Senior Christine Askham

Senior Meghan Johnson

Senior Aryn Bell

Senior Jess Dolan

Gustavus gymnasts Christine Askham, Aryn Bell, Jess Dolan, Laura Hansen, and Meghan Johnson saw their 2009 seasons come to an end after competing at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships hosted by Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. on Friday night.

Askham, a senior from Arvada, Colorado who was making her third appearance at the NCGA Championships, finished 14th in the all-around competition with a score of 36.275 out of 22 competitors. She finished tied for 33rd on the vault with a score of 9.300, tied for 16th on the uneven parallel bars with a score of 9.200, tied for 50th on the balance beam with a score of 8.325, and tied for 15th on the floor exercise with a score of 9.450. Askham missed qualifying for the event finals on the floor exercise by 0.025 points as the top 14 advanced to Saturday’s finals competition.

Senior Meghan Johnson from Minneapolis, Minnesota finished tied for 15th on the balance beam with a score of 9.400 in her first appearance at the NCGA Championships. She also missed qualifying for the event finals by 0.025 points. Laura Hansen, a senior from Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota, made her fourth appearance at the national meet. She posted a score of 8.825 to finish 38th on the balance beam out of 56 competitors.

Aryn Bell, a senior from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, was making her second appearance at the NCGA Championships. She recorded a score of 9.375 and finished in a tie for 22nd on the vault out of 55 competitors.

Jess Dolan, a senior from Milroy, Minnesota, competed in her first NCGA Championship meet. She posted a score of 9.275 to finish tied for 36th place out of 56 competitors.

The top qualifiers for each individual event heading into Saturday included Gabi Hooper of UW-La Crosse on the vault with a score of 9.800, Megan Hargens of UW-Stout on the uneven parallel bars with a score of 9.725, Melissa Baudhuin of Winona State on the balance beam with a score of 9.700, and Naomi DeLara of UW-Stout on the floor exercise with a score of 9.775

The National Collegiate Gymnastics Association handed out its academic awards at the national meet and eight Gustavus gymnasts were honored for their work in the classroom. The eight who were named Senior All-Americans in Academics included Christine Askham, Aryn Bell, Jess Dolan, Laura Hansen, Meghan Johnson, Julia Kruchoski, Catherine Osterhaus and Jaime Tsurusaki.

Meet Results

The 2009 NCGA Championships begin on Friday, March 20.

A live webcast is available for the 2009 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships hosted by Hamline University on March 20-21. Five Gustavus gymnasts will be participating in the national meet including Christine Askham in the all-around, Aryn Bell on the vault, Jess Dolan on the floor exercise, and Laura Hansen and Meghan Johnson on the balance beam. Cameras will be broadcasting each apparatus so each gymnast’s performance can be viewed over the Internet. The webcast can be accessed here. Competition begins at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.

Christine Askham will participate in the all-around competition at the NCGA Championships.

Laura Hansen will make her fourth appearance at the NCGA Championships.

Ary Bell will compete in vault at the national meet.

Jess Dolan will make her first trip to the NCGA Championships.

Five Gustavus gymnasts have been selected to participate in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships March 20-21 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. The group consists entirely of seniors as Christine Askham qualified in the all-around competition, Aryn Bell qualified on vault, Jess Dolan qualified on floor exercise, and Laura Hansen and Meghan Johnson qualified on balance beam. Askham, Hansen, and Bell have previous experience at the national meet, and will be the first appearances for Dolan and Johnson.

The championships will begin on Friday evening at 5:30 p.m. with the team competition and all-around finals. The event will continue on Saturday with the individual event finals. Each gymnast will compete in their respective events on Friday night with the top 14 scores on Friday advancing to the event finals on Saturday afternoon.

Askham, a senior from Arvada, Colo., was the only Gustie gymnast to compete in the all-around competition this season. She qualified for the NCGA Championships with an average score of 35.547 with her best score of the year, 36.525, coming at the NCGA West Region Meet for an eighth place finish. Askham’s strongest event is floor exercise where she is averaging 9.069 this season and finished tied for sixth at the NCGA West Region meet with a score of 9.550. She made appearances at the national meet during her rookie and sophomore years in floor exercise.

Hansen, a senior from Inver Grove Heights, Minn., competed on the uneven bars and balance beam this season for Gustavus. She qualified for the NCGA Championships with a season average score of 8.964 on the balance beam. Hansen’s top score of the season was a 9.650 at the Best of Minnesota meet on February 14. Hansen is making her fourth appearance at the national meet as her first two appearances were on the uneven bars and her third appearance was on the balance beam.

Bell, a senior from Eden Prairie, Minn., competed on the vault and uneven bars this season. She qualified for the NCGA Championships with a season average score of 9.236 on the vault. Her top score of the season was a 9.475 in a dual meet against UW-Stout on February 19. This will be Bell’s second appearance at the national meet on this apparatus.

