It’s finally here—the biggest day in DIII gymnastics has arrived, and I’m here in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to bring you all the important updates… You know, like what leotards everyone is wearing and whose coach is too nervous to watch their team’s beam routines.
Prepare yourselves for a wild ride as four of the six teams here—Brockport, Ithaca, UW-Stout and UW-Oshkosh—are very strong title-contenders. And while it was a bit surprising that Cortland and UW-Whitewater qualified, don’t count these two out of a possible top three finish as their conference performances proved they can step-up and deliver when it counts.
Individuals will also be competing for titles today and for the first time since 2014, all 14 NCGA institutions will be represented. For a full run-down on the team competition and individual competitors, check out our NCGA preview.
We are just heading into the final rotation of warm-ups. I haven’t gotten to see much, yet, but word on the street is UW-W has two upgraded vaults they are adding to the lineup today. Also, not looking like I’ll be getting any lineups so going to use conference lineups as a guideline. Apologies ahead of time if I mis-ID anyone.
Brockport and Ithaca have quite the cheering sections considering they are from out east—Just as many as some of the WIAC schools! But Oshkosh fans take the cake… out here roaring and ready to go!
Rotation 1: UW-O vault, Cortland bars, Brockport beam, UW-W floor
Oshkosh
Bernardo – Y lay, a bit high onto the table but pulls it around (9.475)
Hammond – BIG Y lay, hop back on the landing
Ali – Huge Y lay with a hop back on the landing
Minor – STUCK Y tuck half! Crowd is going WILD!
Jarvis – Huge Y lay full! Best one of the season so far. Nearly stuck it. (9.650)
Gilot – Beautiful Layout half… little bounce forward
Cortland
Hanley – Didn’t get to catch much but had a nice blind full double at the end!
Trevisani – Nice handstand shapes throughout! Stuck blind full double to finish
Brockport
Frankowski – Great turn, beautiful punch front to beat jump, pike to tuck full, series is super solid! last jump connection is good, stuck front full! AMAZING FIRST SET!!!
Mager – Back tuck stuck… Big wobble on series but stays on, pike to pike 3/4 is great and super unique, hits final jumps, stuck front full
DeLuca – Wobble on her series but stays on. Smiling throughout and looks like she’s singing?! Love it. Hits the dismount. Brockport is on a roll!
Musall – Nice series, small bobble on her jumps, just looks a little hesitant but sticks her front full dismount
Kowalik – Sold front aerial, BHS LOSO stuck, great shapes on her leaps, beat jump to split 3/4 is great, gainer full with just a small step. GREAT first rotation for the Golden Eagles.
Whitewater
Evans – Really long wait after Olinger’s set… been about 5 minutes. Big double pike, nice 1 1/2 punch lay
Briscoe – Stuck double pike, LOVELY ring shapes in her jumps, front full is a bit wonky but manages to punch front out
Hutton – Great front lay front full, side pass of RO loso, Rudi is huge! Love her set, definitely one of the most artistic routines being competed today.
Fossum – Big double pike to open slides her foot back but otherwise a good landing, stuck front lay front full, Rudi with a small hop but otherwise really clean! This is a completely different team from what we saw earlier this year. (9.725)
North – Good front lay front full, nice RO Layout side pass, little wonky on the rudi landing
Individuals
Weyker (UWL) – Nice Y lay full with a small step back
Hawkins (UWL) – HUGE Ylay stuck!
DiBiase (RIC) – Nice full turn, a little break before the series but stays on, cat leap switch side is solid, stuck tuck gainer full off the end! Really cool and difficult dismount!
Murphy (RIC) – Really unique combinations, sissone to split 3/4, fronthandspring to back tuck, stuck gainer pike off the end.
Malo (Gustavus) – MASSIVE double tuck and hops oob a bit, front full front lay is beautiful, this is a great set, stuck front full front tuck…AWW both her and her coach are crying happy tears. Great last floor set for the Gustie senior (9.625)
Ardy (Gustavus) – These Gustie floor sets are awesome, great choreo! Looks like she got a bit lost in the 2 1/2 and takes a fall, foot slips a bit on the front full front tuck and touches the floor, back 1 1/2 punch lay is great
Merila (Gustavus) – Incredible rudi, back 1 1/2 to lay is great too! Has a remixed jazz style set that’s super fun. Closes with another back 1 1/2 to front pike which is good.
