Titans To Host NCGA Championship
UW-Whitewater goes after its third consecutive title when UW-Oshkosh hosts the 36th Annual National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship on Saturday (March 23) in Kolf Sports Center.
Competition for the team and five individual titles (all-around, balance beam, floor exercise, uneven bars and vault) begins at 4 p.m.
Six teams, including UW-Whitewater and its Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rivals UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stout are representing the West Region in this year's NCGA Championship. Qualifying teams from the NCGA's East Region were Ithaca College (N.Y.), College at Brockport (N.Y.) and SUNY Cortland.
UW-Whitewater, which is appearing at the NCGA Championship for the 13th straight year, scored 193.700 points to capture the 2018 title. The Warhawks were followed by runner-up UW-La Crosse with 192.550 points, third-place College at Brockport with 191.350, fourth-place Hamline University (Minn.) with 190.00, fifth-place SUNY Cortland with 189.00 and sixth-place Ithaca College with 188.175.
In 2017, UW-Whitewater won the NCGA title with 191.00 points. UW-La Crosse finished second with 188.300 points, College at Brockport third with 186.800, Ursinus College (Pa.) fourth with 186.750, UW-Stout fifth with 186.475 and Springfield College (Mass.) sixth with 184.775.
This year's field of teams have totaled 120 NCGA Championship appearances. SUNY Cortland leads the way with 32 visits to the national meet while Ithaca College follows with 27, College at Brockport with 23, UW-Oshkosh with 16, UW-Whitewater with 14 and UW-Stout with eight.
Wisconsin programs have combined to win at least a share of each of the past 18 NCGA championships. Overall, UW-La Crosse owns 17 NCGA titles (1986, 1988, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001-06, 2008-11 & 2015-16), UW-Whitewater five (2012-14 & 2017-18) and UW-Oshkosh two (1989 & 2007).
Also owning national titles are Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) with eight (1984-85, 1987 & 1990-95) and College at Brockport (2012), Hamline University (2000), Ithaca College (1998) and Springfield College (1996) with one apiece. The College at Brockport and UW-Whitewater shared the 2012 crown.
Three gymnasts who have combined to win five NCGA Championship titles return to this year's meet, including UW-Oshkosh junior Baylee Tkaczuk, who has captured the uneven bars crown the past two seasons.
Also returning to defend her event title is Springfield College junior Tali Twomey in the floor exercise.
College at Brockport senior Candis Kowalik is back after sharing the 2017 title and winning the 2016 outright championship on the balance beam. Last year she finished second in the all-around competition, floor exercise and vault while placing third on the balance beam.
UW-La Crosse sophomore Sam Weyker will compete in the floor exercise and vault on Saturday after winning the balance beam title a year ago.
Other top performers back from last year's championship are College at Brockport senior Stephanie Mager, Ithaca College senior Carolyn Nichols, SUNY Cortland sophomore Emma Schulz, UW-Stout junior Brooke Terry, UW-Whitewater junior Acacia Fossum and UW-Whitewater Franchesca Hutton.
Hutton and Schulz shared third place with the College at Brockport's Kowalik on the balance beam in 2018 while Nichols and Fossum tied for third in the floor exercise. Mager was a third-place finisher on the vault while Terry ranked fourth in the all-around competition. Mager and Nichols also shared third place on vault in 2017.
Two other top finishers return from the 2017 championship in Gustavus Adolphus College senior Samantha Ardy and UW-Oshkosh junior Jessica Bernardo. Ardy finished fifth on the uneven bars while Bernardo placed second in the all-around competition.
In addition to the six teams that earned a berth to this year's championship, eight other programs will be represented with individual qualifiers. UW-La Crosse leads the way with seven gymnasts earning at-large bids while Springfield College follows with six and UW-Eau Claire with four.
The winning team at this year's meet is awarded the championship banner, while the top three squads receive a trophy. Individuals of the first-place team receive medals.
Individuals finishing first through eighth (and ties) in each of the five event categories receive All-America recognition.
This year's championship also celebrates the NCGA Hall of Fame inductions of Tiffany (Barden) Losinski from UW-Oshkosh; Kristie (Kinzie) Masso from Hamline University; Shasta Lininger Johnson and Shannon McGee from Gustavus Adolphus College; and Tricia Adkins and Stacy (Theel) Green from UW-La Crosse.
The inaugural NCGA Championship was conducted in 1984. Recent national meets have been held at Springfield College in 2018, UW-Stout in 2017, College at Brockport in 2016, UW-La Crosse in 2015, Ithaca College in 2014 and UW-Whitewater in 2013.
UW-Oshkosh is hosting a national women's gymnastics meet for the first time since the 1987 United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF) Division II-III Men's & Women's Championships was held in Kolf Sports Center.
UW-Oshkosh previously hosted the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Men's Gymnastics Championship in 1975, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II Men's Gymnastics Championship in 1981 and the USGF Division II-III Men's Gymnastics Championship in 1986.
2019 NCGA Championship Program
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