Tkaczuk Leads Titans At WIAC Championship
Sophomore Baylee Tkaczuk finished second on the uneven bars to lead UW-Oshkosh's group of performances at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women's Gymnastics Championship (presented by Culver's) held Sunday (March 4) in St. Peter, Minn.
Tkaczuk, who won the balance beam at last year's championship in Winona, Minn., scored 9.725 points on Sunday to share her second-place uneven bars listing with UW-La Crosse's Lauren Wilson. UW-La Crosse also captured the event's two remaining top four finishes as Brooke Kachinsky placed first with a score of 9.80 and Amy Enright fourth with a value of 9.70.
UW-Oshkosh had four top 22 finishers on the balance beam, including Kasandra Stamopoulos who placed 11th with a score of 9.60. Titans Amanda McBrayer and Marisa Scholtens shared 17th place with a score of 9.50 while Amira Ali finished 22nd with a figure of 9.425. UW-Whitewater's Franchesca Hutton won the event with a score of 9.75. The defending balance beam champion was UW-Oshkosh's Tkaczuk.
The Titans picked up three top 23 mentions on the vault. McBrayer and Paige Mayhew led the UW-Oshkosh group with their 17th-place scores of 9.45. Ali finished 23rd on the apparatus with a score of 9.40. Shaquilla Payne from UW-Stout took first place in the event with a result of 9.80.
UW-Oshkosh had Bailey Finin finish 14th in the floor exercise and Bailee Hardy 17th on the uneven bars with scores of 9.525 and 9.475, respectively.
The Titans had one entry in the all-around competition, McBrayer who finished eighth with an accumulated score of 36.80.
Other individual winners at the championship were Kate Mierow of UW-Whitewater and Sydney Tribbett of Hamline University (Minn.) in the floor exercise and Samantha Wiekamp of UW-La Crosse in the all-around competition. Mierow and Tribbett recorded winning scores of 9.75 while Wiekamp tallied a first-place figure of 38.425.
The top six individuals in each event category secured All-WIAC recognition.
UW-La Crosse edged defending champion UW-Whitewater, 191.875-191.725, to win its 24th WIAC title. Hamline University finished third in the eight-team meet with 189.700 points while UW-Eau Claire placed fourth with 187.775 and host Gustavus Adolphus College fifth with 185.725.
Winona State University (Minn.) finished sixth in the team standings with 184.900 points, UW-Oshkosh seventh with 184.700 and UW-Stout eighth with 183.825.
UW-Oshkosh, which surpassed 184 points for the third straight meet, reached its overall team score with values of 47.025 on the balance beam, 46.80 on the vault, 45.90 on the uneven bars and 44.975 in the floor exercise.
The WIAC Championship also served as a West Region qualifier for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship that will be held March 23-24 in Springfield, Mass.
UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater and Hamline University all earned bids to the national meet by placing among the top three regional teams. Other individual qualifiers from the West Region will be announced by March 10.