Busacker Earns All-America Honors
At NCGA Championship
| University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse won its seventh National Collegiate Gymnastics
Association (NCGA) Championship in the last eight
seasons during team competition held on March 28
in Cory Gymnasium in the Park Center on the campus
of SUNY-Cortland.
The Eagles won the 12th national title in program
history after compiling 189.050 team points to surpass
the second-place total of 188.425 set by SUNY-Brockport.
SUNY-Cortland took third with 188.375 points, Ursinus
College (Pa.) fourth with 188.050, UW-Whitewater
fifth with 187.200 and Winona State University (Minn.)
sixth with 185.625. UW-La Crosse head coach Barb
Gibson was named the NCGA Co-Coach of the Year along
with Jeff Schepers of Ursinus College (Pa.).
During individual competition on March 29, UW-La
Crosse’s Gabi Hooper and UW-Whitewater’s
Justine Weyer shared top honors in the vault with
a score of 9.675.
Hooper secured the third vault national crown in
program history, while Weyer is UW-Whitewater’s
first individual event national champion since 2000
when Nicole Hoida claimed the balance beam.
UW-Stout’s Naomi Delara won the balance beam
title with a score of 9.800 to become the school’s
first individual event national champion.
The NCGA also announced a 38-member All-Academic
Team for the 2008 season. Individuals from
the WIAC receiving recognition included UW-Eau Claire’s
Kristi Olson, UW-La Crosse’s Kasey Clausen
and Jacqueline Schellinger, UW-Oshkosh’s Vanessa
Virbitsky, UW-Whitewater’s Kira Fedyniak,
Alison Lewis and Rachel Paney, Gustavus Adolphus’
Danielle Berg, Kelsie Droogsma and Kasey Lyng and
Hamline’s Missy Gamble.
The top 10 individuals in the all-around competition
secured NCGA All-America status, while competitors
placing in the top six in the individual events
were named All-America First Team and individuals
finishing seven through 12 received All-America
Second Team status.
WIAC All-Americans:
Vault: Justine Weyer (UW-Whitewater-Champion),
Gabi Hooper (UW-La Crosse-Champion), Alexandra Nugent
(Winona State-Third), Jackie LaFleur (UW-La Crosse-Sixth),
Allison Nelson (UW-Whitewater-12th)
Uneven Bars: Kasey Clausen (UW-La Crosse-Second),
Justine Weyer (UW-Whitewater-Third), Danielle Crinzi
(UW-Whitewater-Seventh), Kelly Busacker (UW-Oshkosh-12th)
Balance Beam: Naomi Delara (UW-Stout-Champion),
Gabi Hooper (UW-La Crosse-Second), Alexandra Nugent
(Winona State-Third), Mackenzie Howard (UW-La Crosse-Third),
Melissa Baudhuim (Winona State-Fifth), Meghan Hargens
(UW-Stout-Seventh), Eileen Strube (Winona State-Eighth),
Kasey Clausen (UW-La Crosse-11th), Brynne Stenslie
(Hamline-12th)
Floor Exercise: Sarah Prosen (Hamline-Sixth),
Ashley Timm (UW-Stout-Seventh), Alexandra Nugent
(11th)
All-Around: Justine Weyer (UW-Whitewater-Fifth),
Alexandra Nugent (Winona State-Seventh), Mackenzie
Howard (UW-La Crosse-10th), Meghan Hargens (UW-Stout-10th)
|
Six Titans Headed To NCGA Championship
|
UW-Oshkosh
had six individuals advanced to the National
Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship
following their performances at the WIAC Championship
and NCGA West Regional held Saturday (March
8) in St. Paul, Minn. The NCGA Championship
will be held March 28-29 in Cortland, N.Y.
Competing in three events will be Vanessa Virbitsky
(Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) as she qualified
in the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise.
Last year, Virbitsky tied for first place on
the vault with a mark of 9.525. Virbitsky shared
the vault
championship with Gabi Hooper and Jackie LaFleur
of UW-La Crosse.
