Titans Finish Sixth At NCGA Championship

Titans Qualify For NCGA Championship

The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team has qualified for the 22nd Annual National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship that will be held April 1-2 in La Crosse.

Joining UW-Oshkosh in the six-team national meet are Ithaca College (N.Y.), State University of New York-Brockport, State University of New York-Cortland, UW-Eau Claire and four-time defending champion UW-La Crosse. Teams qualified for the championship on their season average score (40 percent) and regional meet performance (60 percent).

UW-Oshkosh is making its 11th appearance at the NCGA Championship, with previous visits in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2003. The Titans won the meet in 1989 and finished second in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 2001.

Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis) is the only All-America performer returning for UW-Oshkosh. Lentz finished seventh in the all-around competition at the 2003 NCGA Championship. UW-Oshkosh sent three individuals to last year's NCGA Championship in Cambridge, Mass., including Lentz in the all-around competition and Amanda DeJardin (Sr. • Waukesha) on the balance beam.

Titans Finish Third At
WIAC Championship, NCGA West Regional

Meme Sadler (Fr. • Palatine, Ill.) placed fourth on the uneven bars as UW-Oshkosh finished third at the WIAC Women's Gymnastics Championship held Friday (March 18) in Whitewater.

UW-La Crosse scored 183.65 points to capture the WIAC title for the ninth straight year and 16th time overall. UW-Eau Claire finished second in the eight-team meet with 182.15 points, while UW-Oshkosh finished third at 180.675, Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) fourth at 180.15, Hamline University (Minn.) fifth at 178.725, UW-Whitewater sixth at 178.70, UW-Stout seventh at 175.55 and Winona State University (Minn.) eighth at 171.125. It was the first appearance at the WIAC Championship for Gustavus Adolphus College, Hamline University and Winona State University.

UW-Oshkosh, which has won 14 WIAC championships, posted its third-highest team score of the season at the meet. The Titans counted scores of 46.625 in the floor exercise, 45.925 on the balance beam, 44.675 on the vault and 43.45 on the uneven bars. UW-Oshkosh's balance beam score was its second highest of the year.

Sadler recorded UW-Oshkosh's highest individual finish by placing fourth on the uneven bars with a score of 9.20. Katie Krentz of UW-La Crosse won the event with a score of 9.35.

UW-Oshkosh had a pair of fifth-place finishes on the balance beam as Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Langhorne, Pa.) and Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton, N.J.) registered scores of 9.40. Ashley Koechel of UW-La Crosse won the event with a score of 9.625.

UW-Oshkosh's Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) compiled a score of 36.10 in the all-around competition to finish sixth. She had scores of 9.25 in the floor exercise, 9.175 on the balance beam, 8.875 on the vault and 8.80 on the uneven bars. Koechel and Alison Eagles of UW-Eau Claire tied for the all-around title with scores of 37.60.

The Titans also received an eighth-place score of 9.45 in the floor exercise from Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis). Eagles won the event with a score of 9.65.

Brittany Moore of Gustavus Adolphus College took top honors on the vault with a score of 9.525.

The top six finishers in each category received All-WIAC accolades.

Doug Byrne of Hamline University and Nadalie Walsh of UW-Oshkosh were named WIAC Co-Coaches of the Year. Amanda Parker of Gustavus Adolphus College was chosen as the winner of the WIAC's Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.

Held in conjunction with the WIAC Championship was the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West Regional. Team and individual results of the NCGA West Regional were identical to that of the WIAC Championship. Qualifiers, both team and individual, for the NCGA Championship will be announced on Tuesday (March 22). This year's NCGA Championship will be held April 1-2 in La Crosse.

Titans Record Another Strong Performance

The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team surpassed a score of 180 for the third consecutive meet in a dual win over UW-Whitewater on Friday (March 11) in Whitewater.

UW-Oshkosh coasted to the victory by outscoring a depleted UW-Whitewater squad, 181.475-35.475. The Titans posted their team score after compiling marks of 46.55 on the balance beam, 46.30 in the floor exercise, 44.70 on the vault and 43.925 on the uneven bars.

UW-Oshkosh's Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) captured first place in the all-around competition with a score of 37.025. She also ranked first on the vault and balance beam events with scores of 9.40 and 9.35, respectively. Virbitsky shared first place on the balance beam with teammate Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton, N.J.).

