Saturday marked Senior Day for the Yale gymnastics team as the Bulldogs placed second, behind Bridgeport and ahead of Southern Connecticut State, at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Seniors Allison Mak and captain Brigitte Kivisto were honored as they led Yale to a 188.300 second-place finish in their last competition at home.

Bridgeport, ranked No. 2 in Division III, finished with a score of 190.700, while SCSU had a score of 187.200.

“We expected the meet to be a close one,” Mak said. “We’ve seen SCSU and UB already this season, and they’ve been posting team scores competitive with ours,.”

Mak had a successful all-around competition, finishing fourth with 37.725. But the Bulldogs were led by Kivisto, who finished first overall with a score of 38.500.

The two seniors came out strong on the vault, taking the Bulldogs’ top two finishes as Kivisto finished third with a 9.700 and Mak finished ninth with a 9.450. Stephanie Goldstein ’13 also placed on the vault, taking 10th with a career-best 9.425.

On the uneven parallel bars, it was a freshman who scored highest for the Bulldogs. Lindsay Andsanger ’13 placed fourth in the event with a 9.650 and was followed closely by the senior Bulldogs once again: Kivisto finished eighth with a 9.525, and Mak posted a season-best 9.325 to place 11th on the bars.

Still, where Mak really shined was on the beam, where she tied for first place with Bridgeport’s Emily Repko with a score of 9.625, a victory that carried more significance for the Yale senior in her final home competition.

“Beam is my favorite event to compete, and winning the event at home with my last routine here was a great way to go,” Mak said.

Kivisto and Tara Feld ’13 were close behind Mak, landing fourth and fifth place, respectively.

The Bulldogs found the most success on the floor exercise. In an event that has been a strength for the team this season, the Elis exceeded their season-high team score by almost a point.

“We were very happy with our performances on floor, and it would be great if we could get every event that consistent,” Kivisto said.

Feld placed first on the floor with a career-best 9.850, followed by second-place Kivisto with a 9.750. Talis Trevino ’12 and Goldstein both also hit career bests, finishing fifth and eighth, respectively.

Although Senior Day was packed with career bests for the Bulldogs, Kivisto said she knows the team will push themselves even further leading up to next week.

“In addition to made routines, we will be looking to polish our performance by sticking landings and executing our routines with nice form,” she said.

The Bulldogs look forward to next weekend, when they will participate in the Ivy League Classic at Brown, a competition where Feld feels the team will find success.

“I truly believe that this team has what it takes to get first place,” she said.