Sunday, March 9
Pittsburgh, PA
2 PM
Pitt
vs
West Virginia
Panthers Host West Virginia for Backyard Brawl and Senior Meet
3/8/2025 6:10:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics
PITTSBURGH – The Pitt Gymnastics team is set to host West Virginia in the final home meet of the year on Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House. Seniors Jah'Liyah Bedminster, Elizabeth Cesarone, Faith Lerro, Jordyn Ewing and Hallie Copperwheat will be celebrated after the meet.
Live stats for the meet are available HERE. Fans can also follow the action on X and Instagram via the Pitt Gymnastics handles @pitt_gym and ACCNX.
Pitt Lineups
Balance Beam – Meika Lee, Emily Todd, Kennedy Duke, Julie Røttum Madsø, Darbi Simcox, Elizabeth Cesarone
Floor Exercise – Elizabeth Cesarone, Emily Todd, Jaime Pratt, Meika Lee, Jah'Liyah Bedminster, Jordyn Ewing
Vault – Olivia Giunta, Jaime Pratt, Lila Pileggi, Kennedy Duke, Jah'Liyah Bedminster, Elizabeth Cesarone
Uneven Bars – Kennedy Duke, Jah'Liyah Bedminster, Jordyn Ewing, Jaime Pratt, Camryn Chiu, Emily Todd
Winning Ways
- Three Panthers dominated and earned individual event titles against Kent State.
- Jaime Pratt and Emily Todd shared a first place finish on bars with a 9.875.
- Elizabeth Cesarone won her first beam title of the season after recording a career-high 9.900.
Saving the Best for Last
- Elizabeth Cesarone has been impressive in her final year of eligibility.
- She recorded a career-high 9.900 on beam against Kent State last weekend in only her second time competing in the event this season.
- Cesarone earned a previous personal best 9.850 on beam against Cal, and she has registered at least a 9.775 on vault in all but one meet.
Career Days!
- Multiple Panthers matched or recorded career highs against Kent State last weekend.
- Meika Lee matched a career-high 9.850 on beam, and Jaime Pratt earned a personal best 9.825 on floor.
Meika Making it Happen
- Freshman Meika Lee recorded two personal bests against North Carolina.
- Lee notched a 9.850 score on beam and a 9.875 on floor.
- Her 9.875 was good for a share of first place, Lee's first individual title of her early career.
Bars Squad
- Jaime Pratt earned her first individual event title of the season with a 9.875 on bars.
- Emily Todd joined Pratt with a 9.875 of her own, a season high.
- This marked Todd's second individual event title of the 2025 campaign, with both coming on bars.
Floor Queen
- Senior Jordyn Ewing has continued to dominate on floor all season long.
- She recorded a 9.900 on floor for the second time this season against Cal.
- Ewing notched a 9.875 alongside Lee against the Tar Heels, securing at least a share of her third floor title this season.
Madso Magic
- Sophomore Julie Røttum Madsø recorded a career best with a 9.850 on beam against NC State in Raleigh.
- She improved upon her previous 9.700 score in Clemson.
- Madso tied for first in beam alongside NC State's Maddie Hall.
- This marked the first individual event title of her early career.
The Freshie Shines
- Darbi Simcox exploded onto the scene in Clemson, setting a personal and team best 9.875 on beam.
- This was only the freshman's second career meet she competed in.
- She has recorded at least a 9.800 in four of the six meets she has competed in.
Terrific Todd
- Sophomore Emily Todd earned her first individual event title of the season in bars (9.850) at Clemson.
- This marked a season high, surpassing her previous season best of 9.825 set at the Next Level Podium Challenge on opening weekend.
Winner, Winner!
- Three Panthers won individual events against No. 15 Stanford.
- Elizabeth Cesarone had a season-high 9.875 on vault to take first while Jordyn Ewing and Jah'Liyah Bedminster tied with a 9.875 for a share of first place on floor.
2025 Roster Highlights
- The Panthers return a pair of 2024 NCAA Regional Championship participants in Jah'Liyah Bedminster and Jordyn Ewing along with two-time NCAA Regional Championship qualifier and 2024 ACC Championship overall runner-up Hallie Copperwheat.