Other first-place listings went to the Titans' Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis) and Meme Sadler (Fr. • Palatine, Ill.). Lentz won the floor exercise with a score of 9.50, while Sadler took the top spot on the uneven bars with a mark of 9.20.

Finishing second for UW-Oshkosh were Virbitsky on the uneven bars with a score of 9.00 and Lauren Mareno (So. • Crystal Lake, Ill.) in the floor exercise with a tally of 9.35.

Titans Get Past Gusties

Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis) had three first-place performances as the UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team defeated Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.), 180.425-175.875, in a dual meet held Saturday (Feb. 26) in Kolf Sports Center.

Lentz won the all-around competition with a score of 36.60 and the balance beam and floor exercise events with marks of 9.50 and 9.45, respectively. She shared first place in the floor exercise with teammate Lauren Mareno (So. • Crystal Lake, Ill.).

Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) added a first-place finish for the Titans by winning the uneven bars with a score of 9.30. She shared the top ranking on the uneven bars with the Gusties' Amanda Parker.

Gustavus Adolphus College captured the remaining first-place finish in the meet as Brittany Moore won the vault with a score of 9.40.

Virbitsky scored 35.75 in the all-around competition and 9.225 on the vault to snatch two of UW-Oshkosh's three second-place finishes. The Titans also had Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Langhorne, Pa.) finish second on the balance beam with a score of 9.475.

Finishing third for UW-Oshkosh were Melissa Riley (So. • Hutchinson, Kan.) in the floor exercise with a score of 9.30 and Meme Sadler (Fr. • Palatine, Ill.) on the balance beam with a count of 9.35. Lentz scored 8.85 on the uneven bars for UW-Oshkosh's lone fourth-place finish.

Fifth-place finishes for the Titans went to Virbitsky in the floor exercise with a score of 9.15, Amanda DeJardin (Sr. • Waukesha) on the balance beam with a mark of 9.10 and Teresa Phipps (Fr. • Rocky Mount, N.C.) on the uneven bars with a tally of 8.725.

Titans Set School Record In Triangular

The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team recorded its highest score ever, but still finished third in a triangular with NCAA Division I schools Bowling Green State University (Ohio) and Southeast Missouri State University on Friday (Feb. 18) in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Bowling Green State University won the meet with a score of 196.10, while Southeast Missouri State University finished second at 194.525 and UW-Oshkosh third at 187.95. UW-Oshkosh's team score established a new school record.

Jessica Guyer led Bowling Green State University by winning the vault with a score of 8.825, the balance beam with a mark of 9.85 and the floor exercise with a tally of 9.95. She shared top honors on the balance beam with teammate Jessica Ewart.

Other first-place finishes went to Kari Elste of Bowling Green State University on the uneven bars with a score of 9.95 and Tara Boldt of Southeast Missouri State University in the all-around competition with a count of 38.975.

UW-Oshkosh's highest finish came in the floor exercise, where Teresa Phipps (Fr. • Rocky Mount, N.C.) placed sixth with a score of 9.80. Phipps also finished eighth in the all-around competition with a score of 37.85.

The Titans also had Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) finish seventh in the all-around competition with a score of 38.05, ninth on the vault with a mark of 9.65 and 10th on the uneven bars with a score of 9.65.

UW-Oshkosh's list of top efforts concluded with the 11th-place score of 9.60 on the balance beam by Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Langhorne, Pa.).

Titans Outscore Blue Devils, Warhawks

Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) won the balance beam competition to lead the UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team to a first-place finish in a triangular with UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater on Friday (Feb. 11) in Menomonie.

UW-Oshkosh took top honors in the meet with a score of 177.275. The Titans' performance included a mark of 45.35 in the floor exercise and a season-best score of 43.50 on the uneven bars. UW-Stout finished second in the team standings with a score of 175.875 and UW-Whitewater third at 175.50.

Virbitsky posted a score of 9.30 to win the balance beam event. She also finished second in the all-around competition with a count of 36.15 and fifth on the uneven bars with a tally of 8.80.

UW-Oshkosh had three other second-place efforts in the meet as Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Langhorne, Pa.) scored 9.225 on the balance beam, Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton) 9.10 on the vault and Alyssa Moreck (So. • Berlin, Md.) 9.025 on the uneven bars.

