The Division 3 teams are starting to near the end of their seasons, but that didn’t stop them (and the D2 teams) from totally killing it this week.

West Chester scored yet another school record with a team score of 193.475, as Majesta Valentine also broke the school all-around record AGAIN with a 39.2. Seattle Pacific’s Maria Hundley won the all-around in a field of division 1 gymnasts with a 39.125. Ursinus scored a 48.225 beam, led by a 9.8 from Kristina Steffenhagen and a 9.775 from Jillian Casarella. Gustavus posted the second highest score in program history and two new program records on vault and bars. Whitewater’s Courtney Pickett scored a 9.8 on floor, Bridgeport’s Ajiea Hargrave tied for first place on vault among serious division 1 competition with a 9.875, Lindenwood’s Katey Oswalt scored a 9.9 on beam, and the Lions outscored Illinois on floor, with Rachel Zabawa winning the event (9.875).

Coming up this weekend are the two Division 3 regional meets. UW LaCrosse is hosting the WIAC Regional on Friday March 4, featuring Whitewater, Eau Claire, Stout, Oshkosh, Hamline, Winona State, and Gustavus. Whitewater currently sits atop the D3 rankings, and is favored to win this regional, but with LaCrosse, a team who has scored a 192.9 once this season, hosting, having home court advantage may work in their favor. It’s anyone’s game for who could snag the third place spot. Ithaca is hosting the NCGA East Regional Sunday March 6 at 1:00, with Brockport, Cortland, Ursinus, Springfield, and Rhode Island. Brockport is favored to win here, but Ursinus is right behind them and could surprise people. The third place spot, like in the WIAC, is up for grabs, and it’s hard to predict which team could get it.

West Virginia 196.225, Penn State 195.675, West Chester 193.475, Temple 191.625, Southern Connecticut 188.7

I don’t think any team is having a more groundbreaking season than West Chester. They annihilated the previous school record (which they scored last week) by nearly two full points. Majesta Valentine continues to lead the way, as she scored a new school vault record (9.85), all-around record (39.2), and tied the school record on floor (9.875). The Rams also scored a new school record on vault (48.425), bars (48.25), and tied the school record on floor (48.675). Meghan Brannon continues to anchor the Rams on bars, where she scored a 9.8, and Lindsey Knapp contributed strong performances on beam (9.775) and floor (9.825). Nicole Pruchnik had a stellar performance, and led SCSU on all three of the events she competed on, scoring a 9.65 on vault, a 9.825 on beam, and a 9.825 on floor. Jennifer Rochefort led the Owls on bars (9.6). Abigail Bensley contributed a 9.8 on floor, while Rotem Porat scored a 9.675 on beam. We also loved these really cool Mancino mats on hand at this Pink Invitational meet!

Eau Claire 185.1, Oshkosh 183.975

Eau Claire capped off their final home meet of the season with a stellar performance on floor, which led to their victory over Oshkosh. Eau Claire also swept the top scores on all four events. Hannah Wendel won vault with a 9.4, with teammate Julia Stedman coming in second place with a 9.375. Lauren Zurowski won bars with a 9.525, and Jessica Dhaene was second with a 9.5. Tori Erickson won beam with a 9.35, and Liz Stubbs scored a huge 9.7 on floor to win the event. Oshkosh outscored Eau Claire on vault and beam, but was nearly two points behind them on bars. Dana Locasio and Amanda McBrayer scored a pair of 9.35s on vault as they tied for third place. Krystal Walker and Kasandra Stamopoulos tied for third on bars with scores of 9.225. Locasio and McBrayer tied AGAIN on beam with scores of 9.325, and Bailey Finin took second on floor with a 9.55.

San Jose State 193.925, Alaska 193.325, Seattle Pacific 192.275

SPU definitely held their own against two division 1 teams. In fact, they had the highest beam total of the entire meet, and beat Alaska on floor. Maria Hundley continues to totally kill it for the Falcons, as she WON the all-around (39.125), and tied for first place on bars (9.8), and beam (9.875). Hundley also led SPU on vault with a 9.775 and third place finish. Arianna Harger contributed a pair of 9.85s on beam and floor, and took fourth in the all-around. In addition to Hundley and Harger, SPU counted all scores of 9.7 or better on beam from Lauren Glover (9.725), Kristi Hayashida (9.7), and Tracie Villanueva (9.8).

