ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus gymnastics team has been preparing all season for this moment and the moment is almost here. The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC)/National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West Regional begins at 6:20 p.m. Friday at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Mitchell Hall.
Live results will be posted through the sixth rotation with final results posted after all scores are verified.
WIAC/NCGA West Regional website
Gustavus has been competing in the WIAC since 2005 and recorded its highest finish at the WIAC Championships in 2005 with a score of 180.15. The Gusties have one WIAC individual champion in program history as Brittany Moore won the vault in 2005 with a score of 9.525. Gustavus is now trying to snap a five-year span of finishing in eighth place. The Gusties are scheduled to compete in the second flight with the rotation of vault-bars-beam-floor.
Gustavus’s lineup with season-high scores:
Vault
Emily Anderson (So., Mendota Heights, Minn.) – 9.300
Anna Nesser (Fy., Sartell, Minn.) – 9.325
Veronica Vasina (Fy., Arvada, Calif.) – 9.400
Sam Ardy (Fy., Thousand Oaks, Calif.) – 9.575
Amanda Malo (Fy., Greenwood, Minn.) – 9.450
Alex Kopp (Jr., Wayzata, Minn.) – 9.600
(Alt.) Lauren Kershner (Jr., Marine, Ill.) – 9.275
Bars
Anderson – 9.150
Jessica Niedermayer (Jr., New Prague, Minn.) – 8.850
Malo – 9.025
Kershner – 9.150
Kopp – 9.425
Ardy – 9.575
(Alt.) Vasina – 8.450
Beam
Rachel Thiner (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) – 9.475
Jaimie Niedermayer (Jr., New Prague, Minn.) – 8.650
Malo – 9.450
Ardy – 9.100
Kershner – 9.275
Kopp – 9.525
(Alt.) Kate Schneider (So., Albany, Minn.) – NA
Floor
Anderson – 9.250
Ardy – 9.250
Jaimie Niedermayer – 9.350
Kershner – 9.200
Malo – 9.400
Kopp – 9.700
(Alt.) Torrie Aycock (Fy., Buffalo, Minn.) – NA
All-Around
Kopp – 37.800
Ardy – 37.400
Malo – 37.100
From the WIAC
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will aim for a second straight first-place finish at the 2016 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Gymnastics Championship (presented by Culver’s) at UW-La Crosse’s Mitchell Hall on March 4. This year’s championship will mark the 43rd meeting of league teams.
The Warhawks captured the fourth conference title in program history a season ago with a score of 191.750 to exceed UW-La Crosse’s second-place score of 190.875. UW-Stout placed third with a score of 187.825, while Winona State University (Minn.) was fourth with 187.675, Hamline University (Minn.) fifth with 187.100, UW-Eau Claire sixth with 184.475, UW-Oshkosh seventh with 181.625 and Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) eighth with 180.025.
The conference meet will also serve as the West Region qualifier for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championship that will be hosted by State University of New York-Brockport March 18-19. The top three teams from the WIAC event, along with qualified individual gymnasts, will advance to the NCGA meet.
NCAA Division III SAS rankings distributed on Feb. 29 include the following conference entrants: UW-Whitewater first; UW-La Crosse third; Winona State seventh; UW-Eau Claire eighth; UW-Oshkosh ninth; Hamline 11th; UW-Stout 12th; and Gustavus Adolphus 13th.
This year’s championship features seven individuals that have claimed titles at previous WIAC championships. UW-Whitewater junior Courtney Pickett is the defending champion in the all-around, while classmate Katie Fiorilli was victorious in the vault a year ago after securing the all-around in 2014.
Warhawk sophomore Kate Mierow won the balance beam as last year’s meet after junior McKenzie Foster captured the event in 2014.
UW-La Crosse senior Sheree Romesburg posted back-to-back first-place finishes in the floor exercise in 2013 and 2014. She also added the vault title in 2014. Sophomore Amy Enright is the defending champion in the uneven bars.
UW-Stout junior Kaylee Jondahl won the floor exercise at last year’s championship.
This year’s competition features student-athletes that represent 28 different states and one each from Argentina and Canada. Following is the breakdown by state: Minnesota (43); Illinois (26); Wisconsin (24); Michigan (6); Missouri (6); Colorado (5); Tennessee (5); Washington (5); North Dakota (4); Virginia (4); California (3); Georgia (3); Oklahoma (3); Arizona (2); Florida (2); Indiana (2); Iowa (2); Nebraska (2); Oregon (2); Pennsylvania (2); South Dakota (2); Texas (2); Connecticut (1); New Mexico (1); New York (1); North Carolina (1); Ohio (1); and South Carolina (1).
The top-six finishers in each event receive All-Conference designation.