John Koenig

It wasn’t the season finish they had hoped for, but the UW-Eau Claire gymnastics team is already looking ahead to bigger and better things after its 173.875 to 173.000 loss at Gustavus Adolphus on Friday.

“We started the meet out with strong performances on the bars,” senior Lynn Morris said. “It wasn’t our finest performance overall, but nothing to get upset about. We still haven’t peaked yet.”

Morris led the Blugolds with a first-place all-around finish, her sixth of the season, with a 35.550 and a first place performance on the uneven bars. Morris was also the top Blugold finisher on the balance beam.

Theresa Lynch and Angie Cich both scored high marks for Eau Claire. Lynch claimed second in the all-around with a score of 34.875 and finished with a score of 9.000 in the floor exercise to lead Eau Claire. Cich scored a 9.200 on the vault, good enough to claim first place in the event.

The Blugolds, ranked eighth in the nation and fourth in the West Region, look to take these high scores and their experience from the season into the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships.

“I am expecting every member of the team to give it their best and place in the top three as a team,” Morris said. “We have worked so hard to prepare for this meet. We are as ready as we will ever be.”

Morris, a three-time All-American, looks to claim her fourth All-American title and grab a second National Championship title, one that has evaded her since she claimed top honors in the balance beam in 2003.

“I don’t feel pressured at all, I just get really excited,” Morris said.

Eau Claire has placed second at the WIAC championships for the past two years behind top-ranked UW-La Crosse.

The 7-7 Blugolds, who ended with a 2-2 record in WIAC dual meets, will try to upend the Eagles and bring home a conference championship at 6 p.m. Friday in Oshkosh.