Minneapolis – The Gustavus Adolphus gymnastics team recorded a season-best score of 176.700 at the Best of Minnesota Invite held Sunday at the University of Minnesota Sports Pavilion. The Gusties finished fourth out of four competing teams, while Minnesota turned in the top score of the meet with a 196.150. Winona State placed second with a 184.675, and Hamline took third with a 183.850.
The Gusties posted individual event scores of 45.200 on the vault, 42.100 on the uneven parallel bars, 43.400 on the balance beam, and 45.000 on the floor exercise. Gustavus’s scores on the vault, bars, and beam were season-best marks.
The Black and Gold’s top individual performer was Jamie Ries (Sr., Monticello, Minn.) who recorded two top 10 finishes. Ries’s routine on the beam scored a season-high 9.125 to put her in eighth place, while her season-high 9.225 on the floor ranked 10th. She also came in 15th on the vault (9.350, season-high) and 19th on the bars (8.650). Ries finished sixth in the all-around with a 36.350 – her best all-round score of the year.
Lauren Kershner (Fy., Marine, Ill.) also competed in the all-around where she took seventh with a 35.550. She tallied finishes of eighth on the beam (9.125), 16th on the bars (8.875), 19th on the vault (9.100), and 23rd on the floor (8.450). Kershner’s showings on the bars and vault were her bests of the season.
Winning each individual event was Gopher Lindsay Mable who scored a 9.875 on the vault, 9.800 on the bars, 9.875 on the beam, and a 9.900 on the floor. Mable won the all-around title with a score of 39.450.
The Gustavus gymnastics team will cap its 2014 season next weekend at the WIAC Championships/NCGA Regional. The WIAC Championships/NCGA Regional will be held at UW-Whitewater on Saturday, March at 2:00 p.m.