Virbitsky collected two more All-America treasures
by placing eighth in the all-around competition
with a score of 37.20 and 12th on the balance
beam with tally of 8.625. In 2006, Virbitsky
finished second on the vault.
Kelly Busacker (Jr. • LaVista, Neb.) will
be competing in both the balance beam and uneven
bars for the second consecutive time at the
NCGA Championship. In 2006 she finished 11th
on the uneven bars to earn All-America status.
Rachel Morrison (Jr. • Oswego, Ill.) will
attempt to gain her second All-American prize
competing on the vault. Last year she finished12th
in the floor exercise with a score of 8.825
and also qualified in the balance beam and vault
Rounding out UW-Oshkosh's performers are Brynn
Dorsey (Jr. • Oshkosh) who will be competing
on the uneven bars for a second straight year
and Stefanie Armstrong (So. • Kennesaw,
Ga.) and Stacie Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria,
Ariz.) who will both be making their her debut
in the floor exercise.
The top-12 individuals in each event and the
top-10 individuals in the all-around competition
received All-America recognition. |
Virbitsky Receives WIAC Scholar-Athlete
Award
| UW-Oshkosh’s Vanessa
Virbitsky (Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) and UW-La
Crosse’s Kasey Clausen and have been named
the 2008 winners of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (WIAC) Judy Kruckman Women’s
Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete Award.
Virbitsky maintains a 3.61 cumulative grade point
average as a major in both political science and journalism.
She has been recognized on her institutions Dean’s
List and Honor Roll and is a three-time selection
to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll.
A two-year team captain, Virbitsky is a four-time
All-WIAC recipient. She was a member of UW-Oshkosh’s
national championship team last season and is a
four-time All-American, including the 2007 national
champion in the vault.
She is a member of the Public Relations Student
Society of America and has served a volunteer with
Habitat for Humanity and the American Cancer Society.
Virbitsky has worked as an assistant in UW-Oshkosh’s
Sports Information Office and as a reporter in the
school newspaper.
Clausen (Sr. • Apple
Valley, Minn.) is majoring in secondary education
with a minor in political science and economics
and carries a 3.59 cumulative grade point average.
She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic
Honor Roll and has been recognized on UW-La Crosse’s
Dean’s List every semester.
A two-year team captain, Clausen is a three-time
All-WIAC performer and has earned her team’s
Most Dedicated Award the last two seasons. She claimed
All-America honors in the vault, uneven bars and
all-around in 2005 and was a member of UW-La Crosse’s
back-to-back national championship teams in 2005
and 2006.
Clausen is a member of the National Educator’s
Association and Amnesty International USA. In addition,
she has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, Girl
Scouts, Food Shelf and UW-La Crosse’s Peer
Run Education Program.
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete
award were Gustavus Adolphus College's (Minn.) Danielle
Berg and Kelsie Droogsma, UW-Eau Claire’s
Kristi Olson and Staci Solin, UW-La Crosse’s
Jacqueline Schellinger and UW-Whitewater’s
Alison Lewis.
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Judy
Kruckman and sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Kruckman
served as Assistant Commissioner for the WIAC from
1996-98. Prior to this appointment, she functioned
as Commissioner of the Wisconsin Women's Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference from 1984-96.
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete
award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25
grade point average, be in their last year of competition,
or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and
have competed for a minimum of two years.
|
Titans Place Sixth At
WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional
|
Vanessa
Virbitsky (Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) took
second place on the vault and Brynn Dorsey (Jr.
• Oshkosh) third on the uneven bars as
the UW-Oshkosh women’s gymnastics team
finished sixth at the WIAC Championship held
Saturday (March 8) in St. Paul, Minn.
UW-La Crosse totaled 186.20 team points to win
its 12th straight WIAC title and 19th overall.
UW-Whitewater finished second with 186.025 points,
while Winona State University (Minn.) placed
third with 183.225 and UW-Eau Claire fourth
with 179.75. UW-Stout ranked fifth with 178.925
points, UW-Oshkosh sixth with 178.25, Gustavus
Adolphus College (Minn.) seventh with 176.75
and Hamline University (Minn.) eighth with 174.95.
