The UW Oshkosh gymnastics team won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament for the fourth straight year on March 9 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Eight teams competed in the event, the Titans scored 192.875 points for the event, edging out UW-Whitewater’s 192.275 points for the WIAC title.
The Titans finished in the top three for all four events, placing first in both the uneven parallel bars and floor exercise.
Emily Buffington led the way for UWO in the uneven parallel bars where she set both the program and conference championship record with a score of 9.900. Sam Zeilinger placed seventh in the event for the Titans with a score of 9.700. The Titans would finish the uneven parallel bars with 48.525 points, which was 0.150 points clear of UW-La Crosse for first place.
The floor exercise saw three Titans place in the top nine. Mia Lucero and Delaney Cienkus tied for second place with a score of 9.750, only 0.025 points away from UW-La Crosse’s Rachel Chesley for first place. Jay Ratkowski finished in ninth place with 9.675 points as the Titans finished with a team score of 48.400, tying UW-La Crosse for first place.
The vault was the next best event for UWO where they had three gymnasts finish in the top six. Lucero had a score of 9.800 finishing in second place, 0.075 points out from UW-Whitewater’s Kara Welsh for first place. Reanna McGibboney finished in third place with a score of 9.775 and Buffington finished in a tie for sixth place with 9.700 points. The Titans would score 48.375 points for the event for second place, 0.100 points behind UW-La Crosse for first.
The Titans finished in third place in the balance beam event with a team score of 47.575. Buffington and Cienkus finished the event with scores of 9.675 and 9.650, earning third and sixth place.
The Titans earned an automatic-bid to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association championship with their WIAC title. UW-Whitewater also earned an automatic bid to the championship for their second-place finish.
The NCGA championship will take place at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania on March 23 at 1 p.m. where the Titans will seek their third consecutive national championship.
