Tkaczuk, LoCascio Lead Titans At WIAC Championship
Baylee Tkaczuk captured first place on the balance beam while Dana LoCascio finished fourth in a pair of categories to pace UW-Oshkosh at the WIAC Women's Gymnastics Championship (presented by Culver's) held Friday (March 17) in Winona, Minn.
Tkaczuk recorded a score of 9.675 on the balance beam to become the second UW-Oshkosh gymnast to win the event at the WIAC Championship in four seasons. UW-Whitewater's Franchesca Hutton and Mackenzie Smith shared second place behind Tkaczuk with scores of 9.625.
LoCascio earned her fourth-place results with scores of 9.60 on the vault and 9.575 on the balance beam. Lisa O'Donnell of UW-Whitewater claimed the top performance on the vault with a score of 9.70 while UW-Oshkosh's Amanda McBrayer finished 13th and Karen King 18th with values of 9.475 and 9.45, respectively.
UW-Oshkosh had two other top-20 contestants on the balance beam, McBrayer who finished 18th with a score of 9.45 and Bailey Finin who placed 19th with a figure of 9.375. Finin also ranked 18th in the floor exercise with a score of 9.55.
The Titans had one entry in the all-around competition, Jessica Bernardo who finished seventh with a total of 36.675 points.
Other event champions were UW-Whitewater's O'Donnell in the all-around competition with 38.525 points, UW-La Crosse's Abby Ostrovsky on the uneven bars with 9.725 and UW-Whitewater's Courtney Pickett in the floor exercise with 9.825.
UW-Whitewater defeated defending champion UW-La Crosse, 191.850-189.700, to win its second WIAC title in three seasons and fifth overall. UW-Stout finished third in the eight-team meet with 188.750 points and host Winona State University fourth with 186.750.
Completing the team rankings were fifth-place UW-Eau Claire with 186.525 points, sixth-place UW-Oshkosh with 185.900, seventh-place Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) with 185.625 and eighth-place Hamline University (Minn.) with 183.775.
UW-Oshkosh obtained its overall team score by totaling 47.275 points on both the balance beam and vault, 44.75 on the uneven bars and 46.60 in the floor exercise. The event scores allowed the Titans to surpass 185 overall points for the third straight meet.
The top six individuals in each category secured All-WIAC recognition.
The WIAC Championship also served as a West Region qualifier for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship that will be held March 31 - April 1 at UW-Stout.
UW-Whitewater, UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout all earned bids to the national meet by placing among the top three regional teams.
The NCGA Championship will also include representation from UW-Oshkosh's LoCascio on the balance beam and vault, Tkaczuk on the balance beam and uneven bars and Finin in the floor exercise.
2017 WIAC Women's Gymnastics Championship/NCGA West Regional Website