UW-Whitewater Wins Second Consecutive Women's Gymnastics Crown
MENOMONIE, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater secured its second consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Gymnastics Championship that was conducted at UW-Stout’s Johnson Fieldhouse March 12.
The Warhawks posted 189.275 points to exceed the second-place total of 186.325 points by UW-La Crosse. UW-Stout placed third with 184.150 points, Winona State University (Minn.) fourth with 183.950 points, Hamline University (Minn.) fifth with 182.775 points, UW-Eau Claire sixth with 182.725 points, UW-Oshkosh seventh with 181.575 points and Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) eighth with 178.350 points.
The championship also served as the West Regional qualifier for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships that will be held March 25-26 at UW-Eau Claire. UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stout and UW-Eau Claire earned team spots into the national meet.
UW-Stout’s Naomi DeLara claimed the floor exercise for the second straight season with a score of 9.750 to become the seventh individual in WIAC history to win multiple titles in the event. She was also victorious in the balance beam with a score of 9.725. Her performance matched the conference-meet record.
Lissette LaFex of Hamline University secured the all-around and uneven bars titles to become the first individual in program history to produce first-place performances in the events. She won the all-around with a score of 37.975 and the uneven bars with a championship-record score of 9.700.
Jena Jondahl of Winona State University was victorious in the vault with a score of 9.625. She is the first person in program listings to claim a WIAC crown in the discipline.
The top six finishers in each event secured All-Conference recognition.
An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school. Named to the squad were: UW-Eau Claire’s Lanai Peer, UW-La Crosse’s Tegan Oare, UW-Oshkosh’s Madeline Helwig, UW-Stout’s Kayla Widmar, UW-Whitewater’s Katie Thompson, Gustavus Adolphus’ Shelby Winzent, Hamline’s Rebecca McLaughlin and Winona State’s Katie Gregory.
Gregory and UW-Whitewater’s Allison Nelson were recognized as co-recipients of the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
Individual Champions
Vault: Jena Jondahl (Winona State University), 9.625
Uneven Bars: Lissette LaFex (Hamline University), 9.700
Balance Beam: Naomi DeLara (UW-Stout), 9.725
Floor Exercise: Naomi DeLara (UW-Stout), 9.750
All-Around: Lissette LaFex (Hamline University), 37.975
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