UW-La Crosse Wins NCGA Championship; WIAC Captures Nine Individual Titles

SAINT PETER, Minn.--University of Wisconsin-La Crosse won the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship at Gus Young Court on March 22. In addition, Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) gymnasts combined for nine individual event titles.

The NCGA title is the 18th in program history and first since 2016. WIAC programs have combined for 28 team titles at NCGA championships with UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater each winning five.

UW-La Crosse secured this year’s title with 194.925 points, while UW-Whitewater was second with 194.025, three-time defending champion UW-Oshkosh third with 193.100, SUNY-Cortland fourth with 191.975, Rhode Island College fifth with 191.850 and SUNY-Brockport sixth with 190.900. The national meet was hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.).

UW-La Crosse’s Grace Kehr was victorious in the vault with a score of 9.850, while Jessica Taylor claimed the floor exercise with a score of 9.990.

UW-Stout’s Jamie Beatty won the uneven parallel bars with a score of 9.775. She shared the title with Ashlie Leage of Greenville University (Ill.). Beatty also posted a first-place finish in the all-around with a score of 38.800.

The balance beam title was shared by six individuals – including five from the WIAC – after each posted a score of 9.850. The five champions included: UW-La Crosse’s Raina Christenson, Kyla Dickson, and Claire Robbins; and UW-Whitewater’s Tegan Haberstock and Paige Magel. Lienne Kay of SUNY-Brockport also claimed a piece of the title.

The top-eight finishers in each event were named NCGA All-America First Team. Following is a complete list of WIAC All-Americans:

Vault: Grace Kehr (UW-La Crosse-Champion); Mia Lucero (UW-Oshkosh-Third); Averie Evans (UW-Oshkosh-Third); Kennedy O’Connor (Winona State-Third); Paige Breckwoldt (UW-La Crosse-Third)

Uneven Parallel Bars: Jamie Beatty (UW-Stout-Champion); Sarah Best (UW-La Crosse-Third); Kelsey Kollhoff (UW-Whitewater-Third); Reanna McGibboney (UW-Oshkosh-Fifth); Lydia Hayden (UW-Oshkosh-Fifth); Gillian Cummins (UW-Stout-Fifth)

Balance Beam: Raina Christenson (UW-La Crosse-Champion); Claire Robbins (UW-La Crosse-Champion); Kyla Dickson (UW-La Crosse-Champion); Paige Magel (UW-Whitewater-Champion); Tegan Haberstock (UW-Whitewater-Champion); Chloe Hammond (UW-Whitewater-Seventh); Lydia Hayden (UW-Oshkosh-Eighth); Bryce Stoltz (Winona State-Eighth)

Floor Exercise: Jessica Taylor (UW-La Crosse-Champion); Grace Kehr (UW-La Crosse-Second); Elaine Copeland (UW-Whitewater-Sixth); Carleigh Moore (UW-Whitewater-Sixth); Grace Edwards (UW-La Crosse-Sixth); Kyla Dickson (UW-La Crosse-Sixth)

All-Around: Jamie Beatty (UW-Stout-Champion); Gillian Cummins (UW-Stout-Fifth)

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