Titans Victorious In Season Opener

Courtney Howard (Fr. • Johnson City, Tenn.) and Krystal Walker (Fr. • Chicago, Ill.) were event winners as UW-Oshkosh opened its 2013 women's gymnastics season with a 175.85-173.05 victory over Hamline University (Minn.) on Saturday (Jan. 5) in St. Paul, Minn.

Howard owned the top performance on the uneven bars with a score of 8.775. She also finished seventh in the floor exercise and eighth on the balance beam with marks of 8.95 and 8.45, respectively.

Walker earned a winning score of 9.30 on the balance beam. She also finished second in the all-around competition with 35.50 points while posting a fourth-place score of 8.60 on the uneven bars, a fifth-place figure of 9.00 on the vault and a ninth-place mark of 8.60 in the floor exercise.

UW-Oshkosh's Leane Blais (So. • Salisbury, N.C.) and Stephanie Gorman (Jr. • Belvidere, Ill.) contributed second-place scores of 8.75 on the uneven bars and 9.225 on the vault, respectively. Gorman added a pair of fourth-place results with marks of 8.925 on the balance beam and 9.20 in the floor exercise.

The Titans also had Steffani Meusburger (Jr. • Highlands Ranch, Colo.) finish third in the floor exercise with a score of 9.225 and sixth on the uneven bars with a mark of 8.00.

Three other UW-Oshkosh gymnasts finished fifth as Barbara Bass (Fr. • Homer Glen, Ill.) scored an 8.35 on the uneven bars, Lindsay Hermsen (Sr. • Howard) an 8.90 on the balance beam and Abby Zubella (Sr. • Appleton) a 9.075 in the floor exercise.

UW-Oshkosh's Nicole deRoode (Fr. • St. Louis, Mo.) took sixth place on the vault with a score of 8.925. 

The Titans' team score included 45.35 points in the floor exercise and 44.25 on the vault. UW-Oshkosh also compiled 43.775 points on the balance beam and 42.475 on the uneven bars.

UW-Oshkosh hosts Winona State University (Minn.) on Friday (Jan. 11) in Kolf Sports Center.