Season-High Team Score Makes Titans Three-Peat Champions
OSHKOSH, Wis.- The UW-Oshkosh gymnastics squad won the 2023 WIAC Gymnastics Championship at the Kolf Sports Center on Saturday, setting three program records and tying another in the process. Oshkosh has now won the last three WIAC championships and 17 in the program's history.
The Titans finished the meet with a season-high 193.100 points, also the second-highest team score in program history (194.100 at the 2022 NCGA Championship. They earned a 48.575 on the vault, a 47.175 on the uneven parallel bars, a 48.825 on the balance beam and a 48.525 on the floor exercise. Their vault score topped the previous program record of 48.725 and they set the balance beam record for the second time this season, topping their score of 48.450 points in their January 21 home meet against Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.).
Junior Emily Buffington placed second on the vault, scoring a personal season best 9.800 points and earning All-WIAC honors. Freshman Reanna McGibboney took All-WIAC with a score of 9.775 and sophomore Mia Lucero rounded out the top-eight with 9.725 points.
Buffington again led the Titans on the parallel bars with a third-place, All-WIAC, 9.575-point finish. Senior Trinity Sawyer grabbed sixth with 9.525 points, earning All-WIAC.
Sophomore Delaney Cienkus tied the program record score for the balance beam with a first-place score of 9.825. Bailey Tkaczuk holds one score of 9.825 points, and Kaira Hammond holds two more. Cienkus' finish earned her All-WIAC honors. Following Cienkus were sophomore Liz Romano in third (9.775), junior Kaylie Berens, and freshman Lydia Hayden in fourth (9.750) also earned All-WIAC. Buffington finished in eighth (9.725).
On the floor exercise, graduate student Rahdea Jarvis placed highest for Oshkosh with a 9.775 for All-WIAC and third place. Cienkus finished in fourth, scoring 9.750 points and earning her second All-WIAC honor. Rounding out the top eight, Buffington and Sawyer each scored a 9.700-point finish.
Buffington broke her own program record on the all-around, beating her previous 38.725-point record with 38.800 points on Saturday. Her first-place finish gave Oshkosh their final All-WIAC nod. Her final combined score with finishes of 9.800 on the vault, 9.575 on the parallel bars, 9.725 on the balance beam and 9.700 on the floor exercise.
Full results can be found here.
WIAC Awards
McGibboney, Jarvis and senior Kennedy Springer all earned awards from the WIAC after the meet concluded. McGibboney was named the Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year, Jarvis was the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete and Springer was Oshkosh's member of the All-Sportsmanship team.
Looking Forward
Saturday's conference meet also served as the West Region qualifier for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship that will be held March 25 at Winona State University (Minn.) at 2:00 p.m. The top three teams from the WIAC Championship - UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse, and UW-Stout - along with several qualified gymnasts, advanced to the NCGA meet. UW-Oshkosh was the NCGA champion in 1989, 2007 and 2022.
The WIAC Gymnastics Championship merchandise store is still open and can be found here. The store will remain open until March 16.