After 1: UW-O 47.950, UW-W 47.650, Brockport 47.075, Cortland 43.700
You guys, these teams came to WIN. Holy cow that was amazing! In particular, Whitewater looks like it has put in a lot of work. Brockport also looks calm and confident. Compared to the other events, beam scores seem to be a bit tight but not ridiculous. Cortland struggled a bit on bars, but hopefully it can get back on track in the next rotation.
Rotation 2: UW-W vault, UW-S bars, Cortland beam, Ithaca floor
Whitewater
Wilson – Hasn’t been in lineup since the first meet, so here we go I guess! Good Y lay, just a too much power and takes a big step back
Evans – Another one that hasn’t been in lineup since last year… hand front and stays on her feet, just takes a step forward
Lewellyn – Y tuck full, small step to the side… LITERALLY THESE ARE ALL NEW VAULTS WHAT HAPPENED THESE LAST TWO WEEKS?!?
Briscoe – Went for a Y full and falls to the side… bummer
Marshall – Beautiful Y full, just a step back
Stout
Bugge – Nice set to start off the Blue Devils, pretty standard pirouette to bail, blind full double back routine but very clean and sticks the dismount!
Terry – Long wait time, great handstands, clear hip bail hand, stuck double tuck!
Ihde – Short on a few handstands but finishes with a really nice full out, small step on the landing
Dick – Blind to Jaeger catches a bit close, muscles up a handstand and goes bail to horizontal, double pike with a step back… not her best set but stayed on
Beaver – Stalder to Gienger to bail connection is good, just some legs on the bail, stuck dismount!
Boone – Interesting lineup choice…not sure when she was last in top 6… maybe midseason? huge tkatchev, bail to handstand, double tuck flies prettyyyyyy far from the bar but stays on her feet somehow
Ithaca
Trammell – Big double tuck to open just slightly out of control and takes a step oob, front full front lay looks like she’s going to slide because she comes in a bit short but stays on her feet
Hansen – Fantastic double tuck, missed the second pass, pulls around a back 1.5 punch front
Nichols – Great double pike, this is a great set…so sassy. Nice last pass!
Gery – BIG DOUBLE TUCK, she got a 9.900 at conference and so far you can tell why! Double pike just a bit short and steps forward out of it
Individuals
Lewis (UWEC) – Great lines… blind to Jaeger to bail is fantastic, small step forward on double tuck
Webb (Hamline) – Beautiful BHS LOSO, nice leaps, solid side aerial, split 1/4 to tuck 3/4 is interesting!
Clemens (Spring) – Double pike is solid, nice front lay front lay 1/2 to split jump, some feet problems in the leaps but nothing huge… I think she was supposed to punch front out of her last pass but only ended up doing a front full
Twomey (Spring) – REIGNING NATIONAL CHAMP, PEOPLE! Honestly I think double tuck was seriously 15 feet high! Wowza! Front full punch front to stag is great. She’s loving life out there right now. Rudi to split jump is awesome! Really nice set
After 2: UW-W 95.475 , Cortland 90.375, UW-O 47.850, Ithaca 47.775 ,UW-S 47.300, Brockport 47.075
Okay, so now we’ve gotten our first look at all the teams…. and ohhhh boy. This is going to be even more exciting than anticipated. Cortland bounced back in the last rotation for a mid-46 on beam. Stout and Ithaca made it through their first rotations fall-free. And you guys, we can’t forget about our individual competitors. They are also absolutely crushing it!
Rotation 3: Ithaca vault, UW-O bars, UW-S beam, Brockport floor
Brockport
O’Malley – Great front lay front full to open this rotation which is sure to be a good one considering it’s Brockport… on floor… she closes with a great Rudi to split jump
Mager – Her leaps are SO high! Tumbling was great too… points to the crowd and everyone goes crazy
Keough – Brockport is owning this rotation! Great rudi to straddle jump to finish
Castellaneta – stuck double pike, great front full front lay, nice double tuck to finish. WOW!
Kowalik – HUGE double tuck, great split and straddle positions in her jumps! Whip half to front full is good and controlled, Rudi to straddle with a giant smile on her face!
