University of Bridgeport Joins The Gymnastics East Conference For Inaugural Season In 2022

Ithaca, NY– Eight of the top gymnastics programs on the East Coast have joined together to form the Gymnastics East Conference, it was announced today. The GEC, an independent, gymnastics-only conference, will begin competition during the 2022 season, culminating in the first-ever conference championship meet on Saturday, March 19 in Providence, R.I.

The GEC will be composed of founding members Brown University, College of William & Mary, Cornell University, Southern Connecticut State University, University of Bridgeport, University of Pennsylvania, West Chester University and Yale University. Since the NCAA doesn't recognize division classification in gymnastics competition, the creation of a conference with regional Division I and Division II schools benefits all of the programs.

The championship meet will be held over two sessions, with qualifying teams 5-8 in the afternoon and teams ranked 1-4 competing in the evening based on National Qualifying Scores (NQS). This differs from previous unwieldy conference championship meets that included all teams in one session and incentivizes finishing in the top half of the conference standings.

Stated UB head gymnatics coach Lorraine Galow. "The University of Bridgeport Gymnastics team is excited to join this independent conference. We are looking forward to providing our athletes with a competitive conference championship experience alongside several Division 1 universities. This will elevate the stage for our program and will provide our gymnasts with an additional opportunity to compete in a large meet in preparation for USAG National Championships. It is an honor to call ourselves one of the inaugural teams as a part of the GEC!"

The conference also introduced a logo, designed by Piard Design. The crest includes eight multi-colored ribbons and stars at the bottom, signifying each of the eight conference schools.

Piard Design is a creative agency that provides visual solutions across multiple platforms. The founders, Bill and Erin Piard, attended the University of Bridgeport and Erin was a member of the UB gymnastics team from 2010-2014. Their mission is to provide their clients with outstanding design, at an affordable price, through an exceptional experience.