UW-Whitewater finished third in the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship hosted by Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota Friday. The finish is the highest in school history for the Warhawks, who placed fourth in 2007 and fifth last year. Justine Weyer added All-America honors with a fifth place finish in the all-around, duplicating the feat she accomplished last year.
Team scores were: UW-La Crosse 186.875, New York-Brockport 184.95, UW-Whitewater 184.85, Winona State 184.6, Ithaca College 183.6, New York-Cortland 182.75, and Hamline 179.2. UW-La Crosse also won the 2008 team title. Whitewater's total is the eighth best in school history.
Friday's competition included team scores and individual all-around, with preliminaries in the four specialties (floor exercise, uneven bars, vault, and balance beam) that will qualify athletes for Saturday's finals in those events. The top fourteen scores, plus ties, from Friday's prelims advance to the event finals Saturday.
The top ten all-around performers from Friday's competition earn NCGA All-America honors. Weyer totaled 37.375 points, twentieth in the UW-W record book. Her fifth place finish in the all-around is second only to Danielle Crinzi's third in 2007 in Whitewater gymnastics history. Julia Zimmerman of Massachusetts Institute of Technology defended her all-around title by scoring 38.275 points Friday.
UW-Whitewater recorded two season best performances Friday. Ashley George scored a 9.575 on the uneven bars, and Weyer's 9.60 on the balance beam ties her previous season best. George's score is also second all-time in the UW-W record book, and Weyer's mark is fifth best.
Whitewater also had top ten scores in the record books in three of the four events. In the vault the 46.775 is third (Allison Nelson, Traci Jo Korte, Crinzi, Katrin Finch and Weyer); the balance beam of 46.425 is seventh all-time (Weyer, Danielle Doll, Finch, Leah Applin, Crinzi); and the uneven bars unit scored 45.25 to tie for seventh in the record book (George, Weyer, Lauren Corrigan, Katie Cosentino, Crinzi).
Whitewater will have a number of gymnasts competing for All-America honors in the individual events Saturday. Nelson advanced to the finals in vault, George on the uneven bars, and Weyer and Doll on the balance beam. The top eight finishers in each event Saturday will be All-Americans.
Weyer and George already have other individual All-American recognition on their resume. Weyer earned the award three times, winning the vault in 2008, placing third on the bars and fifth in all-around last year. George was seventh in the all-around at the 2007 championship.