The Gustavus Adolphus gymnastics team posted a seventh-place finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships Thursday at Mitchell Hall on the campus of University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Gusties finished with a team score of 177.050, its second highest mark of the season. The meet also serves as the West Regional for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships.
The Gusties were led by Brittany Moore (Sr., Plymouth, Minn./St. Louis Park), who tied for second place on the vault with a 9.550, taking home all-conference honors. Jessica Dolan (So., Milroy, Minn./Marshall) finished 17th with a career-high score of 9.375, while Aryn Bell (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) took 27th with a score of 9.250. Christine Askham (So., Arvada, Colo./West), Emily Pickford (So., Minnetonka, Minn./Perpich Center for Arts Education), and Danielle Berg (Jr., St. Cloud, Minn./Technical) rounded out the Gustie vault squad. Askham posted a 9.150 and Pickford a 9.000, while Berg scored an 8.625.
Audrey Schenewerk (Sr., Lawrence, Kan./Baldwin) posted Gustavus’ best score on the uneven bars with a season-high score of 8.925 to place 15th, while Laura Hansen (So., Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley) added an 8.900 to finish 17th. Askham and Pickford followed with scores of 8.525 and 8.225 and Laurel Urquhart (Fy., Great Falls, Mont.) posted an 8.050. Bell added a 7.850.
Nicole Gergen (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) edged Hansen for team-high honors on the balance beam. Gergen finished tied for 15th with a 9.000, just ahead of Hansen’s 8.950 in 17th place. Urquhart added an 8.650, while Pickford recorded an 8.100. Kelsie Droogsma (Jr., Elk River, Minn.) and Jaime Tsurusaki (So., Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) chipped in with scores of 7.975 and 7.650, respectively.
Gergen also took team-high honors on the floor exercise with a 9.350, placing 12th overall. Askham (9.075) finished just ahead of Dolan (9.050), while Jennifer Berglund (So., Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) added a 9.000 and Droogsma an 8.950. Stephanie Lovik (Sr., Rochester, Minn./Century) rounded out the Gustavus floor contingent with an 8.250.
The Gusties did not have a competitor in the all-around competition won by Teresa Phipps of University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a score of 37.875.
Six-time defending NCGA national champion UW-La Crosse won its 11th straight league title with a score of 187.700. UW-La Crosse, runner-up finisher UW-Oshkosh (182.675), and third-place finisher Hamline (180.975), along with 2007 national championship host UW-Whitewater (4th, 180.200) each qualified their team for the 2007 NCGA National Championships March 23-24 in Whitewater. Three event specialists per event will also qualify from the West Region. The full field for this year’s NCGA Championships, including the rotation, will be determined this weekend and released Sunday, March 11.