Ursinus 189.75, Springfield 185.525

Ursinus earned a season high score in their decisive win over Springfield. Monique Brooks led the way for the Bears on vault (9.55) and floor (9.675) as she won both events. Lauren Chavis won bars with a 9.7, and senior Kristina Steffenhagen won beam in her final home meet with a HUGE 9.8. Ursinus scored a season high 48.225 on beam, counting all scores of 9.5 or better from Brooks (9.5), Amanda Palladino (9.5), Katherine Norris (9.65), Jillian Casarella (9.775), and Steffenhagen. Steffenhagen also took second on floor with a 9.65. Springfield bested Ursinus on vault by nearly a full point, counting all scores of 9.4 or better from Nicole Silva (9.55, tied for first), Madi Bowen (9.5), Gabi Christ (9.45), Jenna Croteau (9.45), and Marissa DeAngelo (9.4). Briana Kerr took second on bars with a 9.65, and Linda Mcauley led the way for the Pride on beam with a 9.55. Heather Gomes posted Springfield’s best floor score (9.55), and DeAngelo won the all-around by default with a 37.575.

Minnesota 196.2, Winona State 184.825, Hamline 184.3, Gustavus 184.3 

The Best of Minnesota meet featured three Division 3 programs, and it was a close match between them, with Hamline and Gustavus tying just half a point short of Winona State. Winona State was led by a strong all-around performance from Eboni Jackson, who led the team on vault (9.6) and bars (9.55), and contributed a 9.3 on beam and 9.5 on floor, as she earned a fourth place AA finish (37.95) behind Minnesota’s Lindsay Mable, Ciara Gardner, and Abby DeMuse. Natalie Koehler led Winona on beam (9.375), and Brooke Hiestand posted their highest floor score (9.65). Hamline brought their A game on vault (47.275) and floor (47.375), but continues to struggle with beam. Sela Fadness once again led the Pipers on vault (9.55), and floor (9.575). Briana Bridgeford posted the highest bar score (9.5), and Meghan Webb posted the highest beam score (9.15). Rosie Giese contributed a 9.525 on vault and 9.4 on floor, and Danielle Dudley contributed a 9.4 on vault and a 9.5 on floor. Gustavus continues to make great strides this season, scoring the second highest score in program history, and scored program records on vault (47.375, outscoring Winona and Hamline), and bars (45.95).  Alex Kopp led the Gusties on vault (9.6) and floor (9.45), while Samantha Ardy led the team on bars (9.575) and contributed a 9.575 on floor as she placed fifth in the all-around (37.4). Lauren Kershner’s 9.25 was the best beam score for Gustavus.

Whitewater 190.775, LaCrosse 190.175

Whitewater posted a season high score in their victory over rival LaCrosse. Katie Fiorilli and Destiny Patrick tied for the vault title with scores of 9.725, as they helped Whitewater post a season high vault score of 48.15. Bar specialist MacKenzie Smith led Whitewater on bars with a 9.45, while Hannah Lee and Courtney Pickett each scored 9.6s on beam (and vault), to help the team earn a season high 47.7 on that event. Pickett won floor with a HUGE 9.8, followed by a 9.7 from Lisa O’Donnell. Pickett (38.4) and O’Donnell  (38.225) were first and second in the all-around, respectively. LaCrosse’s Dani Barmore took third in the all-around following strong performances on vault (9.625), bars (9.625), and beam (9.675 for first place). Amy Enright won bars with a 9.65, and Elsa Spitzmueller led the Falcons on floor with a 9.65. LaCrosse’s beam team scored a season high 47.6, just 0.1 behind Whitewater, counting 4 scores of 9.5 or better from Leah Spankowski (9.5), Spitzmueller (9.575), Kari Willett (9.6), and Barmore.

Nebraska 196.4, Sacramento State 194.875, Northern Illinois 194.325, Bridgeport 193.225

Division 2 Bridgeport had a strong showing against tough Division 1 competition. Ajiea Hargrave tied Nebraska’s Danielle Breen and Hollie Blanske, and Sac State’s Kalliah McCartney for first place on vault with a huge 9.875. Delaney Cahill and Kelsey Campbell each scored 9.7s on vault. Campbell also led Bridgeport on bars with a 9.725, and took fourth in the all-around with a 38.85. Brianna Comport scored a pair of 9.85s to lead the Purple Knights on beam and floor. Hope Tralli scored a 9.825 on beam, Randi Cutolo scored a 9.825 on floor, and Brittany Capozzi scored a 9.7 on beam and a 9.8 on floor. Bridgeport outscored NIU on vault and beam, and outscored Sac State on floor.

