2001-02 WIAC Women's Gymnastics Headlines

2001-02 WIAC Women's Gymnastics Headlines

Four Earn Verizon Academic All-District Women's At-Large Honors

RELEASED: Monday, May 20, 2002

Madison, Wis.--Four Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) student-athletes have been named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District V Women's At-Large Team. UW-Eau Claire's Alison Hover and UW-Stevens Point's Jen Randall earned first team honors, while UW-La Crosse's Jenny Moore and UW-Whitewater's Christy Huegerich were second team selections.

Hover, a junior tennis player from St. Cloud, Minn. (Tech H.S.), is majoring in mathematics/finance with a 3.93 grade point average.

Hover led the Blugolds to their ninth-straight WIAC title this season by winning the No. 1 singles crown. She has also claimed league titles at No. 2 and No. 3 singles in her career. Hover has compiled a stellar 26-2 mark this season, including a 17-match winning streak dating back to September 30. She was named the ITA Midwest Rookie of the Year in 1999.

Randall, a junior swimmer from Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., is majoring in actuarial science with a 3.98 grade point average. She is a National Merit Scholar and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma and Phi Kapa Phi honor societies.

Randall anchored the 200 medley relay team that finished eighth at the NCAA Division III Championship this season. She has also been a member of six All-American and eight conference champion relay teams during her career. The Pointers have won two conference titles in her three seasons.

Moore, a senior gymnast from Coon Rapids, Minn. (Blaine H.S.), is a nuclear medicine technology major and chemistry minor with a 3.51 grade point average. She was named the 2002 WIAC Judy Kruckman Women's Gymnastics Co-Scholar-Athlete and has earned NCGA All-Academic honors.

Moore helped lead La Crosse to its second straight national title in 2002, claiming All-America honors on the balance beam and the all-around competition. She is a four-year letterwinner and has earned five career All-America honors. Additionally, Moore is a nine-time All-WIAC selection in her career.

Huegerich, a senior golfer from Brookfield, Wis. (East H.S.), is majoring in elementary education with a 3.76 grade point average. Earlier this season, she earned the WIAC's Judy Kruckman Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete Award.

Huegerich recently tied for 31st at the NCAA Division III Championship with a four-day total of 350, including scores of 92, 89, 88 and 81. She tied for 23rd at the national meet last season and finished 27th in 2000. Huegerich is a three-time All-WIAC performer, placing second at the WIAC Championship in 1999 and sixth each of the past two seasons.

A total of 11 student-athletes were named to the first team, while 10 earned second team honors. Individuals earning first team recognition will advance to the national ballot. The at-large squad includes individuals from the sports of golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, swimming and tennis.

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La Crosse Captures Seventh NCGA Championship

Ithaca, N.Y.--The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse women's gymnastics team captured its seventh National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NGCA) title in school history Friday at Ben Light Gymnasium. The Eagles claimed their second straight national title with 184.925 team points. SUNY-Cortland finished second with 183.175 points followed by Gustavus Adolphus (Minn.) with 182.550 and Ursinus College (Pa.) with 182.525 points. UW-River Falls finished eighth with 172.600 points.

The Eagles' seven NCGA titles have all come under 17-year head coach Barb Gibson. The seven titles are second-most in NCGA history. Gustavus Adolphus has won the most team titles with eight. The only other teams to win a team title are UW-Oshkosh (1989), Springfield (1996), Ithaca (1998) and Hamline (2000).

La Crosse, which captured its fifth national title since 1995, is the first team in eight years to repeat as national champions. Gustavus Adolphus won five straight titles from 1990-1994.

Leading the way for the Eagles was Jenny Moore, who earned NCGA All-America honors in two events. She finished eighth in the all-around with a score of 36.750 and sixth in the balance beam with 19.225. It is her fourth and fifth career All-America honor, including her third in the all-around. Moore finished second in the all-around in 2000 and fourth in 2001. Moore was also sixth on the uneven bars in 2000.

La Crosse's Tricia Clark placed third in the vault with a score of 19.025 and fourth in the floor exercise with 19.050 to earn All-America honors in both events. Michelle Saxton helped the Eagles with a sixth-place finish in the uneven bars with a tally of 18.325 to claim All-America status. It was her second career All-America accolade after finishing third in the same event last year.
La Crosse's Nancy Peterson also claimed All-America honors with a fourth-place finish in the floor exercise with a score of 19.050.

Oshkosh's Jennifer Williams earned All-America honors in three events. She placed second on the uneven bars with a score of 18.825, fourth on the balance beam with a score of 19.275 and 10th in the all-around competition with a score of 36.675.

Whitewater's April Hubmann finished seventh in the all-around competition with a score of 36.800 to earn her first career All-America honor.

The NCGA also announced a 48-member Academic All-American Team. Named to the squad from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference were: Eau Claire's Sarah Aldridge, La Crosse's Jenny Moore and Anna Thatcher, Oshkosh's Lisa VanDerJagt, River Falls' Kim Furan and Erin Holly, and Whitewater's Erica Anderson, Meghan McHale, Brit Meylor, Sabrina Pitts and Kathy Stauffacher. Whitewater had the most student-athletes of any school in the NCGA named to the Academic All-American Team.

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WIAC Gymnasts Headed To NCGA Championship

Madison, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and UW-River Falls women's gymnastics teams have qualified for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championship to be held Friday-Saturday, March 22-23 in Ithaca, New York. In addition to the two teams, seven individuals from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) have also qualified for the national meet.

