Titans Open Gymnastics Season With Visit From Pipers
UW-Oshkosh opens its quest for a trip to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship when it hosts Hamline University (Minn.) on Saturday (Jan. 6) in Kolf Sports Center.
The season opener is the first of four home meets for the Titans, who also welcome UW-Stout to Kolf Sports Center on Jan. 12 before hosting UW-La Crosse on Jan. 27 and defending NCGA champion UW-Whitewater on Feb. 16.
The Titans' schedule also includes conference battles at Winona State University (Minn.) on Jan. 19, Gustavus Adolphus Adolphus College (Minn.) on Feb. 10 and UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 23.
UW-Oshkosh's schedule features a trip to Washington D.C. for a quadrangular meet on Feb. 4 against NCAA Division I opponents College of William & Mary (Va.), Kent State University (Ohio) and host George Washington University, which concluded last season ranked 20th in the country.
This year's WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional will be held March 4 in St. Peter, Minn., while the NCGA Championship is set for March 23-24 in Springfield, Mass.
UW-Oshkosh 11th-year head coach Lauren Karnitz returns 12 letter winners from last year's squad that finished sixth at the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional.
Leading the UW-Oshkosh returnees is sophomore Baylee Tkaczuk, the defending NCGA champion on the uneven bars and reigning WIAC winner on the balance beam. Tkaczuk won the national uneven bars competition with a score of 9.775 after securing the league championship on the balance beam with a score of 9.675.
Also back for the Titans are Jessica Bernardo and Dana LoCascio, who both earned NCGA All-America honors for the first time last season. Bernardo placed second in the all-around competition with a season-best score of 37.575 at the national meet while LoCascio finished fifth on the balance beam with a score of 9.475.
UW-Oshkosh's Bailey Finin and Kasandra Stamopoulos return after leading last year's team in the floor exercise and on the balance beam, respectively. Finin paced the Titans with an average score of 9.559 in floor exercise and Stamopoulos had a team-best 9.419 average on the balance beam.
Bernardo and Amanda McBrayer averaged better than a 9.0 in three events last season. Bernardo recorded averages of 9.332 in the vault, 9.252 in floor exercise and 9.077 on the uneven bars while McBrayer compiled average marks of 9.275 in floor exercise, 9.058 on the balance beam and 9.048 in the vault.
LoCascio averaged a team-leading 9.398 on the vault last season while Karen King is back after finishing second among the Titans on the vault with an average score of 9.350.
Bailee Hardy, who ranked second among the Titans with an average score of 9.093 on the uneven bars, also returns for UW-Oshkosh.
Last season UW-Oshkosh compiled a 1-6 record in conference dual meets. The Titans defeated Hamline University by a score of 187.125-184.625 and suffered setbacks to Gustavus Adolphus College (175.550-174.725), UW-Eau Claire (185.200-184.925), UW-La Crosse (187.650-181.775), UW-Stout (189.350-186.825), UW-Whitewater (192.400-184.425) and Winona State University (182.650-182.175).
UW-Oshkosh went on to finish sixth at the WIAC/NCGA West Regional Championship with 185.900 points. UW-Whitewater captured the title with 191.850 points. The Warhawks were followed in the standings by second-place UW-La Crosse with 189.700 points, third-place UW-Stout with 188.750, fourth-place Winona State University with 186.750, fifth-place UW-Eau Claire with 186.525, UW-Oshkosh, seventh-place Gustavus Adolphus College with 185.625 and eighth-place Hamline University with 183.775.
UW-Whitewater won the six-team NCGA title by tallying 191.000 points. UW-La Crosse was second at the national meet with 188.300 points, State University of New York at Brockport third with 186.800, Ursinus College (Pa.) fourth with 186.750, UW-Stout fifth with 186.475 and Springfield College sixth with 184.775.
UW-Oshkosh is seeking its first NCGA Championship appearance since placing fifth in the country in 2014.
The Titans, who won national titles in 1989 and 2007, are among eight teams to win NCGA championships while just four teams have claimed multiple titles. WIAC programs have accounted for all but three of the NCGA championships – including a record 17 by UW-La Crosse and eight by Gustavus Adolphus College – since the event debuted in 1984.
UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh and UW-Whitewater have combined to win each of the past 40 WIAC titles. UW-La Crosse has won 23 of the league's 44 overall championships, including 13 straight from 1997-2009, while UW-Oshkosh has claimed 14 WIAC titles and UW-Whitewater five – all since 2010. UW-Oshkosh secured its last WIAC title in 1996.