UW-Oshkosh finished second at last year’s
meet with 182.675 points.
The WIAC Championship also doubled as the National
Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West
Regional. Teams advancing from the regional
meet to the NCGA Championship on March 28-29
in Cortland, N.Y., were UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater
and Winona State University. UW-La Crosse captured
its sixth consecutive NCGA West Regional title
at Saturday’s meet.
UW-Oshkosh’s overall team scored featured
45.45 points on the vault, 45.025 in the floor
exercise, 44.175 on the uneven bars and 43.60
on the balance beam.
Virbitsky took second place on the vault with
9.55 points. She also finished 12th in the all-around
competition with 35.65 points and 15th in the
floor exercise with 9.30.
Dorsey listed third among all competitors on
the uneven bars with 9.45 points.
UW-Oshkosh’s Kelly Busacker (Jr. •
LaVista, Neb.) added a ninth-place score of
9.25 points on the uneven bars and a 14th-place
value of 9.10 points on the balance beam.
Other UW-Oshkosh results had Stefanie Armstrong
(So. • Kennesaw, Ga.) finish 13th on the
balance beam with 9.125 points and Rachel Morrison
(Jr. • Oswego, Ill.) place 15th in the
all-around competition with 35.20.
UW-Whitewater’s Justine Weyer dominated
the competition, winning four of the five individual
events, while UW-La Crosse’s Gabi Hooper
claimed the balance beam title.
Weyer placed first in the all-around competition
with a meet-record 38.425 points. She also had
winning scores of 9.65 points in the floor exercise,
9.60 on the vault and 9.575 on the uneven bars.
Hooper took the top finish on the balance beam
with 9.625 points.
The top six individuals in each event earn All-WIAC
honors.
UW-Whitewater’s Jennifer White was named
as the WIAC’s Coach of the Year. UW-La
Crosse’s Kasey Clausen and UW-Oshkosh’s
Vanessa Virbitsky were selected as the winners
of the WIAC’s Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete
of the Year Award. |
Division I Competitors Too Much For
Titans
|  The
UW-Oshkosh women’s gymnastics team competed
against three NCAA Division I opponents and finished
fourth at the Uno’s Flip For The Cure Classic
held Friday (Feb. 24) in Tempe, Ariz.
Seventh-ranked Stanford University (Calif.) won
the meet with 195.80 points, while San Jose State
University (Calif.) finished second with 194.20.
17th-ranked Arizona State University placed third
with 194.00 points and UW-Oshkosh fourth with 181.125.
UW-Oshkosh, which recorded its highest overall team
score of the season, amassed 47.075 points in the
floor exercise, 45.200 on the vault, 44.675 on the
uneven bars and 44.175 on the balance beam. The
Titans’ scores on the uneven bars and in the
floor exercise were season bests.
Stanford University accounted for three of the five
individual event winners. Nicole Ourada topped all
competitors on the vault with a figure of 9.925,
while Liz Tricase won the uneven bars with a mark
of 9.925. Lauren Elmore earned first place for the
Cardinal in the floor exercise with 9.875 points.
Arizona State University’s Kaitlynn Bormann
finished in the top spot on the balance beam with
a score of 9.825. Veronica Porte of San Jose State
University took the all-around competition with
39.050 points.
The Titans had three gymnasts eclipse 35.00 points
in the all-around competition as Vanessa Virbitsky
(Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) finished sixth with
36.175, Stacie Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.)
seventh with 36.125 and Rachel Morrison (Jr. •
Oswego, Ill.) eighth with 35.575.
UW-Oshkosh also
received 15th-place scores of 9.70 on the uneven
bars and 9.575 in the floor exercise from Kelly
Busacker (Jr. • LaVista, Neb.) and Virbitsky,
respectively. Busacker added a 16th-place score
of 9.25 on the balance beam.
Gretchen Fackelman (So. • St. Louis, Mo.)
contributed a 17th-place score of 9.425 in the floor
exercise.
|
Eagles Fly Away From Titans
|  Gabi Hooper claimed first place in three
of the four individual events as the UW-La Crosse
women's gymnastics team defeated UW-Oshkosh, 183.15-177.00,
on Friday (Feb. 22) in Kolf Sports Center.
