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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.