St. Peter, Minn. – Gustavus Adolphus sophomore gymnast Alexandra Kopp (Wayzata, Minn.) will represent the gymnastics team at the upcoming National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships being held on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28 in Mitchell Hall on the campus of UW-La Crosse.
“We are extremely proud of Alex and are thrilled that she is representing Gustavus at the NCGA Championships this weekend,” said Head Coach Aryn Bell. “To qualify for this meet is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to how hard she works every day.”
Kopp will make the trek to La Crosse, Wisconsin on Thursday to practice in Mitchell Hall and attend the NCGA Championships Banquet later at night.
She will compete in the all-around competition on Friday night when the meet kicks off with a march-in at 6:00 p.m. There will be an awards ceremony following Friday night’s events honoring the top ten all-around finishers and the top three finishing teams including a crowning of the 2015 NCGA National Champion.
In her first season competing for the Black and Gold, Alexandra Kopp proved to be a consistent and dynamic all-around competitor in all 11 of Gustavus’s competitions. Kopp averaged an all-around score of 37.100 with her top performance coming on March 6 at the WIAC Championships/NCGA West Regional where she scored a 37.225 to finish sixth overall. Kopp displayed steady improvement over the backstretch of the season. She bested in her previous score five straight meets and capped the run with a season-best effort at the WIAC Championships. She was also named the WIAC All-Arounder-of-the-Week following her performances in dual meets against Winona State and UW-La Crosse.
Saturday’s individual event competitions will begin with a march-in at 4:00 p.m. Kopp qualified for and will be performing on the balance beam that day. An awards ceremony honoring the individual event champions along with the Coach-of-the-Year, Academic All-Americans, and Outstanding Seniors Athletes will follow the night’s competition.
On the balance beam, Kopp enters the weekend with a 9.463 average. Her top marks on the beam came in back-to-back outings where she scored a 9.525 at the Best of Minnesota Invite on Feb. 22 and the same score against UW-Oshkosh on March 6. Kopp finished sixth overall at the WIAC Championships after recording a 9.500.
“To qualify in both the all-around and beam is a huge accomplishment, particularly this year with the new format and far fewer gymnasts qualifying,” Bell continued about the achievements of her standout sophomore. “Alex has been a wonderful addition to the team and we are so proud of her. We, the coaches and her teammates, cannot wait to see her compete and look forward to her continued success.”
For more information about the 2015 NCGA Championships including live results, live video, a complete schedule of events, directions and parking information, and ticket information, please follow the links below.
Friday
Live Results | Live Video
Saturday
Live Results | Live Video