Hooper scored 9.70 points on the vault, 9.625 in
the floor exercise and 9.35 on the balance beam
to pace the Eagles. Kasey Clausen grabbed the top
spot on the uneven bars with 9.45 points to complete
UW-La Crosse's sweep of the top individual event
rankings.
UW-Oshkosh’s
Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.)
won the all-around competition with 36.775 points,
while UW-La Crosse's Jackie LaFleur finished second
with 36.60.
Virbitsky also tied
for second place in the floor exercise with a score
of 9.50, finished third on the balance beam with
a mark of 9.10, ranked fourth on the vault with
a value of 9.40 and listed sixth on the uneven bars
with a tally of 8.775.
The Titans' remaining second-place finish went to
Rachel Morrison (Jr • Oswego, Ill.) in the
floor exercise with a score of 9.50.
UW-Oshkosh's Stacie
Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.) took fourth
place in the all-around competition with 34.375
points as did Kelly Busacker (Jr. • LaVista,
Neb.) on the balance beam with a score of 9.05.
The Titans received fifth-place finishes
from Stephanie Armstrong (So. • Kennesaw,
Ga.) on the vault with a score of 9.30 and Brynn
Dorsey (Jr. • Oshkosh) on the uneven bars
with a count of 8.80.
The teams recorded
season bests on the vault, with UW-La Crosse scoring
47.075 points and UW-Oshkosh 46.05.
UW-La Crosse also scored
46.175 points in the floor exercise, 44.975 on the
uneven bars and 44.925 on the balance beam. UW-Oshkosh
also tallied 46.10 in the floor exercise, 43.725
on the balance beam and 41.125 on the uneven bars.
|
Gusties Rally To Nip Titans
|  Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) rallied
in the fourth and final rotation to edge UW-Oshkosh,
177.15-176.95, in a women's gymnastics meet held
Saturday (Feb. 16) in St. Peter, Minn.
Gustavus Adolphus College trailed 133.325-132.50
after three rotations, but the Gusties pulled out
the victory by posting a meet-ending score of 44.65
in the floor exercise competition. UW-Oshkosh lost
its advantage after recording a balance beam score
of 43.425 in the fourth rotation.
UW-Oshkosh’s overall team score also included
45.375 points on the vault, 44.275 in the floor
exercise and 43.875 on the uneven bars. Gustavus
Adolphus College’s overall team count also
featured 45.30 points on the vault, 44.50 on the
balance beam and 42.70 on the uneven bars.
In the all-around competition, UW-Oshkosh’s
Stacie Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.) finished
first with 35.60 points. Kelly Mathewson of Gustavus
Adolphus College placed second with 35.50 points
and Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.)
of UW-Oshkosh third with 35.025.
UW-Oshkosh collected first-place finishes in three
of the four individual event contests as Virbitsky
won the vault with a score of 9.30, Kelly Busacker
(Jr. • LaVista, Neb.) the uneven bars with
a count of 9.275 and Rachel Morrison (Jr. •
Oswego, Ill.) the balance beam with a value of 9.00.
Jennifer Berglund of Gustavus Adolphus College took
first place in the floor exercise with a score of
9.225.
Jenkins added three top-six finishes and Virbitsky
and Stefanie Armstrong (So. • Kennesaw, Ga.)
two each. Jenkins placed third in the floor exercise
with a score of 9.10, fourth on the uneven bars
with a number of 8.675 and fifth on the vault with
a figure of 9.025. Virbitsky finished fourth in
the floor exercise with a score of 9.00 and sixth
on the uneven bars with a tally of 8.60. Armstrong
ranked third on the vault with a score of 9.125
and sixth in the floor exercise with a mark of 8.775.
UW-Oshkosh's other top finishes featured Brynn Dorsey
(Jr. • Oshkosh) placing third on the uneven
bars with a score of 8.925, Busacker listing sixth
on the balance beam with a calculation of 8.85 and
Morrison ranking sixth on the vault with a rate
of 9.025.
|
Titans Trip Blue Devils
|  Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr. • Harrisburg,
Pa.) had the highest score in three individual categories
as the UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team defeated
UW-Stout, 179.925-177.125, on Friday (Feb. 8) in
Kolf Sports Center.