UWO
Gilot – Gienger, floaty pak, nice double tuck with a small step
Bernardo – Great Jaeger, sometimes she catches too close but not today! Finishes with a good blind full double tuck
Jarvis – Massive tkatchev, great bail, pulls the dismount around too hard and falls to her back
Hardy – struggles through her release connections and takes an extra swing
Hammond – catches a bit close on the Jaeger but works out of it, pikes down the double lay just a bit
Tkaczuk – Back to back natty champ in the house! Best set of the year for her, smooth swing out of her tkatchev into the pak, small step on the dismount
Stout
Gray – floaty BHS LOSO, side aerial is solid, stuck dismount… tears of joy from the lone senior and some of her teammates
Sirjord – Fantastic series, lovely scale, hit the dismount
Wolfe – Beautiful series, stuck side aerial to back full! Great routine from the freshman in her first national championship routine
Individuals
Jackson (Spring) – Huge Y lay, small step back
Kachinsky (UWL) – Gorgeous Gienger to bail, STUCK blind double tuck
Kiloran (UWL) – nice tkatchev, bit short on the bail hand, small step on the blind full double tuck
DiBiase (RIC) – double tuck with just a small slide back, nice front full front lay, good leap connections
After 3: Brockport 95.700, UW-W 95.475, Ithaca 95.150, UW-S 94.975, UW-O 94.650, Cortland 90.375
Wow, that rotation was just slightly overwhelming! We had our top four ranked teams out on the floor for the first time tonight and it was unreal! Brockport hit its typical amazing floor rotation we’ve come to know and love. UW-O struggled a bit on bars but picked the pace back up in the back half of the rotation. UW-S hit beam without having to count a fall. Finally, Ithaca made it through vault so quickly that I didn’t even catch a single one…. sorry about that!
Rotation 4: Brockport vault, UW-W bars, UW-O beam, Cortland floor
Brockport
Castellaneta – Stuck Ylay!
Sklenar – Y tuck full with a big hop back
Jackson – Stuck handspring front pike! My jaw literally dropped!
Kowalik – Y lay full…stuck-ish? good just a bit low on the landing
Mager – Will she do the 1.5 or the full? the suspense is killing me… Just the full today but she STUCK IT AND IT WAS AWESOME! Looks like more happy tears. Lots of those today!
UWW
Fossum – Balks on the shaposh and has to restart, great on the second try and connects immediately to bail, solid dismount
UWO
Nore – switch to back tuck is solid, good jumps, stuck gainer pike off end
Hammond – Cat leap to gainer LOSO with a pretty big wobble, super confident on series, good jumps, stuck bhs gainer full!
Keller – Switch to LOSO fantastic, but ughhhhh splits the beam on her bhs loso… she’s been so steady all season. Closes with a nice RO 1.5
Cortland
Rodriguez – Nice double pike to open, hits the second pass, omg looks right at the camera and smiles–i’m cracking up, rudi to double stag is nice just a bit low chest
Riggs – front full to front tuck is SO HIGH! Beautiful switch ring, massive rudi, back 1.5 punch is also huge…. I think she has springs in her legs
Giardina – nice front double full to open, makes the second pass, closes with a rudi to stag… I’m loving all these rudis into jumps!
Filipski – Big double pike just hops back a bit, back 1.5 to punch front with some little hops again, something wonky happened on the last pass… not sure what happened but stayed on her feet
Schulz – great double tuck, front full front lay front tuck! that’s cool! Great rudi to close the set and rotation for Cortland!
Individuals
DiBiase (RIC) – Y tuck full! I think that’s an upgrade! Good for her…
Blixt (UWL) – Solid FHS front toss, good jumps, sticks the front full
Malo (Gustavus) – Nice bail hand, good dismount with just a teeny hop
Slater (Hamline) – All eyes on the Piper senior… goes big on first pass– front lay to front DOUBLE full! Fun back shoulder roll twisty thing… not sure but everyone loved it! Great front lay front full. She’s so happy!
After 4: Brockport 143.975, UW-W 142.550, UW-O 141.300, Cortland 138.125, Ithaca 95.150, UW-S 94.975
I feel like I keep saying the same thing, but seriously these teams are bringing it tonight! Sure there’s been a few hiccups, but overall a really stellar meet. Brockport is starting to pull away from the pack after a truly incredible vault rotation. Bars and beam caused some issues for UW-W and UW-O. And finally, Cortland pulled off a solid floor rotation.
Rotation 5: Cortland vault, Ithaca bars, UW-W beam, UW-S floor
Cortland
Szafranski – FHS pike with a few steps back
Rodriguez – FHS tuck runs to the side
Schulz – Huge tsuk lay! Really nice
Filipski – Nice tuck full
Ithaca
Holcomb – Clear hip to Gienger with some leg separation, fall on the dismount
Hansen – Some struggles over on bars from Ithaca… She’s the second to drag her feet after her high-to-low release
Whitewater
Hutton – Unique mount, nice turn, front aerial with some knees, super solid bhs loso, just like floor her artistry is fab…stuck front full!
