The Gustavus women’s gymnastics team turned in a season-best team score of 179.925 at the Best of Minnesota Meet on its way to finishing third place out of four teams. The University of Minnesota won the competition with a score of 195.075 followed by Winona State University in second at 181.675 and Hamline University in fourth at 177.375. Laura Hansen (Sr., Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) turned in the top score for the Gusties as she scored a 9.650 on the balance beam, tying the third-highest score ever achieved by a Gustavus gymnast in the event.
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.