Virbitsky
won the all-around competition with 36.775 points.
Her all-around total included first-place scores
of 9.45 in the floor exercise and 9.40 on the vault.
She also placed third on the balance beam with 9.225
points and fifth on the uneven bars with 8.70.
The
remaining individual winners belonged to UW-Stout
as Naomi DeLara posted a school-record score of
9.70 on the balance beam and Meghan Hargens a count
of 9.19 on the uneven bars.
UW-Oshkosh
swept the top-four listings in the floor exercise.
After Virbitsky's winning effort, the Titans had
Stacie Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.) and Rachel
Morrison (Jr. • Oswego, Ill.) tie for second
place with 9.325 points and Stefanie Armstrong (So.
• Kennesaw, Ga.) finish fourth with 9.25.
The
Titans had two other second-place finishers as Armstrong
scored 9.10 points on the vault and Kelly Busacker
(Jr. • LaVista, Neb.) 9.00 on the uneven bars.
Other
third-place finishes went to the Titans' Busacker
on the balance beam with a score of 9.225 and Brynn
Dorsey (Jr. • Oshkosh) on the uneven bars
with a value of 8.95.
UW-Oshkosh
also had Jenkins finish fourth in the all-around
competition with 35.625 points, Morrison fifth on
the vault with 8.975 and Gretchen Fackelman (So.
• St. Louis, Mo.) fifth on the balance beam
with 9.225.
UW-Oshkosh's
team score was its highest of the season. The Titans,
who presented first-year head coach Lauren Mareno
with her first collegiate victory, tabulated 45.85
points in the floor exercise, 45.35 on the balance
beam, 44.825 on the vault and 43.90 on the uneven
bars.
|
UW-Oshkosh Gymnasts "Think Pink"
On the 18-person women's gymnastics
team at UW-Oshkosh, six team members have relatives
who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Between
the women’s basketball team and the women's
indoor track and field roster, there are more than
20 additional connections to the disease.
“This is a staggering number,” said
Lauren Mareno, head women's gymnastics coach at
UW-Oshkosh. “Someone needs to put up a fight
for those who have been fighting breast cancer for
so long.”
Breast cancer strikes without warning and can happen
to anyone at anytime. Recognizing the deadly potential
of the disease in themselves and loved ones, female
athletes across UW-Oshkosh are teaming up to take
a stand against the number one form of cancer in
women.
Beginning on Feb. 8, the UW-Oshkosh women’s
basketball, gymnastics, and track and field teams
will dribble, flip, run, jump and throw during a
two-week-long Think Pink! fundraiser for breast
cancer research.
“Like athletes, breast cancer survivors have
this incredibly powerful image of strength,”
said Jenny Stein, a UW- Oshkosh track and field
heptathlete. “For us to bring three women’s
sports together for breast cancer research —
there are no words to describe the strength in that
combination.”
The women’s basketball team began the Titan
athlete’s push for breast cancer awareness
in 2006 after former UW-Oshkosh women’s basketball
player and current graduate assistant coach Becky
Knapp had a close family encounter with this disease.
Knapp’s mother, Kathy Knapp, was diagnosed
with breast cancer in July 2005.
“You just don’t know when it can happen
or who it could happen to,” Knapp said. “Whether
you’re affected personally or have to watch
someone you know and love be diagnosed, it’s
a painful experience.”
A four-year guard for the Titans from 2004-07, Knapp
turned to her basketball family for support.
“When my mom was diagnosed, everyone was so
supportive,” Knapp said. “Former assistant
coach Kris Schoonover was especially supportive
and helped to organize breast cancer awareness events
through basketball.”
In just two years the women’s basketball team
has collected more than $10,000 for the Susan G.
Komen Foundation for breast cancer.
“Raising money for this cause has always been
a big deal to this program,” said Jessica
Abitz, co-captain of the women’s basketball
team. “This year is no different.”
