The Mount: NCGA Nationals

Recap

The Big Storyline: Ithaca and Oshkosh brought the house down, ending the meet with program team records. UWO was on top of its game all day long, capitalizing on the mistakes of the other teams. Brockport opened the meet counting two falls on beam. Not even its absolute best on the last three rotations could rectify the situation. La Crosse and Whitewater both had some inconsistencies on beam and bars that kept them from putting pressure on the top spot. Springfield could not quite keep up with the other teams from the very start, counting falls on three-of-four events. Oshkosh was the only team that did not succumb to the pressure of the biggest stage. 

Implications: For the first time in three seasons, the top team in Division III has been crowned. Despite the seemingly unbeatable persona of Brockport this season, the Golden Eagles could not quite overcome beam nerves. UW-Oshkosh handily took the victory today, completing its historical season on top. However, the Titans graduate a large senior class this year, so it is unclear what this team will look like in 2023 without the majority of its floor lineup. For now, let us relish in the new 194.100 program record. This meet and this year have increased the expectations for quality of gymnastics in Division III. Brockport will also graduate its outstanding senior athlete of the year in Alexis Castellaneta. Castellaneta did not make as huge of an impact at nationals due to sitting out of both vault and floor lineups. La Crosse will also lose some key high scorers heading into 2023. Whitewater will likely come back next year with a fire after the largest slide back of any of the teams in the competition. The individuals competing in this competition did not come to play. Olivia Keyes of Rhode Island came away with second place all around. Her and Kelsey Gates have created some major waves this season and will continue to raise the bar in the future. Mikala Bugge, Kaitlyn West, Bryce Stoltz, Kennedy O’Connor, Sophia Redding and Brooke Merila all put together stellar performances. 

Records: Olivia Keyes concluded her record-breaking season by increasing Rhode Island’s all around record to 38.425 and the beam record to 9.800. Sophia Redding capped off her career with a 9.725 and a new Gustavus bar record. Winter Osborne made the most of her transfer from Alaska to Springfield by winning a share of the bar title and setting a new program best 9.800. Taylor Bushey’s event-tying 9.800 is also a Brockport bar record. Ithaca and Oshkosh both posted team program records with a 192.325 and 194.100, respectively. 

Controversies: After a somewhat lack-luster first showing, Effie Ferguson of UW-Stout was allowed to repeat her beam routine a second time, finishing the competition with the second highest score. The beam judges discussed for several minutes at the end of the rotation, bringing the rest of the meet to a halt, before deciding to allow Ferguson to have her mulligan. We’re not entirely sure which rule was used to allow for this routine redo. 

Preview

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