Helmke – stuck front toss, holds on to the bhs loso, beat to sheep with a pretty big bobble… just looks a bit nervous. Nearly stuck RO 1.5
Stout
Mullenbach – Rudi is great, she’s having so much fun… jump shapes are a bit lacking. Her feet almost slip out from under her but stays on her feet on last pass
Sirjord – Great two pass routine with some interesting choreo that showcases her back flexibility…. I know that sounds weird but it’s actually really neat
Boone – Super high energy – WOW! STUCK double pike. Great double tuck, closes with a back 1.5 to front lay
Bugge – Sky high double tuck and bounces back oob. Great front lay front full… Middle Easten-esque choreo. Rudi to LOSO is fantastic
Terry – Super solid double tuck, couldn’t quite get her jumps all the way around but fakes it pretty well, fall on the whip to back 1.5… just looked like the whip got a bit too high to do much out of it
Individuals
Rush (Ursinus) – Nice Y lay with a step to the side
Bjorge (UWEC) – Great rudi to split jump… i think she was smiling before she even landed the rudi. Whip half to front full was so good!
Moorehouse (UWEC) – Greatest Showman music so this is obvi my fav routine of the night! Nice front double full, RO LOSO side pass, front full to front tuck… looks like her legs maybe gave out a little couldn’t tell if she touched the floor or not
After 5:
No more score updates, ya’ll. That was a bit of a rough rotation for every team except Whitewater. Stout just isn’t quite as precise as it was at conference two weeks ago and Ithaca had struggles with its high-to-low releases over on bars. It’s kind of anyone’s game heading into this last rotation.
Rotation 6: UW-S vault, Brockport bars, Ithaca beam, UW-O floor
Stout
Wolfe – Nice Y lay with a small hop back
Terry – Massive Y lay stuck!!
Bugge – STUCK Hand front
Boone – AND another stuck Y 1.5! (at least from the angle I have… could have had a small step)
Brockport
Kowalik – Hop front giant pirouette to pak… just some feet issues in the pak. Sticks the dismount
Keough – Great Jaeger catch, stuck toe front dismount
Jackson – Great shaposh with just some leg separation, good bail, double tuck is nearly stuck
Doll – Huge blind full tkatchev, great bail, large step on the toe front
Ithaca
Bustamente – Nice side aerial, front toss to BHS is good just a little iffy on the connection, small step on the gainer pike
Oshkosh
Ali – She just model walked onto the floor so this is about to be good… Double pike, chest a bit low… great front lay front lay half. Huge double tuck! The Titans really needed to start their rotation like that
Gilot – Rudi to split to punch front is fantastic! STUCK DOUBLE TUCK!
Keller – front through to double tuck is great! Doesn’t quite get the jumps around. Nice front full front tuck… Great set!
Bernardo – Michael Jackson set… great RO double pike and a moon walk of course…back 1.5 to front lay is super floaty and controlled. The Titans are bringing down the house!!
Finin – Chest a bit low on the double tuck, good rudi in the air but bounced a bit out of it…Back 1.5 to front lay, again some feet shuffling
Jarvis – front through to double tuck is solid just a bit short on the landing… wolf shape not quite there in jumps but she’s so high! Double tuck is good but shuffles back a bit and almost goes oob but hangs on.
Individuals
DiBiase (RIC) – Good pirouette to bail just some leg stuff, large step on the toe front dismount
Murphy (RIC) – Clear hip to Gienger to bail… bail gets a bit wild in the air but hangs on. Few steps back in the dismount
Grant (UWL) – Huge double pike and super controlled landing, front full to front tuck just a little shuffle… latin choreo is cute. Double tuck to close just lands a little short and lunges forward
Weyker (UWL) – Double pike is huge but just doesn’t get her chest up and lunges forward… nice rudi. Whip to double full is a bit wonky but stays on her feet.
Final:
Brockport – 191.050
UW-Stout – 190.275
UW-Whitewater – 190.150
UW-Oshkosh – 189.400
Ithaca – 187.975
Cortland – 185.500
Individual Event Champions:
NCGA Coach of the Year – Lauren Karnitz (UWO)
Outstanding Senior – Rachel Lee (Ithaca)
Vault – Shadae Boone (9.825)
Bars – Courtney Christoforo (9.675)
Beam – Franchesca Hutton (9.775)
Floor – Emma Schulz (9.825)
AA – Candis Kowalik (38.400) *She’s crying so many happy tears!*
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Article by Rachel Riesterer
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