The Gustavus women’s gymnastics team posted a season high score of 177.85 and placed seventh out of eight teams at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West Regional which was held at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh on Friday night. First year Christine Askham turned in the top individual performance as she tied for second place on the floor exercise with a career best score of 9.650. UW-La Crosse won the team title with a score of 182.90.
The Gusties reached their season high score of 177.85 by recording season high event totals on the vault with a 46.525 and on the beam with a 44.125. The team added scores of 42.15 on the uneven parallel bars and 45.05 on the floor exercise. The Gusties’ previous high team score this season was 174.825 which they recorded at the Best of Minnesota Invitational.
On the vault, junior Brittany Moore finished in a tie for third with a season best score of 9.50. Others scoring for Gustavus included first year Emily Pickford with a season best 9.40 (7th), sophomore Danielle Berg with a season best 9.275 (19th), senior Danielle Abel with a 9.175 (27th tie), and junior Greta Blomme with a career best 9.175 (27th tie).
On the uneven parallel bars, first year Laura Hansen finished in a tie for 11th with a score of 8.95 to lead the team. Askham placed 18th with a score of 8.75 followed by Emily Pickford in 26th with a season best 8.50, junior Kathleen Ozbun in 34th with a 8.10, and junior Audrey Schenewerk in 40th with a 7.850.
On the balance beam, junior Nicole Gergen finished 11th with a season best score of 9.15, while Emily Pickford placed 14th with a season best score of 9.05, and junior Dana Ryerson finished 17th with a season best score of 8.975. Others scoring for Gustavus included Laura Hansen in 27th with a score of 8.65, and Jamie Tsurusaki in 36th with a score of 8.30.
On the floor exercise, Christine Askham posted a career best score of 9.65 to tie for second place. Gergen added a 24th place finish with a total of 9.10, and sophomore Kelsie Droogsma finished 26th with a career best total of 9.05. Others scoring included Dana Ryerson at 8.65 (37th) and first year Catherine Osterhaus at 8.60 (38th).
Final team scores from the eight-team NCGA West Regional included UW-La Crosse 182.90, UW-Eau Claire 181.00, UW-Oshkosh 180.90, Hamline University 179.175, UW-Whitewater 178.90, Winona State 178.375, Gustavus 177.85, and UW-Stout 173.50.
The Gusties concluded their 2006 team schedule at the regional meet. Individually, the team could advance several gymnasts to the NCGA Championships which will take place March 24-25 at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. The individual qualifiers will be announced on Monday or Tuesday of next week.