EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com) – The UW-Eau Claire women's gymnastics team took third place out of eight teams today at the 2012 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship in the McPhee Physical Education Center.
The Blugolds finished with 183.025 points on the way to their best finish at the conference meet since 2006. UW-La Crosse won the title with 187.700 while UW-Whitewater was second with 185.500. All three schools will now compete at the 2012 NCGA National Championships in Brockport, N.Y., March 23-24.
Eau Claire reached a season-high score on the balance beam as they finished with 46.600 points. Cece Solem (Jr.-Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) and Olivia Aschenbrenner (So.-Cedarburg, Wis./Grafton) tied second place in the event with scores of 9.550, which were season-high marks for both gymnasts. Aschenbrenner had the Blugolds' best finish in the all-around with a score of 36.900.
In the floor exercise, Danielle Schulzetenberg (Jr.-Maple Grove, Minn.) had the Blugolds' best finish as she came in fourth place with a season-high score of 9.600. She also tied a season-high score of 36.750 in the all-around competition as she came in eighth place and had the Blugolds' best finish on the vault with a score of 9.400 as she took fifth.
On the uneven bars, Karla Hagen (So.-Chaseburg, Wis./Viroqua) had the Blugolds' best finish as she came in ninth with a career-high score of 9.175.
The top six finishers in each event received All-Conference recognition.
At the conclusion of the meet, the All-Sportsmanship Team, which is selected for those individuals that display exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season, was announced. Named from Eau Claire was Rachel Behmer (Jr.-Maple Grove, Minn./West Lutheran).
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