UW-Whitewater won its first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference gymnastics championship Sunday in the league meet hosted by Gustavus Adolphus College in Saint Peter, Minnesota.  UW-W will advance to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship March 26-27 at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts.

complete results

Team scores were UW-Whitewater 185.475, UW-La Crosse 183.775, Winona State 183.6, UW-Eau Claire 180.325, UW-Oshkosh 179.675, UW-Stout 178.725, Gustavus Adolphus 175.275, and Hamline 175.1.

UW-W's Justine Weyer (Colgate/Germantown) defended her title on the uneven bars, winning the event with a 9.65, the fifth highest score in the UW-W record book.  Teammates Annie Mix (Olive Branch, MS/SBEC) and Katie Thompson (Kingsport, TN/Sullivan South) helped the Warhawks pile up points, finishing third and fourth respectively at 9.5 and 9.325.

All-American Allison Nelson (Naperville, IL/Neuqua Valley) led UW-W gymnasts on the vault, placing fourth with a 9.45.  Nelson finished third in the event last year.  Freshman Mary Kate Young (Lawrenceville, GA/Cullins Hill) led Whitewater in two events, placing third in both the floor exercise, 9.65, and on the balance beam, 9.6.  The latter score is also a top ten mark in the school record book, ninth best all-time. 

Weyer totaled 37.4 points in the all-around competition, finishing second, two spots higher than a year ago.  Young placed fourth with a total score of 37.0.  Weyer, who is coming off an injury, won three events and the all-around title in 2008.

Whitewater's team total score is tenth best in school history. The Warhawks also made top ten entries in three of the four team events.  The bars quintet of Lauren Corrigan (Clarksville, TN/Clarksville) (8.875), Veronica Overby (Kaneohe, HI/James B. Castle) (8.95), Mix (9.5), Thompson (9.325) and Weyer (9.65) totaled 46.30 points for second place in the school record book.  Leah Applin (Brooklyn Park, MN/Champlin Park) (9.475), Overby (8.875), Thompson (8.975), Weyer (9.325) and Young (9.6) compiled 46.25 points on the balance beam, slipping in to tenth place in the UW-W records list.  And the floor exercise group of Katrin Finch (Boise, ID/Boise) (8.95), Siri Wischmann (Delano, MN/Delano) (9.20), Applin (9.25), Weyer (9.025) and Young (9.65) amassed a point total of 46.075, also tenth in the UW-W record book.

UW-W head coach Jennifer Regan was named WIAC Gymnastics Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Becky Rolbiecki of Winona State.  Regan also earned the WIAC honor in 2008.  Weyer added another accomplishment to her performance Sunday, named as Whitewater's representative on the WIAC Gymnastics All-Sportsmanship Team. 

UW-Whitewater is ranked third in the latest GymInfo poll of Division III gymnastics teams.  This is the third time that UW-Whitewater has qualified as a team for the national meet.  The Warhawks finished third in 2009 and fifth in 2008.

For more information on the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championship head over to 2010 NCGA Championship Central

For additional information:  Jennifer Regan, UW-W coach