The Titans also received a third-place score of 9.05 on the vault from Megan McInnis (Sr. • Ham Lake, Minn.), a fourth-place mark of 8.80 on the balance beam from Edson, a fourth-place tally of 9.375 in the floor exercise from Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis) and a sixth-place score of 9.325 in the floor exercise from Armillei.

Titans Finish Fourth In
Gershon/McLellan Invitational

The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team finished fourth at the Gershon/McLellan Invitational held Friday (Feb. 4) in La Crosse.

Eight-time defending WIAC champion UW-La Crosse compiled a score of 182.15 to win the meet for the sixth time in seven years. Hamline University (Minn.) finished second with a score of 179.025, while Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) placed third at 175.925, UW-Oshkosh fourth at 173.15, UW-Stout fifth at 169.80 and Winona State University (Minn.) sixth at 147.40.

UW-La Crosse took the top two spots in the all-around competition as Kasey Clausen finished first with a score of 36.475 and Ashley Koechel second at 36.15. Clausen also won the vault competition with a score of 9.325.

UW-La Crosse had the winner in three other categories as Jennifer Houle scored 9.60 on the balance beam and 9.55 in the floor exercise and Nina Schubert a 9.65 on the uneven bars. Houle shared the floor exercise title with Hamline University's Kristin Driscoll.

UW-Oshkosh's highest finish belonged to Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Huntingdon, Pa.) who placed fourth on the balance beam with a score of 9.30. Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) added a pair of top six finishes for the Titans, placing fifth in the all-around competition with a score of 35.325 and sixth on the vault with a mark of 9.00.

UW-Oshkosh also had Teresa Phipps (Fr. • Rocky Mount, N.C.) finish sixth in the floor exercise with a score of 9.35 and Alyssa Moreck (So. • Berlin, Md.) place 10th on the uneven bars with a count of 8.675.

Titans Take Third Behind Owls, Bears

The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team compiled its highest score of the season, but still finished third in a triangular held Friday (Jan. 28) in Collegeville, Pa.

NCAA Division I Temple University (Pa.) won the meet with score of 184.825, while host Ursinus College (Pa.) finished second at 179.975 and UW-Oshkosh third at 178.375.

Temple University had athletes combine for four first-place finishes in the meet as Lindsey Stern claimed victory on the balance beam with a score of 9.55 and shared the top position with teammates Cheryl Cerminaro and Sarah Leibowitz on the uneven bars with a 9.45 effort.

Other winners for the Owls were Leibowitz in the all-around competition with a score of 36.85 and Deidre Marks on the vault with a mark of 9.475. Brianna Morrisey of Ursinus College won the floor exercise with a score of 9.725.

Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Huntingdon, Pa.) had a pair of top-six finishes for UW-Oshkosh as she placed fourth on the balance beam with a score of 9.35 and sixth on the vault with a mark of 9.30.

The Titans also had Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) finish third on the vault with a tally of 9.375, Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton, N.J.) fourth in the all-around competition with a score of 35.50 and Lauren Mareno (So. • Crystal Lake, Ill.) fourth in the floor exercise with a mark of 9.475.

Defending WIAC Champion Overpowers Titans

Eight-time defending WIAC women's gymnastics champion UW-La Crosse took the top-three listings in three of the five individual categories to easily defeat UW-Oshkosh, 179.90-172.90, in a dual meet held Friday (Jan. 21) in La Crosse.

UW-La Crosse ousted the Titans after taking the top-three places in the floor exercise, uneven bars and vault competitions. The Eagles also had the top-two finishers in the all-around competition and the winner on the balance beam.

Five different athletes recorded first-place finishes for UW-La Crosse as Kasey Clausen won the balance beam with a score of 9.50, Kaitlin Haack the vault with a mark of 9.30, Jennifer Houle the floor exercise with a tally of 9.55, Ashley Koechel the all-around competition with a count of 35.75 and Nina Schubert the uneven bars with a score of 9.30.

UW-Oshkosh's highest individual finish came on the balance beam, where Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Huntingdon, Pa.) placed second with a score of 9.35.

Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis) compiled four top-six finishes for the Titans by placing third in the all-around competition with a score of 35.05, fourth on the balance beam with a mark of 9.05, fifth on the vault with a count of 9.00 and sixth in the floor exercise with a tally of 8.90. The Titans also received three top-six finishes from Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton, N.J.). Edson finished fourth in the all-around competition with a score of 33.80, fourth on the vault with a mark of 9.10 and sixth on the balance beam with a count of 8.80.

