2024 WIAC Women's Gymnastics Championship/NCGA West Regional Preview

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh will strive for a fourth consecutive first-place finish at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Gymnastics Championship/National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West Regional (presented by Culver’s) on March 9. The 50th assembling of conference schools will be hosted by Hamline University (Minn.) at Hutton Arena with march-in scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
The Titans collected the 17th conference title in program archives last season with a score of 193.100, while UW-La Crosse was second with 191.850, UW-Stout third with 190.475, UW-Whitewater fourth with 189.550, Winona State University (Minn.) fifth with 187.675, Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) sixth with 186.925, UW-Eau Claire seventh with 184.975 and Hamline University eighth with 184.025.
 
UW-La Crosse owns a league-high 24 conference titles, while UW-Whitewater has five and UW-Stout one. Former member UW-Madison secured two.
 
The conference meet will also serve as the West Region qualifier for the NCGA championship that will be held March 23 and hosted by Ursinus College (Pa.). The top two teams from the WIAC event, along with qualified gymnasts and potential at-large teams, will advance to the NCGA meet.
 
The top-six finishers in each event receive All-Conference designation.
 
This year’s event features gymnasts that have claimed individual titles at previous conference championships, including UW-La Crosse’s Rachel Chesley (2022-floor exercise, 2023-uneven parallel bars); UW-Oshkosh’s Emily Buffington (2022-vault, 2022-uneven parallel bars, 2023-all-around) and Delaney Cienkus (2023-balance beam); UW-Stout’s Kiara Brown (2023-uneven parallel bars); and UW-Whitewater’s Kelsey Kollhoff (2023-floor exercise) and Kara Welsh (2023-vault).
 
The WIAC Honor Roll from this season includes the top-three scores – in the vault: UW-Oshkosh’s Mia Lucero (9.850); UW-La Crosse’s Rachel Chesley (9.800); and UW-Oshkosh’s Amaya McConkay (9.775) and Reanna McGibboney (9.775); UW-Stout’s Anna Mielke (9.775); and UW-Whitewater’s Carleigh Moore (9.775) and Ava Pesch (9.775).
 
In the uneven parallel bars: UW-Oshkosh’s Kaylie Berens (9.800), Emily Buffington (9.800) and Amaya McConkay (9.800); UW-La Crosse’s Rachel Chesley (9.775) and UW-Whitewater’s Kelsey Kollhoff (9.775) and Paige Magel (9.775); and UW-Oshkosh’s Samantha Zeilinger (9.750).
 
In the balance beam: UW-Whitewater’s Sarah Knetzke (9.925); UW-Whitewater’s Chloe Hammond (9.850); and UW-La Crosse’s Raina Christenson (9.825) and UW-Oshkosh’s Lydia Hayden (9.825).
 
In the floor exercise: UW-Eau Claire’s Andrea O’Connell (9.900); UW-Eau Claire’s Harriet Toth (9.875) and UW-La Crosse’s Caelen Lansing (9.875); and UW-La Crosse’s Jessica Taylor (9.850), UW-Oshkosh’s Delaney Cienkus (9.850), and UW-Whitewater’s Kelsey Kolhoff (9.850) and Carleigh Moore (9.850).
 
In the all-around: UW-Oshkosh’s Emily Buffington (38.875); UW-Eau Claire’s Harriet Toth (38.525); and Gustavus Adolphus’ Maddox Lee (38.300).
 
Additional gymnasts from remaining conference teams not mentioned in the top three of the honor roll, but producing strong performances this season include: Hamline’s Julia Cheely and Brianna Weikel; and Winona State’s Taryn Sellner and Bryce Stoltz.
 

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