Titans Host Eagles In Season-Opening Gymnastics Meet
The UW-Oshkosh women's gymnastics team begins its 2020 season with a pair of home meets, including Friday's (Jan. 10) contest in Kolf Sports Center against UW-La Crosse.
Friday's meet is the first of eight competitions before UW-Oshkosh performs at the WIAC Championship on March 7. Hosted this season by UW-Eau Claire, the WIAC Championship also serves as the NCGA West Regional, an event that determines the automatic qualifiers for the NCGA Championship that will be held March 27 at Ithaca College (N.Y.).
The NCGA Championship, which was hosted by UW-Oshkosh in 2019, features the top six Division III teams in the country as well as several at-large individual qualifiers competing to determine national champions.
Last year, UW-Oshkosh clinched a berth to the NCGA Championship with a runner-up showing at the WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional. Host UW-Stout won its first WIAC title with a score of 190.225 while UW-Oshkosh finished second at 188.950 and UW-Whitewater third at 187.425.
Rounding out the team standings at the 2019 WIAC Championship/NCGA West Regional were fourth-place and defending champion UW-La Crosse with 186.550 points, fifth-place Winona State University (Minn.) with 185.675, sixth-place Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) with 184.725, seventh-place Hamline University (Minn.) with 184.275 and eighth-place UW-Eau Claire with 183.975.
Nationally, UW-Oshkosh finished fourth at the 2019 NCGA Championship with a score of 189.400. The College at Brockport scored 191.050 points to win its second NCGA title.
Completing the 2019 national team listings were second-place UW-Stout with 190.275 points, third-place and two-time defending champion UW-Whitewater with 190.150, fifth-place Ithaca College with 187.975 and sixth-place State University of New York at Cortland with 185.500.
UW-Oshkosh follows its season-opening home meet against UW-La Crosse with a triangular in Kolf Sports Center against UW-Stout and UW-Whitewater on Jan. 17.
The Titans third and final home meet of the 2020 season will be against Hamline University on Feb. 15.
UW-Oshkosh's first road meet is on Jan. 26 in Denton, Texas. The Titans will compete in a quadrangular at NCAA Division II Texas Woman's University with Division I Kent State University (Ohio) and Division II Lindenwood University (Mo.). Kent State University finished fourth at last year's Mid-American Conference Championship.
UW-Oshkosh will also participate at the Harley-Davidson Invitational on Feb. 7 in Milwaukee (Wisconsin Center). Joining the Titans at the event are host UW-Whitewater and Gustavus Adolphus College.
UW-Oshkosh's remaining road meets are dual competitions against Winona State University on Jan. 30, UW-Eau Claire on Feb. 21 and Gustavus Adolphus College on Feb. 29.
Lauren Karnitz returns for her 13th season as head coach of the UW-Oshkosh program in 2020. Karnitz was named the 2019 NCGA Coach of the Year after guiding the Titans to their best conference and national finishes since 2007.
UW-Oshkosh welcomes back 13 letter winners from last year's team, including NCGA All-Americans Emily Gilot in the floor exercise and vault, Jessica Bernardo in the all-round competition, Kaira Hammond and Baylee Tkaczuk on the uneven bars and Rahdea Jarvis on the vault. Tkaczuk won the uneven bars title at the 2017 and 2018 NCGA Championships.
The Titans had six All-WIAC performances at last year's league championship, including the second-place finishes of Hammond on the balance beam and Jarvis on the uneven bars. Bernardo placed third in floor exercise and fifth in the all-around competition while Tkaczuk finished fifth on the balance beam and Gilot sixth on the vault. Tkaczuk won the balance beam title at the 2017 WIAC Championship.
UW-Oshkosh's group of returning letter winners features Bernardo, Lexi Evans, Marisa Scholtens and Tkaczuk as seniors; Amira Ali, Naya Haynes and Paige Mayhew as juniors; and Gilot, Hammond, Jarvis, Olivia Keller, Haley Minor and Alyssa Nore as sophomores.
UW-Oshkosh, a 14-time WIAC champion, won NCGA titles in 1989 and 2007. The Titans also produced NCGA Championship runner-up finishes in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 2001.