Texas Women’s 192.625, Centenary 187.8

Texas Women’s posted a season high in their win over Centenary. Katie Simpson won bars (9.725) and the all-around with a 38.525. Schyler Jones won vault (9.775) and beam (9.825) while she took third in the all-around with a 38.2. Erin Alderman won floor with a 9.775. Other notable performances came from Alyssa Kelley on bars (9.7), and floor (9.65), and Mallory Moredock on beam (9.775) and floor (9.625). Centenary continues to rock beam, but had some considerable bars struggles that adversely affected their team score. Ashley White took second in the all-around with a 38.25 and tied TWU’s Jones and Alderman for first place finishes on vault and floor. Noel Stubbs led the team on bars with a 9.225. Noel Stubbs contributed solid scores on beam (9.75), and floor (9.725), while Kellie Slater came up big on vault (9.65) and floor (9.6).

Temple 191.15, Brockport 190.3, Cortland 186.975, Ithaca 184.3, Rhode Island 178.25

Ithaca hosted their annual Harriet Maranca Memorial Invitational, and this year Temple made the journey to compete against the four division 3 schools present. Brockport had another stellar meet of 190+, scoring 48+ and outscoring D1 Temple on beam and floor. Candis Kowalik led the Eagles on vault with a 9.7 and second place finish, followed by Stephanie Mager’s 9.675, which tied her for third place. Maddie O’Braitis posted Brockport’s best bars score (9.425) and took fourth place overall. Brockport totally slayed on beam, with Jennifer Sklenar winning the event with a 9.725, and teammate Lily Jagodzinski tying for second with a 9.7.  Kendal Hamer and Kowalik contributed 9.65s on beam, and Kendra Bushart rounded out their 5 counting scores with a 9.575. Brockport ended up dropping a 9.5 on beam as they hit 6 for 6 on the event. Kowalik also rounded out her stellar meet by winning floor with a 9.775, and Brittany Vasile tied for third with a 9.725.

Cortland was just a few tenths behind Brockport on vault, and outscored them on bars. Amanda Scanlon took second in the all-around with a 37.85, beating 2 out of Temple’s 3 all-arounders. Scanlon led the Red Dragons on vault with a meet-winning 9.725, and on beam with a 9.65. Emily Nagy led Cortland on bars (9.375), and McKenna Passalacqua tied for 3^rd on floor with a 9.725. Ithaca managed to field full lineups this week, despite last week counting two 0s after injuries in warm-ups. Megan Harrington led the Bombers on vault (9.45) and bars (9.275). Kendra Balcerak came up big on beam with a 9.6, and Eleanor Almeida led the Bombers on floor with a 9.575. Harrington contributed a 9.55 on floor, and Melissa Hollrigl scored a 9.525 on floor. RIC struggled on bars and low scoring on beam, but continues to be strong on vault, where they outscored Ithaca. Kyndel Yett led the Anchorwomen yet again on vault with a 9.45, followed by a 9.4 from Emma Hartan. Megan McNeil (8.75) and Corrine Paul (8.7) were RIC’s top scorers on bars, and Courtney Osborne anchored beam with a 9.35. RIC had some falls and out-of-bounds issues on floor, but were led by Yett’s 9.25 and a 9.225 from Allie DiBiase.

Michigan State 195.1, Western Michigan 193.6, Illinois State 191.9, Stout 184.6

UW-Stout attended a quad meet with 3 Division 1 teams, and posted a season high score. Kaylee Jondahl led the Blue Devils on vault and floor with a pair of 9.725s, and placed sixth in the all-around with a 37.45. Stout’s best event by far (two whole points above their other 3 events) is vault, where, in addition to Jondahl’s score, they counted a 9.675 from Kelly Huseman, and a 9.5 from Sara Perez. Huseman led the team on bars with a 9.5, followed by Jondahl’s 9.425. Randi Schorzman came up huge on beam with a 9.725, followed by Callie Counts’ 9.625.

Illinois 195.875, Lindenwood 193.55

Lindenwood came up big on 3 out of 4 events, and this could have been a huge team score for them had they not had so much trouble on bars. Kayla McMullan led the Lions on vault with a 9.85, taking third place overall. Rachel Zabawa scored  9.8 on vault. Valeri Ingui posted Lindenwood’s best bar score (9.7), followed closely by a 9.675 from Aubree Horn and a 9.65 from Andavea Alexander. Unfortunately, Lindenwood had to count two scores in the 8s, dropping their bars total to a 46.725. They totally killed it on beam (49.0), and especially on  floor (49.05), where they outscored Illinois. Katy Oswalt scored a HUGE 9.9 on beam,  taking second place overall behind Lizzy Leduc and Sunny Kato from Illinois, who tied for first. Alicia Floyd and Lauren Cartmell contributed a pair of 9.825s on beam, and Samantha Borges and Hannah Rector each scored 9.725s. Zabawa led Lindenwood’s stellar floor rotation and won the event with a 9.875. Oswalt contributed a 9.825, while Borges and Rector each scored 9.8s, and McMullan rounded out the 5 counting scores with a 9.75.

Article by Sarah Chrane