University of New Hampshire Athletics
Alyssa Worthington and the Wildcats host their Stick It to The Cure meet Sunday at 1 in the Whitt.
Photo by: Stu Horne
Insider Report: Sticking It at The Whitt
2/11/2023 11:59:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics, UNH Insider
Gymnastics Move to Across the Street Makes for a Win-Win
DURHAM, N.H. – The University of New Hampshire gymnastics team made a move across Main Street this season. And the Wildcats are loving it.
For years, UNH has hosted the bulk of its home meets in Lundholm Gymnasium.
This season, head coach Lindsey Bruck Ayotte wanted to mix things up and up the ante a bit and have her team compete across the street in the Whittemore Center, which has traditionally been host to a meet or so each season. The administration was in full support.
By having competitions on Sunday afternoons, gymnastics was able to fit in all but one of its meets at the Whittemore Center.
"The Whitt is so much bigger and a better atmosphere," said senior Robyn Kelley. "The music's louder. We have a lot of space and it's so much better and louder. Literally, loudness is the best part of a gymnastics meet to me. It's having everyone there and excited and pumped up to go."
The Wildcats have split their two home meets thus far – the first was at the Whitt and the second in a packed Lundholm that, truth be told, they have outgrown – and the rest of their home competitions, starting Sunday, will be in the Whitt.
Sunday's is the team's annual Stick It to The Cure quad meet, to support the battle against breast cancer, and George Washington, North Carolina and Long Island University will provide the opposition at 1 p.m.
Ticket information for all gymnastics meets is available at www.unhwildcats.com. Sunday's meet will be streamed live on YouTube.
UNH, which has a 7-4 overall record and 2-0 mark against EAGL teams, will also host a quad meet in the Whitt on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. against Illinois State, Pittsburgh and Southern Connecticut. The Wildcats close out the regular season with a dual home meet against Brown on Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m.
The Whitt will also be home to the East Atlantic Gymnastics League championships on Saturday, March 18, during which teams will compete in one of two sessions, either at 1 or 7 p.m.
Competitively, the Whittemore Center has been an especially nice fit for the Wildcats when it comes to the EAGLs.
In 2019, the last time the championships were held in the building, UNH edged out George Washington and North Carolina to grab the title in front of a raucous crowd of more than 2,200 fans. The Wildcats also won when EAGLs were held in the Whitt in 2003 and 2014.
Much better amenities for fans – from comfortable seats and expanded concessions to the videoboard, sound system and more – will allow the team to grow its fanbase and that adds to the allure of the Whitt for Ayotte and her gymnasts.
Competing in a larger venue will also prepare her team better for road meets and championships, the coach said.
"From what I hear, everybody likes coming to the Whitt, including the parents and alumni and staff," Ayotte said. "As we continue to do better and better hopefully more and more people show up and realize how much of a fun experience it is. It's a sporting event, but it's entertainment, too. There's always something going on. There's always something to see, always something to watch and it's kind of never a dull moment."
It all adds up to a major win-win.
"I love it, I think it's great," said senior Kylie Gorgenyi. "It's great for everyone. I think it's really important for us to try to get our student body population to go to our meets. Having meets at the Whitt gives us a huge opportunity to get more students, just because it's at the Whitt."
Gorgenyi attended the last EAGLs at the Whitt in 2019 as a fan and incoming recruit.
"It was amazing," she said., "Even just sitting there in the stands you could feel it. For me, coming in the next year, there was so much excitement to be there. It was, 'This is what I'm coming here for and how it's going to be.' We're getting to that point and that feels amazing."
Ayotte agrees.
She coordinated with Carrie Kimball, senior associate athletic director for internal operations and the longtime gymnastics administrator, on making a schedule and also on the logistics of setting up – the gymnastics equipment needs to be brought over each meet from the gymnastics training facility in the Field House – to put everything together.
