UW Oshkosh Gymnastics took a close win against Hamline University on Feb. 10, making a comeback from their Feb. 3 loss.

The Titans were victorious by a score of 188.65-181.85, a win that gymnast Trinity Sawyer said came from the team’s willingness to perform difficult stunts.

“The key difference between our team and Hamline on Friday is that the skills we performed had a higher degree of difficulty which when executed well results in higher scoring,” she said.

One of these difficult events was the uneven parallel bars, which Sawyer took first in with a score of 9.525. Three other Titans also scored above nine on the event, where no Hamline athletes were able to breach past 8.975 points. 

In all competitions the top three spots were taken by Oshkosh, with Titans taking the first five in the vault event. The Titans beat out Hamline University in all events, not letting a single event slip from their grasp.

This win comes after a close loss by only 3.4 points to UW-La Crosse, a defeat that the Titans were eager to utilize and move on from. Sawyer said that the loss forced them to reflect on their skills and recognize it on the mats.

“Our loss a week prior was a learning experience for the whole team,” she said. “Last week we were faced with adversity and had to overcome the obstacles we were faced with. Heading back into the gym after the loss, we as a team needed to remind ourselves about the excessive amount of talent we currently have. In order to improve, we had to trust in our abilities.”

UWO athletes constantly push themselves past their previous losses and injuries as showcased by Sawyer. Her improvements don’t solely come on the mat, but also in recovering from a foot surgery. She said that every day she makes more advancements.

“My improvement is largely based on rehab and treatments,” she said. “After having heel surgery last April, it has been a struggle to compete in the power events of vault and floor, to the best of my abilities. Every day I complete rehab and treatments, I feel that I’m getting closer and closer to my true potential.”

Tonight at 6:00 the team faces off against Winona State University at home. Sawyer said she is eager for this opportunity for the team and especially for the underclassmen.

“I’m feeling very confident in our team,” she said. “For many girls on the team, this is still gonna be one of their first home meets where they get to show off what they bring to a home crowd. We have all of the pieces, and this week we’re gonna put it all together for our home crowd.”