Independent Student Newspaper of UW Oshkosh Campuses

The Advance-Titan

Independent Student Newspaper of UW Oshkosh Campuses

The Advance-Titan

Independent Student Newspaper of UW Oshkosh Campuses

The Advance-Titan

UWO Gymnastics edges Golden Gusties

“The March 6 matchup that had UW Oshkosh against Gustavus Adolphus College women’s gymnastics resulted in the Titans getting their fifth win of the season by a score of 182.15 to 179.3 points.

This two-team meet included the vault, uneven parallel bars, balance beam and floor exercise events, with the Titans winning the bars, beam and floor events.
Oshkosh had two members participate in all four events, junior Krystal Walker and freshman Amanda McBrayer.

Sophomore Kimberly Robertson took home top honors for Oshkosh with a score of 9.425 points out of 10.

Walker took home third, sophomore Taylor Ennocenti was sixth, ninth place was McBrayer, 11th was deRoode and 12th was Stamopoulos.

“This week leading up to regionals, we need to focus on confidence,” senior Leane Blais said. “We have worked hard all season at getting our skills and routines ready, now we just have to be confident in our ability to hit.”

Blais said that while the team has had injuries, members of the team have stepped up to fill in.

“This team is so determined to prove that we deserve to go to nationals, just like last year,” Blais said.

Blais said that it’s impotant that the team go into regionals paying attention to every little detail because those things add up.

“Last year we qualified to nationals by one-fourth of a point,” Blias said. “That is not even equivalent to a bent knee.

The next event was the uneven parallel bars. The Titans swept the first four spots, as Blais’ score of 9.300, Walker’s score of 9.175, junior Elizabeth Kiel’s score of 9.100 and junior Courtney Howard’s score of 8.850 helped the Titans achieve the win.

Other scorers for the Titans were 10th-place finisher McBrayer 8.000 and 12th-place Kasandra Stamopoulos with 7.575.

Stamopoulos said the upperclassmen on the team have helped her transition from club gymnastics to competing at the collegiate level.

“They have been wonderful in helping to calm me down when I get too frustrated, and their pep talks, though they might not realize, help me a great deal,” Stamopoulos said. “I am very blessed to have the teammates that I have.”

Next on the docket was the balance beam event. Walker scored 9.475 and took top honors for Oshkosh, which was second-place overall. Stamopoulos took third with 9.325, and sophomore Tabitha Dorshorst was fourth with 9.125.

Sixth place went to McBrayer, seventh to Kiel and 11th to Blais.

Sophomore Taylor Ennocenti said the experience she gains throughout the season is incredibly important.

“I become less nervous and more confident each meet, and this improves my overall performance, Ennocenti said. “I also learn what works for me and what doesn’t regarding my gymnastics. The more experience I have, the more prepared I am.

Ennocenti said this is crucial when the time comes to compete at regionals andqualify for the national meet.

Finally, the Titans took home first and second in the floor exercise, with Walker scoring a 9.425 and sophomore Danielle Turner with a 9.400.

Taylor Ennocenti took fifth, Robertson took sixth, sophomore Valene Knutson scored seventh and McBrayer rounded out it out by taking 11th.

“This season has been an amazing experience with my teammates,” Walker said. “We have been putting in work week after week, and I honestly think it will show this weekend at conference. We all have the same goal, we know what we want, and we’re going to bring it.”

The Titans continue their season next Sunday, March 15 at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship and NGCA West Regional in St. Paul, Minnesota.”

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