- Bedminster and Copperwheat were named to the 2025 ACC Preseason Watch List.
- Bedminster and Ewing were All-ACC (floor) last season.
- Emily Todd returns after becoming the first Panther to earn ACC Newcomer of the Week (1/9) last season following a 9.900 routine on bars at the Keystone Classic.
- Bedminster earned Pitt's first ACC Gymnast of the Week honor (1/15) for her performance against Kent State last season … named ACC Specialist of the Week (2/2) after posting a career- high 9.950 – securing a perfect score on the vault against North Carolina.
- Pitt's seven new additions to the roster include transfers Elizabeth Cesarone (Central Michigan) and Jaime Pratt (Arkansas) along with freshmen Camryn Chiu, Olivia Giunta, Meika Lee, Lila Pileggi, and Darbi Simcox.
- Lee was named to 2025 ACC Preseason Newcomer Watch List.
Head Coach Casey Jo MacPherson
- Second season at Pitt ... coaching stops at Arkansas, Western Michigan, and Missouri.
- Led the Panthers to tie for third at the 2024 ACC Championship.
- 8x All-American and two-time First Team All-SEC honoree at Arkansas.
Success in the Season Opener
- Pitt Gymnastics (3-7, 0-6 ACC) opened the season with wins over Illinois State, George Washington and Western Michigan as Jah'Liyah Bedminster (bars), Elizabeth Cesarone (vault), and Jordyn Ewing (floor) claimed event titles at the Next Level Podium Challenge.
- The Panthers had 10 podium finishes and posted a team score of 195.575 to outpace Illinois State (195.100), George Washington (194.375), and host Western Michigan (192.850) Saturday evening at Kellogg Arena.
- The Panthers powered their way to the victory with a 49.025 on the uneven bars in the final rotation of the night. Bedminster claimed the top spot with a 9.850, while Emily Todd and Jaime Pratt finished tied for second with matching 9.825s. Hallie Copperwheat posted a 9.800 to reach the podium with a tie for third finish.
- Pitt took two of the top three spots on floor as Ewing (9.900) and Bedminster (9.850) delivered strong performances on the floor to pace Pitt to a 49.000. Ewing posted the top score in the event for her 11th career individual title and the fifth first place finish in floor exercise of her career.
- Cesarone, making her Pitt debut, posted an impressive 9.850, while Kennedy Duke added a 9.800 on the vault as the Panthers scored a 48.875. Cesarone tied for first to claim her fifth career first place finish in the vault, while Duke was tied for third overall.
- The Panthers recorded a 48.675 on the beam with Todd posting a team-best 9.775 to tie for third overall.
- Meika Lee finished second in the all-around with a total of 38.400 to reach the podium in her first collegiate meet. She posted a 9.750 on the balance beam for her top scoring event of the night.
Celebrating 50 Years of Pitt Gymnastics
- Pitt celebrates the program's 50-year anniversary of varsity status, dating back to the first season of competition in 1975 under Pitt Athletics Hall of Famer Donna Sanft, throughout the 2025 campaign.
2025 Schedule
- The Panthers wrap up their regular season at a quad meet in Columbus on Sunday, March 16 before traveling to Greensboro, N.C. for the ACC Championship Saturday, March 22.
Pitt in the Rankings
- Pitt Gymnastics is currently 42nd in the Road to Nationals rankings.
- The Panthers are 31st on vault, and Elizabeth Cesarone is 81st in the nation after recording at least a 9.825 in five meets.
Players Mentioned
VT, UB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
VT, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
UB, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
VT, BB, FX
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
UB, BB
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
/ Women's Gymnastics
AA
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AA
/ Women's GymnasticsEmily Todd Uneven Bars vs. Kent State
Tuesday, January 23
Pitt Gymnastics | Casey Jo MacPherson | Introductory Press Conference
Friday, April 28
Gymnastics | Senior Day Letter | Katrina Coca
Wednesday, March 31
Gymnastics | Senior Day Letter | Haley Brechwald
Wednesday, March 31