Dolan, a senior from Milroy, Minn., competed on the vault and floor exercise this season for the Gusties. Dolan qualified for the NCGA Championships with a season average of 8.871 on floor exercise and posted her season-best score of 9.500 at the NCGA West Region Meet on March 6. Dolan is making her first appearance at the national meet.

Johnson, a senior from Minneapolis, Minn., competed on the balance beam for Coach Kris Glidden this season. Johnson qualified for the NCGA Championships with an average score of 8.831 and a season-high score of 9.300 during the Gustavus Triangular on January 17. This will be Johnson’s first appearance at the national meet.

NCGA Championship Website

Christine Askham posted the Gusties’ highest score of the meet with a 9.550 on the floor exercise.

The Gustavus gymnastics team wrapped up its 2009 season with a sixth place finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships, which were held at Winona State University, on Friday night. The Gusties posted a team score of 179.400. UW-La Crosse won the meet with a score of 187.200. Senior Christine Askham posted the top individual finish for Gustavus as she tied for sixth place on the floor exercise with a score of 9.550.

The Gusties posted individual event scores of 46.150 on the vault, 43.050 on the uneven bars, 43.525 on the balance beam, and 46.675 on the floor exercise. Top Gustavus event performances came from senior Jenny Berglund, who posted a score of 9.400 on the vault to finish in a three-way tie for tenth, sophomore Kelly Mathewson, who scored 9.175 on the uneven bars for ninth, senior Meghan Johnson, who recorded a score of 8.975 on the balance beam, and Christine Askham on the floor exercise with a score of 9.550.

Each Gustie vault competitor scored above 9.000 led by Berglund’s score of 9.400. Other vault scores for Gustavus included Aryn Bell at 9.300, Christine Askham at 9.250, Jess Dolan at 9.125, Catherine Osterhaus at 9.075 and Melanie Deutsch at 9.050.

In addition to Askham’s score on the floor exercise, Jenny Berglund and Jess Dolan added personal-best scores of 9.500 each to finish tied for 11th. The remaining Gustie scores on the apparatus were 9.100 from Jaime Tsurusaki, 9.025 from Kelsey Stafford, and 8.500 from Catherine Osterhaus.

Askham also finished eighth in the all-around competition with a total score of 36.525. She scored 9.250 on the vault, 8.825 on the uneven bars, 8.900 on the balance beam, and 9.550 on the floor exercise.

Gustavus will now wait to see if any individuals qualify for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships which will be held March 20-21 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn.

WIAC Championship Results

Laura Hansen is the top performer on beam and uneven bars.

Christine Askham is the top performer on floor exercise and is the lone competitor in the all-around.

Aryn Bell is the top performer on vault.

The Gustavus women’s gymnastics team will take part in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Friday at 6:00 pm at Winona State University. The top three team finishers at the conference meet qualify for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships which will take place March 20-21 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.

The Gusties enter the meet with an average team score of 175.181 through eight meets. Gustavus’ top score of the season is 179.925 at the Best of Minnesota Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota. Coach Kris Glidden’s squad has dual meet wins over UW-Eau Claire, UW-Oshkosh, and UW-Stout all of whom will be at the WIAC Championships. Eight teams will take part in the meet including Gustavus, Hamline, UW-Eau Claire, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stout, UW-Whitewater, and Winona State.

Key contributors for the Gusties in each event this season have been:

Vault
Aryn Bell (Season high of 9.475)
Jennifer Berglund (Season high of 9.450)
Breann Moore (Season high of 9.300)
Jess Dolan (Season high of 9.125)

Uneven Parallel Bars
Laura Hansen (Season high of 9.400)
Christine Askham (Season high of 9.150)

Balance Beam
Laura Hansen (Season high of 9.650)
Meghan Johnson (Season high of 9.300)
Jaime Tsurusaki (Season high of 9.175)
Julia Kruchoski (Season high of 9.150)

Floor Exercise
Christine Askham (Season high of 9.400)
Catherine Osterhaus (Season high of 9.350)
Jess Dolan (Season high of 9.300)
Jennifer Berglund (Season high of 9.100)

WIAC Championships Website

Gustavus scored 45.675 on the vault, 43.625 on the uneven parallel bars, 43.850 on the balance beam, and 45.075 on the floor exercise. Individually, the Gusties were led by Jenny Berglund (Sr., Plymouth, Minn.) on the vault with a score of 9.375, Laura Hansen on the balance beam at 9.300, and Christine Askham on the floor exercise at 9.400. Hansen and Askham recorded identical scores of 9.150 on the uneven bars.

Askham also won the all-around competition with a total score of 36.025. She posted a career-high score of 9.150 on the uneven bars, 9.075 on the vault, 8.400 on the balance beam, and 9.400 on the floor exercise.

The Gusties and the Blugolds will compete at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships hosted by Winona State University on Friday, March 6 beginning at 6 p.m.

