grit. She's got scrappiness, and she's got that kind of dig deep. I'm going to be a champion no matter what."
Whether an individual or the entire team qualifies for the national tournament, Ramirez is focused on bringing home another Eagle Conference championship.
"Championships are always fun, so we're looking to, you know, we're looking forward to go up to New York and kind of do our job and, and, you know, get another ring," Ramirez said.
"We have all of our Eagle trophies over there as a team that we've won over the years, and um every single day they have to pet each eagle," Ramirez said. "The upperclassmen, the juniors and seniors all have rings, and so you know, they kind of, we, we say dream about the ring and kind of have that focus. At the end of the day it's really just keep your head in the game, stay focused, and make sure all of your energy goes toward that goal."
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