Other UW-Oshkosh performances included a fourth-place score of 8.60 on the uneven bars by Teresa Baldassari (So. • Santa Rosa, Calif.), a fourth-place score of 9.10 in the floor exercise by Lauren Mareno (So. • Crystal Lake, Ill.) and a fifth-place score of 33.10 in the all-around competition by Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.).

Pipers Post Win Over Titans

Caitlin Goodin recorded a pair of first-place finishes to lead Hamline University (Minn.) to a 175.025-168.200 victory over UW-Oshkosh on Friday ( Jan. 14) in St. Paul, Minn.

Goodin won the all-around competition with a score of 35.075 and the floor exercise with a mark of 9.275. She also finished second on the vault with a score of 9.10 and fifth on the uneven bars with a tally of 8.50.

Hamline University owned the highest performance in three other events as Melanie Axvig and Kristin Driscoll both scored 9.15 on the balance beam, Ashley Calhoon 9.15 on the vault and Emily Wind 8.70 on the uneven bars. Wind shared the top listing on the uneven bars with UW-Oshkosh's Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.).

UW-Oshkosh's effort was led by Virbitsky, who not only tied for first place on the uneven bars, but also finished second in the all-around competition with a score of 34.45 and fourth on the balance beam with a mark of 8.80.

Brianna Lentz (So. • West Allis) and Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton, N.J.) also contributed three top-six finishes for the Titans. Lentz placed second in the floor exercise with a score of 9.075, second on the vault with a tally of 9.10 and sixth on the balance beam with a mark of 8.55. Edson finished third in the all-around competition with a score of 32.375, sixth on the vault with a count of 8.975 and sixth on the balance beam with a mark of 8.55.

Additionally, UW-Oshkosh received a third-place score of 8.90 on the balance beam and a fourth-place mark of 9.00 on the vault from Michelle Armillei (Fr. • Huntingdon, Pa.), a fourth-place score of 8.60 on the uneven bars and a sixth-place figure of 8.55 on the balance beam from Meme Sadler (Fr. • Palatine, Ill.) and a fifth-place score of 8.825 in the floor exercise from Lauren Mareno (So. • Crystal Lake, Ill.).

Titans Top Warriors, Fall To Blugolds

The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team opened its 2005 season with a second-place finish in a triangular held Friday (Jan. 7) in Kolf Sports Center.

UW-Eau Claire won the meet with a score of 176.90, while UW-Oshkosh finished second with 174.05 and Winona State University (Minn.) third with 121.525.

Alison Eagles led UW-Eau Claire to the victory by winning the balance beam, vault and all-around competitions. Eagles won the all-around competition with a score of 36.70 and the vault with a mark of 9.325. She tied teammate Jenny Wick for first place on the balance beam with a score of 9.375. Eagles also placed third in the floor exercise with a score of 9.25.

Other first-place finishes went to UW-Eau Claire's Theresa Lynch on the uneven bars with a score of 9.125 and Winona State University's Amy Bickler in the floor exercise with a count of 9.35.

UW-Oshkosh had three second-place finishes in the meet as Lauren Mareno (So. • Crystal Lake, Ill.) scored 9.30 in the floor exercise, Alyssa Moreck (So. • Berlin, Md.) 8.85 on the uneven bars and Vanessa Virbitsky (Fr. • Harrisburg, Pa.) 9.30 on the vault. Virbitsky also compiled a fifth-place score of 8.70 on the uneven bars.

Kim Edson (So. • Eastampton, N.J.) placed in the top six in three events for the Titans, finishing fourth in the all-around competition with a score of 33.45, fourth on the vault with a mark of 9.025 and fifth in the floor exercise with a tally of 9.00.

The Titans also received a pair of top-six finishes from Meme Sadler (Fr. • Palatine, Ill.). Sadler placed third on the uneven bars with a mark of 8.80 and fifth on the balance beam with a tally of 9.15.

UW-Oshkosh's top-six efforts were completed by Brianna Lentz (Jr. • West Allis) and Melissa Riley (So. • Hutchinson, Kan.). Both athletes placed in the floor exercise, with Lentz finishing fourth with a score of 9.025 and Riley sixth with a mark of 8.80.