Meet Results

Ten seniors were honored after the meet for the dedication to the program.

Cat Osterhaus plays to the crowd during her floor exercise routine.

Christine Ashkam dismounts from the uneven bars.

Christina Sorenson performs an element on the balance beam.

The Gustavus women’s gymnastics team put on a show in front of an enthusiastic crowd as it defeated UW-Stout 179.750 to 178.745 in the last home dual meet of the season on Thursday night in the Lund Center Forum. The Gusties posted season-best scores of 45.950 on the floor exercise and 43.775 on the uneven bars. Laura Hansen (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) scored 9.400 on the uneven bars to capture first place on the apparatus, while fellow senior Aryn Bell (Eden Prairie, Minn.) turned in a score of 9.475 on the vault to tie for first.

Gustavus set the tone for the competition on its first rotation when it compiled a score of 46.025 on the vault as four out of the five scores were above 9.0. The momentum carried over onto the uneven bars where the Gusties separated themselves from UW-Stout with a team score of 43.775. Gustavus faltered slightly on balance beam at 44.000, but hit its floor exercise routines to stay in front of the Blue Devils as the lowest score counted was 8.950.

In addition to Hansen’s performance on the uneven bars, she posted the top Gustie score on balance beam with a 9.100. Catherine Osterhaus (Sr., Eagan, Minn.) and Christine Askham (Sr., Arvada, Colo.) each earned scores of 9.350 on floor exercise to garner the high scores for Gustavus in the event.

Meghan Hargens of UW-Stout won the all-around competition with a compiled score of 38.000 as she earned 9.475 on vault, 9.300 on uneven bars, 9.625 on balance beam, and 9.600 on floor exercise. Askham finished second in the all-around with a score of 36.200 as she turned in a 9.075 on vault, 9.125 on uneven bars, 8.650 on balance beam, and 9.350 on floor exercise.

Gustavus has one remaining dual meet of the season at UW-Eau Claire on Friday, February 27 before competing at the WIAC Championships in Winona, Minn. on March 6.

Meet Results

Photo Gallery

Senior Laura Hansen

Gustavus Adolphus senior gymnast Laura Hansen (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) was named the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Gymnastics Specialist of the Week for the week ending February 15, 2009. Hansen turned in scores of 9.650 on the balance beam and 9.200 on the uneven parallel bars at the Best of Minnesota meet in Minneapolis on February 14. Her score on the balance beam tied the third-highest score ever achieved by a Gustie gymnast in the event and bettered her personal best score by 0.625 points. Hansen was the top NCGA finisher in both events as she placed fifth on the beam and sixth on the uneven bars.

Gustavus finished third at the competition and posted a season-high team score of 179.925. The Gusties will host their final dual meet of the season against UW-Stout on Thursday beginning at 7 p.m. in the Lund Center Forum.

Hansen is the daughter of Andrew and Stephanie Hansen of Inver Grove Heights, Minn.

As a team, the Gusties scored 46.150 on the vault, 45.575 on the floor exercise, and 45.425 on the balance beam, and 42.775 on the uneven parallel bars. Top scores on each apparatus were turned in by Aryn Bell (Sr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) on vault (9.350), Laura Hansen on uneven bars (9.200) and balance beam (9.650), and Christine Askham (Sr., Arvada, Colo.) on floor exercise (9.250). Askham also finished fifth in the all-around competition with scores of 9.250 on vault (tied-15th) and floor exercise (tied-11th), 9.025 on uneven bars (seventh), and 8.150 on balance beam (23rd).

The University of Minnesota swept the individual events and the all-around competition. Carmelina Carabajal claimed titles in the all-around (39.350), balance beam (9.950), and vault (9.850). The remaining winners were Kristin Furukawa and Alexis Russell on uneven bars (tied-9.825) and Russell on floor exercise (9.850).

The Gusties host their last home dual meet of the season on Thursday, February 19 when they compete against UW-Stout at 7 p.m.

Meet Results

No Gustavus gymnast earned first place on an individual apparatus, but Christine Askham won the all-around competition with a total score of 34.925. She scored 8.675 on the vault (8th), 9.125 on the uneven parallel bars (2nd), 8.375 on the balance beam (8th), and 8.750 on the floor exercise (tied-4th).

As a team the Gusties’ top rotation was the vault as they scored 43.625, where Aryn Bell earned the team-high score of 9.050. Gustavus recorded scores of 43.575 on the balance beam, 43.275 on the floor exercise, and 42.350 on the uneven bars. Individually, Askham led the way on the uneven bars with a 9.125, while Tsurusaki scored 9.150 on the balance beam and 8.850 on the floor exercise.

Head Coach Kris Glidden’s squad will compete at the Best of Minnesota Invitational hosted by the University of Minnesota on Saturday, February 14 at 6 p.m.

Meet Results