The Gustavus gymnastics team scored 171.650 points to finish in fifth place at the highly competitive 31st Annual Gershon/McLellan Invitational held Friday at Mitchell Hall in La Crosse, Wis. UW-La Cross went on to win the five-team meet with a score of 185.425, Winona State placed second (181.600), while UW-Stout took third (180.175) and UW-Eau Claire finished fourth (175.875).
The Gusties recorded individual event scores of 46.125 (season-high) on the vault, 39.075 on the uneven parallel bars, 44.125 (season-high) on the balance beam, and a 42.325 on the floor exercise.
Fresh off of being named WIAC Gymnastics Specialist-of-the-Week, Sam Opsahl (Forest Lake, Minn.) turned in another solid routine on the balance beam, scoring a 9.475 to place second. UW-La Crosse’s Rachel Budelier won the beam with a mark of 9.600. Opsahl also finished 16th on the vault (9.150) and 29th on the floor (7.700).
Jamie Ries (Monticello, Minn.) and Kacy Lorber (Ashland, Wis.) recorded Gustavus’ other top finishes. The sophomore pair went back-to-back on the vault. Ries placed sixth after a 9.375 and Jamie Ries took seventh with a 9.275.
It was a UW-La Crosse gold rush as individual event champions included primarily Eagles on the top of the podiums. Winners were Jenna Swails on the vault (9.575) and floor (9.200), Morgan Shene on the bars (9.425), and Rachel Bedelier on the beam (9.600). Brittany DeZiel of UW-Stout was able to keep UW-La Crosse from a complete sweep by winning the all-around competition with a score of 37.100.
The Gustavus gymnastics team will be back in action on Feb. 11 when it travels to Minneapolis to compete in the Best of Minnesota Invite held on the campus of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.