St. Peter, Minn. – March 5, 2018 – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse captured the 2018 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Women’s Gymnastics Championship/National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West Regional (presented by Culver’s) at Gustavus Adolphus College’s Lund Center on March 4.
The Eagles claimed the 24th conference championship in program archives with a score of 191.875. Defending champion UW-Whitewater placed second with a score of 191.725, while Hamline University (Minn.) was third with 189.700, UW-Eau Claire fourth with 187.775, Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) fifth with 185.725, Winona State University (Minn.) sixth with 184.900, UW-Oshkosh seventh with 184.700 and UW-Stout eighth with 183.825.
The conference championship also served as the West Region qualifier for the NCGA Championship that will be hosted by Springfield College (Mass.) March 23-24. UW-La Crosse, UW-Whitewater and Hamline University earned spots into the national event by placing in the top three.
UW-La Crosse secured a pair of individual titles as Brooke Kachinsky posted a first-place finish in the uneven bars with a score of 9.800 and Samantha Wiekamp took top honors in the all-around with a score of 38.425. Wiekamp also won the all-around crown at the 2016 championship.
UW-Stout’s Shaquilla Payne established a championship meet record score of 9.800 enroute to winning the vault. UW-Whitewater’s Franchesca Hutton also set a championship record in the balance beam with a first-place score of 9.750.
Hamline University’s Sydney Tribbett claimed the floor exercise with a score of 9.750.
The top-six individuals in each event secured All-Conference recognition. UW-La Crosse’s Amy Enright received the Judy Kruckman Scholar-Athlete Award.
An All-Sportsmanship Team was chosen for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season. It included one member from each school. Named to the squad were: UW-Eau Claire’s Amelia Moorehouse; Gustavus Adolphus College’s Kate Schneider; Hamline University’s Rosie Giese; UW-La Crosse’s Brooke Kachinsky; UW-Oshkosh’s Paige Mayhew; UW-Stout’s Chelsea Gray; UW-Whitewater’s Chloe Rehberg; and Winona State University’s Katie Carling.