SAINT PETER, Minn. (blugolds.com) – The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women's gymnastics team competed in their fourth competition of the year as they faced off against Gustavus Adolphus College on Friday. With first place finishes from Tayla Thome (Sr. – Medina, OH/Buckeye) on the beam and Andrea O'Connell (Fr. – Blue Mounds, WI/Mount Horeb) on the floor, the Blugolds secured their first team victory in over three years, 181.650-180.275.
"With our confidence and ability to compete under pressure, we knew this day has been coming for a while.", said Head Coach Jessie Deziel who earned her first collegiate victory in her first year leading the team. "The win means everything to the team and us seniors." Tayla Thome added. "The attitude this year has been to just leave everything out on the floor to make this season as special as we can."
UW-Eau Claire was under that pressure from the first rotation as Gustavus held a 1.1-point lead going in the second event. Bailey Thomas (Fr. – Lawrence, KS/Free State) earned a third-place finish on the bars to keep Eau Claire close with the Gusties. In rotation two, Andrea Gessner (Sr. – Lino Lakes, MN/Centennial) tied for third with a 9.350 for the top UWEC score and helped close the deficit to just 0.825 with a team score of 44.025 on the vault.
The Blugolds' highest score came in rotation three as Andrea O'Connell took first place with a 9.425 on the floor. Katie Fahrenkamp (Jr. – Waconia, MN) was close behind in third with a routine score of 9.325. After the third rotation was complete, UWEC took a 0.875-point lead with one final event left.
On the beam, Eau Claire swept the top three placements as Tayla Thome earned a 9.475-point first place finish. "It is always fun to watch Tayla compete and when she landed that dismount, the entire team new it was a tremendous routine.", said Coach DeZiel when asked about the Medina, OH native's top performance. Thome added, "With a really good week of practice and my team behind me, I feel like I can compete to the best of my ability every event. This team win means everything to us and there are plenty more to come for this program and Jessie."
Tia Ravara (So. – San Leandro, CA/Bishop O'Dowd) and Abby Weber (Jr. – Sartell, MN) rounded off the top three placements on the beam as Ravara earned second (9.425) and Weber took third (9.400) to push the Blugolds to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) win.
The Blugolds will return home for a WIAC quadrangular on Friday, February 18th when they host Winona State (Minn.), UW-Whitewater, and Hamline. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6PM and UWEC will celebrate alumni and senior night.
Follow the Blugolds all season long at Blugold Game Day or on our app, UWEC Blugolds.