The only difference in 2008 will be the first-ever
collaboration between women’s basketball,
gymnastics, and track and field.
“This just goes to show how involved our athletes
and our teams are in giving back to this community,”
UW-Oshkosh director of athletics Allen Ackerman
said. “I’m delighted that our teams
are taking the initiative to raise money for a cause
that affects every one of us in some way.”
The 2008 "Think Pink"
Initiative at UW-Oshkosh begins when the Titan gymnasts
wear pink ribbons on their leotards during a dual
meet against UW-Stout at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in Kolf Sports
Center. The Blue Devil gymnasts also will support
the cause, and pink ribbons will be available to
spectators at the door.
“We figured, if the basketball team can do
it, so can we,” Mareno said. “Awareness
is just as important as donation.”
Keeping donations in mind, however, the gymnasts
will collect pledges for a Cartwheel-A-Thon to be
held at halftime during the UW-Oshkosh women’s
basketball game against UW-La Crosse in Kolf Sports
Center at 1 p.m. on Feb. 9. Cartwheel-A-Thon donors
can pledge a flat rate or donate a set amount per
number of cartwheels performed in three minutes
— up to 100 cartwheels.
“Our goal is to raise $45 per gymnast,”
said gymnast Rachel Morrison, whose grandmother
is currently in remission from being diagnosed with
breast cancer 20 years ago. “If we meet this
goal, we will be able to give a check for more than
$800 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. That’s
powerful.”
The women’s basketball team will continue
the two-week Think Pink! campaign by sporting pink
T-shirts during warm-ups and pink shoelaces during
the Feb. 9 game. Other Think Pink! activities include
free T-shirts for the first 100 fans wearing pink
and an action-packed halftime show featuring breast
cancer survivors, a Deanna Favre book giveaway,
the gymnast’s Cartwheel-A-Thon and a free-throw
contest.
To conclude the breast cancer awareness events,
the women’s track and field team will wear
pink ribbons as they run, jump and throw at the
UW-Oshkosh Invitational on Feb. 16 in Kolf Sports
Center.
The "Think Pink" initiative is a global,
unified effort for the Women’s Basketball
Coaches Association’s (WBCA) nation of coaches
to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on
the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond.
In 2007, more than 120 schools unified for this
effort and helped make the inaugural year of the
WBCA’s "Think Pink" promotion a
success.
The 2008 initiative has already unified over 600
women’s basketball teams for the cause.
Written by Vanessa Virbitsky |
Titans Finish Third At
Gershon/McLellan Invitational
|  The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team
recorded its highest score of the season and finished
third at the 27th Annual Gershon/McLellan Invitational
held Friday (Feb. 1) in La Crosse.
Host UW-La Crosse captured
the team title with 185.425 points. Winona State
University (Minn.) placed second with 183.625 points,
UW-Oshkosh third with 177.80 and Hamline University
(Minn.) fourth with 174.575.
UW-Oshkosh's team score
featured 46.425 points on the balance beam, 44.175
on the uneven bars, 44.10 on the vault and 43.10
in the floor exercise. The Titans' values on the
balance beam and uneven bars were season bests.
Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr.
• Harrisburg, Pa.) finished fourth in the
all-around competition with 35.975 points to lead
UW-Oshkosh. She also placed sixth in the floor exercise
with 9.25 points and seventh on the uneven bars
with 8.975.
In addition to Virbitsky,
UW-Oshkosh had two other top-10 finishers on the
uneven bars as Brynn Dorsey (Jr. • Oshkosh)
finish fourth with a score of 9.275 and Kelly Busacker
(Jr. • LaVista, Neb.) ninth with a count of
8.95.
UW-Oshkosh's
top individual results were rounded out by Darlene
Herrmann's (So. • Newton, N.J.) sixth-place
score of 9.60 on the balance beam and Rachel Morrison's
(Jr. • Oswego, Ill.) eighth-place mark of
9.20 on the vault.
Erin Sommer led UW-La
Crosse to the team title by winning the all-around
competition with a score of 37.225 and the balance
beam with a meet-record figure of 9.75. She also
finished second in the floor exercise and fourth
on the vault with scores of 9.40 and 9.425, respectively.
