Saturday, April 2, 2005

La Crosse, Wis. --Four different student-athletes captured individual national titles Saturday in Mitchell Hall to conclude the 2005 National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships.

Carrie Santore of SUNY-Brockport and Nina Schubert of UW-La Crosse repeated as individual champions. Santore won her second straight vault title with a two-day score of 19.175 while Schubert won her second consecutive uneven parallel bars crown with a score of 19.300.

Santore also won individual titles in the vault, floor exercise and all-around in 2004.

Schubert joins four other gymnasts to win back-to-back uneven bars titles. Mickie Gillespie (UW-River Falls, 1990, 1991); Kimberly Holmes (SUNY-Cortland, 1992, 1993); Sulekha Modi (SUNY-Cortland, 1997, 1998) and Melissa Stanton (Hamline, 2001, 2002) all won consecutive championships. Modi is the only gymnast to win three uneven bars titles also claiming the championship in 2000.

Jenna Houle of UW-La Crosse won balance beam Saturday with an NCGA record score of 19.525. She placed second last season. Houle also was second in the floor exercise this year for the second straight season.

Lindsey Marranca of SUNY-Cortland captured the floor exercise Saturday with a two-day score of 19.400.

UW-L's Barb Gibson was named the 2005 NCGA Coach of the Year for the third time in her career after leading the Eagles to their fifth straight team title Friday night. Gibson has coached UW-L to all 10 of its national championships, an NCGA record.

Amanda Parker of Gustavus Adolphus College was selected the 2005 Senior Athlete of the Year.

The Eagles finished with a team score of 189.650 while SUNY-Brockport was second at 185.625. SUNY-Cortland placed third (185.375) followed by UW-Eau Claire (184.450), Ithaca College (182.700) and UW-Oshkosh (179.425).

Sarah Bulka of SUNY-Brockport won the all-around (38.150) Friday night while UW-L's Ashley Koechel was second (38.075) and Kasey Clausen third (37.825). Marranca finished fourth (37.600) followed by Santore fifth (37.400), Kristen Grimmel (Ursinus) sixth (37.325), Theresa Lynch (UW-Eau Claire) seventh (37.200), Brittany Wiesner (SUNY-Cortland) eighth (37.150), Lynn Morris (UW-Eau Claire) ninth (37.075) and Kelly Stevison (Ithaca) tenth (37.050).

For complete results, click here