March 16, 2001

FIVE INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS RETURN TO LOOK FOR TITLE REPEATS

MENOMONIE - Five individual champions - three of those are defending champions - will return to do battle at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships March 23-24 at Johnson Fieldhouse in Menomonie.

Team and all-around competition is scheduled for Friday, March 23 beginning at 5:30 p.m. The top 12 individual finishers will advance to the individual championships Saturday, March 24 at 1:30 p.m. The scores from Friday night will carry over to Saturday, and the combined scores from both days will determine the final individual scores.

Niki Hoida of UW-Whitewater is the defending balance beam champion, while Sabrina Ashton of UW-Oshkosh is the defending floor exercise champion. Gina Gutierrez of Springfield (Mass) College is the defending vault champion.

Becky McDonnell of UW-La Crosse, an all-arounder, will look to regain the floor title she lost to Ashton last year. Shanna Larocque of Springfield shared the vault title in 1999.

In regaining the floor title, McDonnell would become the second three-time NCGA champion in any event. McDonnell earned a tie for first at the Midwest Regional meet, March 9, coming in even with Linsey Hamilton of Hamline University with a 9.625.

In the final NCGA rankings from March 12, McDonnell is the top ranked floor competitor, with Ashton ranking second. Hamilton was the floor exercise runner-up at the national championships last spring.

All-around performer Sajdah Ahmad of Rhode Island College will be a competitor to keep track of both days. Ahmad put on a dominating performance at the East Regional, winning the all-around title by almost a full point in taking the vault, beam and floor individual titles.

Kristan Turner of SUNY-Cortland tied with Gutierrez for second in the floor at the East Regional and is ranked third nationally.

Hoida came out of nowhere last year to win the balance beam and will have to do that again if she wants to retain her crown. Hoida qualified as an individual, but did not appear in the top 20 of the final rankings.

On paper, Carol Shekar of UW-La Crosse and Jenni Williams of UW-Oshkosh appear to be the favorites. Shekar is ranked No. 1, with Williams No. 2. Williams edged out Shekar at the regionals, and Williams was second to UW-Stout's Tasha Pasch at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships in February.

UW-La Crosse gymnasts Jenny Moore and Angela Erato rank third and fourth, respectively, in the final NCGA numbers. Kirsten Caster of Springfield ranks fifth and placed fourth at the East Regional behind Ahmad and Ithaca College gymnasts Rachel Edelson and Leslie Gelaat.

Gutierrez has a chance to become only the second gymnast to win not only back-to-back vault titles, but the second gymnast to win two NCGA vault titles.

Gutierrez, who does not appear in the top 20 NCGA final vault rankings and did not place in the 10 at the East regional, will get stiff competition from Ahmad and top ranked Keri Cornwell of SUNY-Cortland and second ranked Melissa Stanton of Hamline. Cornwell placed second behind Ahmad at the regional meet. Stanton took the vault crown at the Midwest Regional and will compete as an all-arounder.

Kristen Reed of Ursinus College ranks third and placed third at the regional meet. Stacey Coleman of Ithaca ranks fourth and placed fourth. Stout's Pasch, an all-arounder, ranks fifth on the vault.

With the graduation of Suleka Modi of Cortland, who wore the uneven bars crown three times, the battle for the bars is open.

All-arounder Sonja Ellefson of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology would have to be the heavy favorite. Last year's runner-up and the sixth place finisher in 1999, Ellefson is top ranked on the bars and won the East Regional crown with a 9.45. Her score at the national meet last year ranks fourth in NCGA Championship history.

Larocque of Springfield and Jumaah Johnson of Ursinus were second and third, respectively, at the regional meet. Johnson is ranked second nationally, with Larocque third.

Unranked Jenny Moore of UW-La Crosse, won the Midwest Regional bars title, with Hamline's all-arounder Stanton and UW-Oshkosh's Williams trailing her. Stanton ranks fourth nationally.

The all-around competition Friday, March 23, could be one of the most interesting battles of the entire championships. Seven of the 10 gymnasts that earned All-America status in the 2000 all-around competition return.