UW-La Crosse had another
individual champion as Kasey Clausen posted a winning
score of 9.65 on the uneven bars.
Winona State University
owned two individual champions in Melissa Baudhuin
and Alexandra Nugent. Baudhuin performed to a winning
score of 9.60 on the vault and Nugent to a top value
of 9.425 in the floor exercise.
|
Warhawks Clip Titans
|  All four events went in favor of UW-Whitewater
as the Warhawks recorded a 177.50-175.025 victory
over the UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team on Friday
(Jan. 25) in Kolf Sports Center.
UW-Whitewater outscored
UW-Oshkosh, 44.475-42.875, on the uneven bars, with
the Warhawks' five-person total being the sixth-best
in school history. UW-Whitewater also defeated UW-Oshkosh
in narrow scores of 44.15-44.05 on the vault, 43.65-43.075
on the balance beam and 45.225-45.025 in the floor
exercise.
Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr.
• Harrisburg, Pa.) paced UW-Oshkosh by taking
first place in the floor exercise with 9.325 points
and on the vault with 9.175. She also finished second
in the all-around competition with a score of 36.80,
third on the balance beam with a mark of 9.10 and
fourth on the uneven bars with a value of 9.20.
UW-Oshkosh received
second-place listings from Kelly Busacker (Jr. •
LaVista, Neb.) on the uneven bars with a score of
9.325 and Stacie Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.)
in the floor exercise with a tally of 9.30. Jenkins
added a pair of fourth-place finishes by scoring
34.25 points in the all-around competition and 8.875
on the vault.
The Titans also had
Paula Delsart (Fr. • Green Bay) rank third
in the all-around competition with 34.65 points,
fifth on the vault with 8.75 and sixth on the balance
beam with 8.60. UW-Oshkosh's Rachel Morrison (Jr.
• Oswego, Ill.) contributed fifth-place scores
of 9.05 in the floor exercise and 8.80 on the balance
beam.
Justine Weyer was a
multiple winner for UW-Whitewater as she registered
first-place scores of 36.875 in the all-around competition
and 9.45 on the uneven bars. She also placed second
on the vault with 9.125 points and fourth on the
balance beam with 9.05.
UW-Whitewater's Ginelle
Galub took first place on the balance beam with
a score of 9.175.
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Warriors Fend Off Titans
|  The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team
received individual victories from Kelly Busacker
(Jr. • LaVista, Neb.) and Vanessa Virbitsky
(Sr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) in a 179.125-175.35
loss to Winona State University (Minn.) on Thursday
(Jan. 17) in Winona, Minn.
Busacker competed in
two events and won the uneven bars with 9.225 points.
She also finished sixth on the balance beam with
a score of 8.475.
Virbitsky totaled 36.425
points to win the all-around competition. Her score
included second-place values of 8.875 on the balance
beam and 9.35 in the floor exercise. Virbitsky also
placed third on the vault with a score of 9.325
and fourth on the uneven bars with a mark of 8.875.
Winona State University
had three event winners. Alexandra Nugent finished
first in the floor exercise with a score of 9.55
and tied teammate Melissa Baudhuin for the top ranking
on the vault with a count of 9.35. The Warriors'
Eileen Strube won the balance beam with a score
of 8.95.
UW-Oshkosh's Stacie
Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.) recorded a pair
of top-four finishes by placing third in the all-around
competition and fourth on the balance beam with
scores of 34.55 and 8.65, respectively. She also
posted a sixth-place score of 9.075 in the floor
exercise.
Other UW-Oshkosh results
featured Brynn Dorsey's (Jr. • Oshkosh) second-place
score of 8.90 on the uneven bars, Paula Delsart's
(Fr. • Green Bay) fourth-place tally of 33.565
in the all-around competition and Rachel Morrison's
(Jr. • Oswego, Ill.) fourth-place figure of
9.275 in the floor exercise.
