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Results
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater gymnastics team finished first in three of five events Friday night in a narrow 191.675-191.275 loss at UW-La Crosse.
Sophomore
Lisa O'Donnell (Berwyn, Ill./Morton West) posted her second straight outstanding performance to lead the Warhawks, whose team score ranks among the top five in school history.
O'Donnell recorded the second-highest all-around score in school history with a 38.800, falling just shy of her National Collegiate Gymnastics Association record-setting performance from last Saturday against UW-Oshkosh. She won the all-around and tied for first on the floor exercise and the balance beam.
UW-Whitewater (7-1 overall) started the meet on the bars, tallying a score of 47.750, good for a top 10 mark in the program's record book. O'Donnell led the team and tied for second overall with a 9.675. Junior
McKenzie Foster (Manitou Beach, MI/Addison) placed fifth with a 9.625, while junior
Kate Mierow (Brookfield, WI/Brookfield Central) finished sixth with a 9.500. Senior
Katie Fiorilli (Solon, OH/Solon) and sophomore
Sarah Rhodes (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) tied for seventh with matching scores of 9.475.
The Warhawks held the lead through two rotations after recording a 47.875 on the vault, good for a tie for 12th in program history. O'Donnell scored a team-best 9.700 to finish second overall. Fiorilli placed fourth with a 9.650, while juniors
Lewa Evans (Milwaukee, WI/Whitefish Bay) and
Chloe Rehberg (Cary, IL/Cary-Grove) tied for fifth with identical scores of 9.575. Senior
Courtney Pickett (Brentwood, TN/Brentwood) rounded out UW-Whitewater scoring with a 9.475, good for seventh place.
The Warhawks relinquished their lead following the third rotation despite a tally of 47.975 in the floor exercise, good for 16th in the program record book. O'Donnell and Pickett tied for first with two Eagle gymnasts with matching 9.725s, good for a tie for 20th among the team's all time best scores. Mierow placed sixth with a 9.600, sophomore
Franchesca Hutton (Shakopee, Minn./Main Street School of Performing Arts) finished eighth with a 9.475 and freshman
Acacia Fossum (Gladstone, N.D./Richardton-Taylor) totaled a 9.450 to place ninth.
UW-Whitewater wrapped up the meet on the balance beam, posting a 47.675, which cracks the top 10 in program history. Hutton and O'Donnell tied for first with 9.700s, good for a tie for 17th in the school record book. Foster registered a 9.525 to tie for seventh, Evans collected a 9.450 to place ninth and Pickett rounded out the group with a 9.300.
The Warhawks continue action on Sunday, March 5, with a meet against Division I Lindenwood and Texas Woman's University. Competition begins at Lindenwood at 1 p.m. in St. Charles, Mo.