But it is a newcomer that has been leading the way in the all-around all season. Hamline's Melissa Stanton is a freshman who posted the top all-around scores throughout the season and only Rhode Island's Ahmad scored higher at a regional meet.

All-Americans returning are Moore of LaCrosse, last year's runner-up, Coleman of Ithaca, Pasch of UW-Stout, Ahmad of Rhode Island, Ellefson of MIT and Lisa McManus of UW-Whitewater.

Katie Hanson of UW-Stout, Christina Ng of Ursinus College and Kristy Arquette of UW-Oshkosh finished in the top 10 of the NCGA final all-around rankings.

Admission to the meet is $5 for adults for a single day, $8 for both days; $4 for seniors for one day, $7 for both; and $3 for students and children for a single day, $5 for both.

---

March 14, 2001

LA CROSSE, ITHACA, CORTLAND LEAD WIDE OPEN RACE FOR TEAM CROWN

MENOMONIE - Gymnastics is one of those sports where nothing is certain until after the meet is completed and in the history books. But one thing that is certain for the 2001 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships is there will be a new team champion.

Defending 2000 champion Hamline University was hit by the injury bug and was unable to qualify as a team to the meet scheduled for March 23-24 at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie to defend their title.

That leaves the field wide open, with Midwest Regional champion UW-LaCrosse and East Regional champion Ithaca College leading the way.

LaCrosse has claimed five national team titles, the last one coming in 1999. The Eagles worked their way through the regional meet scoring a 183.80, while UW-Oshkosh was second with a 180.875. The Eagles could be due for a national title, with their last three titles coming every other year, beginning in 1995.

Ithaca, which won their only national title in 1998, scored a 181.425 to win the East Regionals, edging Ursinus College (180.775) and SUNY-Cortland (180.675).

La Crosse has qualified to the national meet 18 times, while Ithaca is making their 15th trip. UW-Oshkosh will be making their 10th trip, with their last title coming in 1989. Ursinus is making their fifth trip to the national meet, while Cortland is appearing for their 17th time.

La Crosse comes into the meet at the top of the NCGA final rankings, where team scores from the season and the regional team scores are put into a formula. Cortland is ranked second with Ithaca third, Ursinus fourth and Oshkosh fifth.

Rounding out the field at the championships will be host UW-Stout, Springfield College and Gustavus Adolphus, which has won the most national titles in the association's 18 year history. The Golden Gusties have eight titles to their name, the last coming in 1994. Springfield, last year's championship host, won their only title in 1996. UW-Stout is making their fourth team trip to nationals, with their last appearance in 1986.

---

March 12, 2001

STOUT TO HOST NATIONAL GYMNASTICS MEET

MENOMONIE - The top women gymnasts in Division III will be in Menomonie, March 23-24, as UW-Stout plays host to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships at Johnson Fieldhouse.

Eight teams, as well as several individual and all-around specialists, will participate in the national gymnastics meet. Team competition is scheduled for Friday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m. and individual competition will be Saturday, March 24 beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Admission to the meet is $5 for adults for a single day, $8 for both days; $4 for seniors for one day, $7 for both; and $3 for students and children for a single day, $5 for both.

Teams qualifying to the championships are SUNY-Cortland State (NY), Ithaca College (NY), Ursinus College (Pa), Springfield College (Mass), UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Stout and Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn).

Individual qualifiers include: Vault: Jessica Bowman, SUNY-Brockport State (NY); Nikki Dustman, Wilson College; Kristina Reitzel, UW-Eau Claire; Uneven Bars: Nikki Longo, Rhode Island College; Ann Kingsnorth, UW-Whitewater; Balance Beam: Alica DeFronzo, Rhode Island College; Niki Hoida, UW-Whitewater; Floor Exercise: Alicia DeFronzo, Rhode Island College; Linsey Hamilton, Hamline.

All-around qualifiers include: Sonja Ellefson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Sajdah Ahmad, Rhode Island College; Shannon Hughey, Rhode Island College; Melissa Stanton, Hamline University; Angie Garin, UW-River Falls; Lisa McManus, UW-Whitewater.