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Results
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnastics team overcame a slow start Friday night to win the four-team Harley Davidson Invitational at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.
After opening the meet with a season low score on the vault, the Warhawks (6-0 overall) posted two of the program's top 20 scores on the bars and the balance beam and sealed wins over Division I Southeast Missouri, Winona State (Minn.) and UW-Eau Claire with a strong finish in the floor exercise.
Sophomore
Lisa O'Donnell (Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) tied her career high and placed first in the all-around competition with a 38.550.
O'Donnell tied for second on the vault with a 9.525, and was followed closely by junior
Lewa Evans (Milwaukee, WI/Whitefish Bay), who tied for fourth with a 9.400. Senior
Courtney Pickett (Brentwood, TN/Brentwood) and freshman
Lauren Marshall (Winthrop Harbor, Ill./Zion-Benton Township) tied for sixth with matching scores of 9.375, and junior
Christina Slack (Albrightsville, PA/Jim Thorpe) rounded out UW-Whitewater scoring with an 8.700.
The Warhawks finished 1-2 on the uneven parallel bars as senior
Mackenzie Smith (Milwaukee, Wis./Martin Luther) finished atop the 24-athlete field with a 9.700, which is tied for the No. 21 score in program history, and O'Donnell placed second with a 9.650. Junior
Kate Mierow (Brookfield, WI/Brookfield Central) scored a 9.525 to tie for fifth, and junior
McKenzie Foster (Manitou Beach, MI/Addison) registered a 9.400 to tie for 10th. Senior
Katie Fiorilli (Solon, OH/Solon) tied for 13th with a 9.275. The team's total of 47.550 is the 13th-highest in program history.
UW-Whitewater tallied a team score of 47.500, good for the best of the season and No. 11 in the program record book, on the balance beam. Sophomore
Franchesca Hutton (Shakopee, Minn./Main Street School of Performing Arts) led the team with a 9.600, good for second overall, and O'Donnell tied for third with a 9.575. Pickett tied for sixth with a 9.475, Smith placed eighth with a 9.450 in her season debut on the apparatus and Foster tied for ninth with a 9.400.
The Warhawks wrapped up the night in the floor exercise with a 47.475. O'Donnell won the event with a 9.800, which is tied for the No. 7 score in program history. Evans and Mierow tied for seventh with matching 9.600s. Pickett finished 12th with a 9.525, and Hutton rounded out the team's scoring with an 8.950, good for 21st overall.
UW-Whitewater resumes action next Saturday, Feb. 18, at 4:30 p.m. against UW-Oshkosh at the Williams Center. The Warhawks will recognize the fifth anniversary of the 2012 national championship team as part of Alumni Day and will don pink and raise awareness and funds for breast cancer research.