COLLEGEVILLE, Pa.- With a Division III record score of 194.975 points and four more program records, the UW-Oshkosh women’s gymnastics team won the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship for the third year in a row.
The 2024 trophy is the fifth NCGA Championship for UW-Oshkosh and seventh overall. The 1986 team won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and the 1980 team won the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
The Titans, who finished the season with an unblemished record against Division III opponents, totaled their record score with a 48.375 on the uneven bars, a 48.750 on the balance beam and program records of 49.200 on the floor exercise and 48.650 on the vault.
With UW-Oshkosh’s spring break occurring this week, the university will hold an official welcome back for the team at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 at Kolf Sports Center.
Reanna McGibboney
Back-to-back-to-back
Following the Titans in second at Ursinus College’s (Pa.) Helfferich Hall was UW-Whitewater with 193.575 points and UW-La Crosse with 193.175. State University of New York Brockport finished fourth (193.075), UW-Stout fifth (191.625) and SUNY Cortland sixth (190.925).
Oshkosh collected 10 All-America honors over the course of the meet with two on the vault, one on the uneven bars, three on the balance beam, three on the floor exercise and one on the all-around. Three of the nods were first place awards.
Emily Buffington (Sr. • Huntersville, N.C.) won the all-around, tied for first on the uneven bars and tied for second on the balance beam. She is now a five-time All-American. Her previous All-America nods came in 2022 as the uneven bars champion and 2023 when she placed fourth in the all-around.
Mia Lucero (Jr. • Bolingbrook, Ill.) tied for first on the vault and won the floor exercise outright, making her a three-time All-American. She finished eighth on the vault in 2023.
Buffington and Lucero also became the fourth and fifth Titans in program history and first since 2019 to become multi-time NCGA champions.
Kaylie Berens
Reanna McGibboney (So. • Chester Springs, Pa.) tied for second on the floor exercise and placed third on the vault to bump her All-America medal total to four after placing in the same two events last season. She took third on the floor exercise and sixth on the vault at last year’s championship.
Kaylie Berens (Sr. • Golden, Colo.) and Anna Zoromski (Sr. • Wausau) both placed on the balance beam for their first career All-America honors and Jay Ratkowski (Fr. • Franklin) joined Lucero and McGibboney in the top-eight on the floor exercise for her first nod.
Buffington led the Titans with a 9.850 on the uneven bars in their first rotation. Berens scored a 9.700 and Lydia Hayden (So. • Broomfield, Colo.) recorded 9.625 points as Oshkosh’s next highest scorers.
Buffington once again notched the top score for Oshkosh on the balance beam. She totaled a career-high 9.825 points. Fellow seniors Berens and Zoromski each registered a 9.800. Both bested previous career bests. Delaney Cienkus (Jr. • Plainfield, Ill.) scored a 9.775 for the third-highest Titan total.
Jay Ratkowski
Lucero helped the Titans set the program scoring record on the floor exercise with an individual record of her own on the event at 9.900 points. McGibboney and Ratkowski turned in new personal records as well with a at 9.875 and 9.850 points respectively.
Lucero also recorded the top score on the vault, recording a personal best of 9.825 points. McGibboney tied her career high with a 9.800 on the event and Buffington scored a 9.700.
Buffington scored 9.850 points on the uneven bars, 9.825 on the balance beam, 9.800 on the floor exercise and 9.700 on the vault to total a national title and program record score of 39.175 points.
After the meet concluded, Berens, Buffington, Audrey Koester (Sr. • Saginaw, Mich.), and Zoromski were named NCGA Academic All-Americans.
The Titans secured their 19th trip to the NCGA Championship by winning the West Region title for the fourth consecutive time on March 9 at the Hamline University (Minn.). They finished with score of 192.875 at the WIAC Championship/West Region. Oshkosh went 8-0 against Division III competition this season.
Feature photo: Aleah Radojevich shows her skill in floor exercise.
Learn more: UW Oshkosh gymnastics