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Titans Take Second At UW-Eau Claire
Invitational
|
 Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr. • Harrisburg,
Pa.) captured the floor exercise title to lead the
UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team to a second-place
finish at the UW-Eau Claire Invitational held Friday
(Jan. 11) in Eau Claire.
Virbitsky scored 9.30
points in the floor exercise to share the top ranking
with UW-La Crosse's Gabi Hooper. She also placed
third in the all-around competition with a score
of 35.15, fifth on the uneven bars with a count
of 8.75 and sixth on the balance beam with a mark
of 8.50.
UW-La Crosse won the
four-team meet with 177.00 points, while UW-Oshkosh
finished second with 170.70. UW-Eau Claire placed
third with 170.15 points and Hamline University
(Minn.) fourth with 169.875.
UW-La Crosse's Jackie
LaFleur took first place in the all-around competition
with a score of 36.25. She also finished second
on the vault (9.525), third on the balance beam
(8.725) and fifth in the floor exercise (9.125).
UW-La Crosse had two
other first-place mentions as Hooper won the vault
with 9.55 points and Schaelyn McFadden tied UW-Eau
Claire's Kristi Olson for the top listing on the
uneven bars with a score of 8.925. Hamline University's
Brynn Stenslie recorded 9.05 points to win the balance
beam.
UW-Oshkosh's highest
team score came in the floor exercise. The Titans
tallied 44.50 points on the apparatus, including
Virbitsky's first-place score of 9.30, Rachel Morrison's
(Jr. • Oswego, Ill.) third-place tally of
9.25 and Stacie Jenkins' (Fr. • Peoria, Ariz.)
seventh-place count of 9.10.
Jenkins contributed
two additional top-seven finishes by placing fifth
on the vault with a score of 9.00 and seventh in
the all-around competition with a mark of 33.50.
The Titans also had
Brynn Dorsey (Jr. • Oshkosh) finish fourth
on the vault with a score of 8.85, Gretchen Fackelman
(So. • St. Louis, Mo.) fifth on the balance
beam with a grade of 8.60, Morrison sixth on the
balance beam with a tally of 8.50 and Ryan Metzger
(Fr. • Hanover Park, Ill.) seventh on the
vault with a figure of 8.95.
|
Pipers Topple Titans In Season Opener
|
 The inability to count five scores on
the uneven bars proved costly for the UW-Oshkosh
women's gymnastics team as the Titans dropped a
168.125-160.025 season-opening decision to Hamline
University (Minn.) on Friday (Jan. 4) in Kolf Sports
Center.
UW-Oshkosh had only
four entries on the uneven bars and tallied a score
of just 28.875 points. Hamline University took advantage
of the Titans' lack of competitors on the apparatus
and compiled a five-person score of 37.50.
The Titans scored five
gymnasts in the remaining three categories, posting
values of 45.15 on the vault, 43.875 on the balance
beam and 42.125 in the floor exercise.
Hamline University,
which spoiled the debut of UW-Oshkosh head coach
Lauren Mareno, also recorded five-person scores
of 45.025 on the vault, 44.675 on the balance beam
and 40.925 in the floor exercise. The Pipers swept
the top-three individual listings on the balance
beam.
Hamline University's
Molly Weber won the all-around competition with
a score of 34.25. She also finished second on both
the balance beam and uneven bars with scores of
9.10 and 7.875, respectively.
The Pipers had two
other first-place listings as Brynn Stenslie posted
a score of 9.25 on the balance beam and Kristen
Weniger a figure of 8.025 on the uneven bars. Stenslie
also finished third in the floor exercise with a
score of 8.55.
Vanessa Virbitsky (Sr.
• Harrisburg, Pa.) recorded winning scores
of 9.55 on the vault and 9.10 in the floor exercise
to lead UW-Oshkosh. She also registered a third-place
score of 33.95 in the all-around competition.
Finishing second for
the Titans were Stacie Jenkins (Fr. • Peoria,
Ariz.) in the all-around competition with a score
of 33.975 and Rachel Morrison (Jr. • Oswego,
Ill.) in the floor exercise with a mark of 8.925.
Jenkins also ranked third on both the uneven bars
and vault with scores of 7.65 and 9.15, respectively.
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