Four years, one sport. That’s how most recruits envision their collegiate gymnastics career to go. It also couldn’t be farther from reality for Bridgeport’s Alexis Richardson. She is one of five gymnasts in the nation this season using a sixth eligibility year. Typically filling a leg event role, her skillset has also been utilized at times by the school’s varsity cross country and lacrosse teams.
Originally committed to Bridgeport with only gymnastics in mind, Richardson had a seemingly typical student-athlete experience with the exception of redshirting her 2020 season. But then the Purple Knights did not compete in 2021, freeing up Richardson to play lacrosse alongside other friends on the team. Though she hadn’t played the sport since before high school, her inclusion was a no brainer, as the team wouldn’t have otherwise had enough athletes to play.
The 2022 season saw a similar dilemma for Bridgeport’s cross country team. “They also didn’t have enough girls to run, so the lacrosse coach suggested that maybe I would join,” Richardson said. Both the lacrosse and cross country coaches reached out to gymnastics head coach Lorraine Galow to see if it was even a possibility. “I said why not? So last year during the fall I practiced gymnastics…
