Walker Returns To NCGA Championship
Senior Krystal Walker looks to add to her collection of nine All-America awards when she represents UW-Oshkosh in three events at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship this weekend in Brockport, N.Y.
The team and individual all-around champions will be determined on Friday (March 18) and the four individual event winners on Saturday (March 19) in the Tuttle North Gymnastics Center at The College at Brockport.
Walker, making her fourth straight appearance at the national meet, will participate in this year's all-around, balance beam and floor exercise categories. Walker qualified by virtue of her performances throughout the season, including the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional held March 4 in La Crosse.
Walker matched her career high at the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional with her all-around score of 38.425 and established season-bests with figures of 9.75 in the floor exercise and 9.55 on the balance beam. She placed third at the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional in both the all-around competition and the floor exercise, and finished 11th on the balance beam.
Walker enters this weekend's meet ranked sixth nationally in the all-around competition with a season average score (SAS) of 37.5875. She also ranks 11th on the balance beam at 9.6000 and 28th in the floor exercise at 9.5438.
Walker has claimed All-America honors in the all-around competition and on the balance beam during each of the past three seasons. Her All-America citations also include one each in the floor exercise (2015), uneven bars (2014) and vault (2013). Walker's best NCGA Championship finishes include a second-place showing on the balance beam in 2013, a third-place effort in the all-around competition in 2014 and a ninth-place result on the floor exercise last year.
UW-Whitewater's Courtney Pickett enters this weekend's national meet as the favorite in the all-around with an SAS of 38.125. The College of Brockport's Lily Jagodzinski is ranked first both on the balance beam (9.7125 SAS) and in the floor exercise (9.7688). The top 12 finishers in each event earn All-America status.
Vying for the team title will be top-ranked UW-Whitewater, second-ranked The College of Brockport, third-ranked UW-La Crosse, fourth-ranked Ursinus College (Pa.), fifth-ranked State University of New York at Cortland, and seventh-ranked Winona State University (Minn.).
UW-La Crosse captured its 16th NCGA title last season with 191.525 points. The Eagles were followed closely by Ursinus College and 2014 champion UW-Whitewater in a tie for second place with 191.225 points.
The College of Brockport finished fourth at last year's six-team NCGA meet with 190.95 points, State University of New York at Cortland fifth with 187.975 and UW-Stout sixth with 187.85.