La Crosse won the 2001 NCGA national championship, marking its sixth NCGA crown. The Eagles alos won titles in 1986, 1988, 1995, 1997 and 1999.

River Falls qualified for the national championship for the first time since the 1994 season, when they finished fourth overall. The fourth-place finish for the Falcons tied for the best finish in school history.

Individuals that qualified for include: Whitewater's April Hubmann (all-around), Ann Kingsnorth (vault, uneven bars and floor exercise) and Lisa McManus (balance beam), Oshkosh's Wendy Wiederholt (balance beam) and Jennifer Williams (all-around), Stout's Tasha Pasch (uneven bars and floor exercise) and Eau Claire's Alison Eagles (vault).

Williams claimed the individual title at the WIAC championship and the NCGA Midwest Regional. She also won the WIAC uneven bars crown.

The top four teams from the east and west region qualify for the NCGA Championship. In addition to the four teams, two all-arounders and two specialists on each event from each region will qualify as individual entrants for the national championship. This year's host institution, Ithaca College, qualifies automatically leaving three positions up for grabs in the East Region. The NCGA national championship will total eight teams, four individual all-arounders and sixteen specialists.

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Arquette, Moore Awarded Women's Gymnastics Scholar-Athlete Honor

RELEASED: Tuesday, February 26, 2002

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Kristine Arquette and UW-La Crosse's Jenny Moore have been named 2001-02 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Gymnastics Judy Kruckman Co-Scholar-Athletes, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Arquette, a senior from North Prairie, Wis. (Mukwonago HS), is majoring in microbiology with a 3.56 grade point average. She has been named to the UW-Oshkosh honor roll four semesters and the Dean's List two semesters.

Arquette placed ninth in the balance beam and 10th in the all-around at the WIAC championship in River Falls, Wis. on February 22. She finished fifth in both the all-around and balance beam at last season's conference championship, garnering All-WIAC honors in both events. Arquette followed that performance with a sixth-place finish in the all-around at last year's National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) championship to claim All-America honors.

Arquette is a team captain this season and served as a Residence Hall Treasurer in 1999.

Moore, a senior from Coon Rapids, Minn. (Blaine HS), is majoring in nuclear medicine technology with a minor in chemistry and has a 3.51 grade point average. She has been named to the Dean's List at UW-La Crosse four semesters and has received the Nuclear Medicine Technology Scholarship.

Moore helped the Eagles to their sixth consecutive WIAC championship this season with a second-place finish in the all-around. She also placed third in both the floor exercise and uneven bars. Moore earned All-Conference honors in the all-around and balance beam last season with a pair of fourth-place finishes and won the uneven bars competition at the NCGA West regional. In 2000, she was the conference balance beam champion and placed second in the all-around competition at the NCGA championship to claim All-America honors.

Moore, a captain for the past two seasons, was named her team's Most Valuable Player last year. She also ranks 11th on La Crosse's all-time points list.

Also nominated for the scholar-athlete award were: Eau Claire's Sarah Aldridge, La Crosse's Anna Thatcher, River Falls' Kim Furan and Erin Holly, and Whitewater's Brittany Meylor.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Culver's. 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.

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Eagles Capture Sixth Straight WIAC Gymnastics Title

River Falls, Wis.--The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse gymnastics team captured its sixth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship Friday at UW-River Falls. The Eagles finished with 179.075 team points with UW-River Falls placing second with 175.950. UW-Eau Claire was third (174.300) followed by UW-Whitewater (173.925), UW-Oshkosh (173.900) and UW-Stout (166.900).

This is UW-La Crosse's eighth conference title in the last nine years and head coach Barb Gibson's tenth in her 17 years at the helm of the Eagles' program. Gibson also has seven second-place WIAC finishes.

Angela Erato took the floor exercise title for the Eagles with a score of 9.525. Whitewater's April Hubmann finished second (9.425), Oshkosh's Jennifer Williams third (9.300), La Crosse's Jennifer Moore fourth (9.300), River Falls' Kim Furan fifth (9.250) and River Falls' Katie Mitchell sixth (9.175).

Oshkosh's Williams won the all-around title with a score of 36.500, defeating two-time WIAC champion Tasha Pasch of Stout. Williams won the balance beam (9.200) and uneven bars (9.100) crown, while placing third in the floor exercise (9.300).

Following Williams on the uneven bars were La Crosse's Anna Thatcher (8.900), Stout's Pasch (8.850), La Crosse's Moore (8.85) and Darlene Benedetti (8.800) and Eau Claire's Adria Walin (8.700).

Eau Claire's Erin Henrich, Oshkosh's Williams, River Falls' Mitchell and Whitewater's McManus tied for the balance beam title with a score of 9.200. Oshkosh's Melissa Cummins finished fifth (9.150) and La Crosse's Angela Erato sixth (9.150).

River Falls' Tiffany Reber claimed the vault title with a score of 9.350. La Crosse's Jordann Ojanpa finished second (9.300), La Crosse's Nancy Petersen and Eau Claire's Alison Eagles third (9.250), Whitewater's Lisa McManus fifth (9.200) and Eau Claire's Kristina Reitzel, La Crosse's Melanie Rigby, Whitewater's April Hubmann and Nicole Hoida sixth (9.150).

The top-six finishers (including ties) in each event earn All-WIAC honors.

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