"I feel like we have a good fan base on a Sunday afternoon and with Carrie and the department working with us and seeing our schedule and the hockey schedules, all the chips fell where they needed to and it worked out for us," Ayotte said. "I think the more meets we can have here just brings our program to the next level, which is pretty cool."
For years, UNH has hosted the bulk of its home meets in Lundholm Gymnasium.
This season, head coach Lindsey Bruck Ayotte wanted to mix things up and up the ante a bit and have her team compete across the street in the Whittemore Center, which has traditionally been host to a meet or so each season. The administration was in full support.
By having competitions on Sunday afternoons, gymnastics was able to fit in all but one of its meets at the Whittemore Center.
"The Whitt is so much bigger and a better atmosphere," said senior Robyn Kelley. "The music's louder. We have a lot of space and it's so much better and louder. Literally, loudness is the best part of a gymnastics meet to me. It's having everyone there and excited and pumped up to go."
The Wildcats have split their two home meets thus far – the first was at the Whitt and the second in a packed Lundholm that, truth be told, they have outgrown – and the rest of their home competitions, starting Sunday, will be in the Whitt.
Sunday's is the team's annual Stick It to The Cure quad meet, to support the battle against breast cancer, and George Washington, North Carolina and Long Island University will provide the opposition at 1 p.m.
Ticket information for all gymnastics meets is available at www.unhwildcats.com. Sunday's meet will be streamed live on YouTube.
UNH, which has a 7-4 overall record and 2-0 mark against EAGL teams, will also host a quad meet in the Whitt on Sunday, Feb. 26 at 2 p.m. against Illinois State, Pittsburgh and Southern Connecticut. The Wildcats close out the regular season with a dual home meet against Brown on Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m.
The Whitt will also be home to the East Atlantic Gymnastics League championships on Saturday, March 18, during which teams will compete in one of two sessions, either at 1 or 7 p.m.
Competitively, the Whittemore Center has been an especially nice fit for the Wildcats when it comes to the EAGLs.
In 2019, the last time the championships were held in the building, UNH edged out George Washington and North Carolina to grab the title in front of a raucous crowd of more than 2,200 fans. The Wildcats also won when EAGLs were held in the Whitt in 2003 and 2014.
Much better amenities for fans – from comfortable seats and expanded concessions to the videoboard, sound system and more – will allow the team to grow its fanbase and that adds to the allure of the Whitt for Ayotte and her gymnasts.
Competing in a larger venue will also prepare her team better for road meets and championships, the coach said.
"From what I hear, everybody likes coming to the Whitt, including the parents and alumni and staff," Ayotte said. "As we continue to do better and better hopefully more and more people show up and realize how much of a fun experience it is. It's a sporting event, but it's entertainment, too. There's always something going on. There's always something to see, always something to watch and it's kind of never a dull moment."
It all adds up to a major win-win.
"I love it, I think it's great," said senior Kylie Gorgenyi. "It's great for everyone. I think it's really important for us to try to get our student body population to go to our meets. Having meets at the Whitt gives us a huge opportunity to get more students, just because it's at the Whitt."
Gorgenyi attended the last EAGLs at the Whitt in 2019 as a fan and incoming recruit.
"It was amazing," she said., "Even just sitting there in the stands you could feel it. For me, coming in the next year, there was so much excitement to be there. It was, 'This is what I'm coming here for and how it's going to be.' We're getting to that point and that feels amazing."
Ayotte agrees.
She coordinated with Carrie Kimball, senior associate athletic director for internal operations and the longtime gymnastics administrator, on making a schedule and also on the logistics of setting up – the gymnastics equipment needs to be brought over each meet from the gymnastics training facility in the Field House – to put everything together.
"I feel like we have a good fan base on a Sunday afternoon and with Carrie and the department working with us and seeing our schedule and the hockey schedules, all the chips fell where they needed to and it worked out for us," Ayotte said. "I think the more meets we can have here just brings our program to the next level, which is pretty cool."
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