Heading into the final home meet of the season, Winona State University’s gymnastics team made history against the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. They achieved the fourth-best finish in school history and broke the vault routine record. Next up on their docket, they faced Hamline University. With senior recognition night headlining the meet, Winona State began their final home meet of the season.
Gabby Kraft, an up-and-coming freshman for the squad, described the impact the fourth-year students have on the team.
“The seniors play a crucial role on our team. Their leadership and influence make our team stronger and push us to succeed not only at meets but at every practice.”
Vault Routine:
In the previous home meet on Jan. 31, the vault team broke the school record with a team score of 48.125 overall. The previous record stood for nearly two years. The question would be how the routine fared against the Pipers.
Kennedy O’Connor, a graduate student from Roselle, Illinois, discussed the team’s mentality heading into the meet after their great performance previously.
“We are hoping to become 1% better in each event while also celebrating our seniors! We are aiming to maintain confidence, enjoy the experience, and continue our growth.”
The pressure of breaking the vault record ultimately forged diamonds for the Warriors. For the second week in a row, they broke the school record on the vault with a 48.250 tally. They beat the Pipers, who scored 46.600, with their team combined score. O’Connor led on the vault with an individual score of 9.725. Jessica Miley achieved the second highest solo tally for the meet with a 9.675. It was a tremendous start to the meet for the purple and white.
Bars Routine:
Although the bars routine did not break the team’s previous record, it reached fourth place in the all-time mark with a tally of 47.550. They also looked to make their mark with a strong performance on Friday night.
O’Connor spoke about exceeding expectations for this team. She said, “Knowing that we have the ability to break and set new records increases our belief in both ourselves and our teammates. It excites us and encourages us to further push our limits.”
The Warriors scored 46.800 overall for the bars routine, which surpassed Hamline’s tally of 41.425. Miley made another major contribution for the bars with a score of 9.525, which led the way for the Warriors and placed second overall among individuals. Brooklyn Clapp scored 9.350 and achieved third place individually.
Beam Routine
Winona State led 104.625-88.025 over Hamline with powerful vault and bars routines. The beam routine would continue to allow for an impressive night for the Warriors gymnasts.
Improving on the previous week’s score of 46.100, the beam routine earned a total of 47.125. Aspen Peters began the routine with the highest score of 9.575. Kaylee Bateman came behind by a slim margin with a score of 9.525. Hamline fell with a team total of 46.975.
Floor Routine:
Winona State started the season off with a strong floor routine in the first four meets. Gabby Kraft earned first place among solo acts for the matchup against UW-Whitewater.
Kraft spoke about the team’s improvement throughout the season.
“This team has an incredible amount of talent and potential,” she said. “After such a strong start to the season, we’re excited for what’s ahead and confident that we still have so much more to show.”
The floor routine entered the record books, tying for the second-best overall score in school history with a mark of 48.500. Kraft repeated as the top solo performance for the routine with a 9.750 score. Miley and Stoltz tied for second with a score of 9.700. Six of the eight competitors for Winona State earned a score of 9.500 or better for the event. The Warriors’ tally overwhelmed the Pipers, who scored just 45.350 for the night.
Summary:
As a team, Winona State finished in the top three in school history, concluding an impressive senior night. The Warriors outscored Hamline, 190.675-180.350, the highest total for Winona State this season, a mark that has not been reached since 2017. A dynamic performance from a team closing their home stretch at a season-high point. Back-to-back performances demonstrated excellence and improvement on an already impressive early season run for the gymnastics team.
The Warriors will travel to Eau Claire to face the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds. This meet will begin their three consecutive road trips in Wisconsin before the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championships on Mar. 8.
