The UW-Eau Claire gymnastics team beat out Hamline University on March 1 with scores of 186.175-179.800 at their faculty and staff appreciation meet.

The team went into the meet determined to perform well, as they compete at regionals next weekend on March 9 which will take place at Hamline University. If they do well they will qualify for nationals on March 23. 

“I really just wanted to have fun at the last meet,” said second-year athlete MJ Campbell. 

Campbell took third overall for bars with a score of 9.075 and tied for second for floor routines with a score of 9.65.

The coaches and athletes had a few concerns going into the meet but did their best to leave them at the door. Coach Jesse DeZiel said one concern was that the team tends to lose momentum as a meet goes on. 

“I challenged them to make their last event their best,” she said. “Kind of putting slip-ups in the past and finishing strong.”

Harriet Toth, third-year gymnast, also commented on the team’s performance.

“That translation from practice to the meet is the most important part of the sport,” said Toth. “This was like a good step moving into next week.”

Toth received the all-around competitor award for participating in every event. She contributed 37.745 to the night’s victory. Toth’s first place in vault with a 9.4, second place on the uneven bars with a 9.15 and third on the balance beam with a 9.45.

The Blugolds started with a lead on vault, earning an advantage of over five points in the first event. The 46.675-41.225 standings narrowed to a 91.125-87.375 at halftime. The gymnastics team still had a solid nearly four-point lead after the third event with scores of 137.95-134.

The team is happy with their performance but is looking forward to next week’s performance at regionals. DeZiel is hoping this week’s upsides will carry over.

“Now next week we have to do it all together,” she said, referring to excellence in routines.

As they prepare to compete at Hamline, the gymnastics team says a big thank you to the fans and to watch out for next year’s schedule, even though it’s expected to come out in October.

Tolbert can be contacted at [email protected]. Tell him your favorite gymnastics event.