Menomonie, Wis. – The Gustavus gymnastics team turned in a score of 172.575 to finish in fourth place at the John Zuerlein Invitational held at the Johnson Fieldhouse on the campus of UW-Stout on Friday night. UW-La Crosse won the meet with a score of 182.800, while UW-Stout placed second (179.075) and Hamline finished third (174.550).
The Gusties recorded season-high scores in three individual events including a 39.675 on the uneven parallel bars, a 42.750 on the balance beam, and a 45.000 on the floor. Gustavus rounded out the meet with a 45.150 score on the vault.
For the second-straight meet, junior Samantha Opsahl (Forest Lake, Minn.) earned the top spot on the podium. Tonight, Opsahl recorded a season-high 9.550 to take the crown on the balance beam. Her previous top performance on the beam was a 9.150 at the UW-Eau Claire Invite on Jan. 13. Opsahl also finished fifth on the floor (9.400) and 10th on the vault (9.125). Her 9.400 on the floor is also a season-high.
Sophomore Kacy Lorber (Ashland, Wis.) and junior Bailey Zeinert (Oshkosh, Wis.) also recorded notable performances. Lorber finished eighth on the vault after landing a 9.150, while Zeinert was the only Gusties to compete in the all-around, finishing sixth with a score of 35.025. Zeinert went 8.900 (19th) on the vault, 8.725 (10th) on the bars, 8.450 (15th) on the beam, and 8.950 (t-12th) on the floor.
Other individual event champions included UW-Stout’s Katherine Prouty on the vault (9.450), UW-La Crosse’s Christa Booman on the bars (9.400), and UW-La Crosse’s Jenna Swails on floor (9.650). Courtney Benson took the all-around crown after compiling 37.350 points.
The Gustavus gymnastics team will be back in action on Feb. 3 when it takes part in the Gershon Invite held in La Crosse, Wis. at 6:00 p.m.