UW-Eau Claire gymnastics hosted sixth-ranked Winona State Warriors at the McPhee Physical Education Center on Friday, Feb. 14. Eau Claire went into the meet coming off their first win of the season, defeating ninth-ranked Simpson College at home 189.375-185.750.
The Blugolds’ score was their highest of the season and good for second-best all-time for the program.
The Blugolds came into Friday night having faced four ranked teams and a plethora of D1 programs on the season, including first ranked UW-Oshkosh on Jan. 24. Head coach Jesse DeZiel talked about the long-term effects of facing ranked talent.
“I think getting out and competing in different arenas and competing against different teams and adjusting to different arenas for the new skills that the girls are throwing prepares them for the long-run when we have our championship in a different arena,” DeZiel said.
On Friday, the Blugolds opened the first rotation on vault, where they finished with a score of 45.625. Third-year Rachel Hettiarachchy led the team with a score of 9.350. Winona State’s first rotation was uneven bars, where all but two individuals finished with a score higher than nine. The Warriors finished with a total score of 44.600 points.
With a slight Blugold lead heading into the second rotation, the teams swapped events. In the vault, Winona State outscored the Blugolds, finishing the event with 46.700 points. Winona State’s Kennedy O’Connor finished first overall in the vault with a score of 9.625.
In the uneven bars, the Blugolds outscored the Warriors first rotation score with 46.425 points. Second-year Madison Daly led the way for the Blugolds with a score of 9.425, marking her second-best finish on the uneven bars for the season.
“I felt I did really good. I was really confident coming into this meet after coming off last meet and having a really good week in the gym,” Daly said. “I thought the energy from my teammates really helped me in staying in the moment and having fun.”
The Blugolds brought the energy into the third rotation, where they took on the balance beam. Second-year Linnea Vasali finished second overall on the event with a score of 9.525, leading the Blugolds to a total balance beam score of 47.125.
The Warriors gained momentum in the third rotation with their floor routines, netting 47.300 points. The outlier for the Warriors was first-year Gabby Kraft, who finished her routine with a score of 9.625, taking first place overall in the floor routine.
Heading into the fourth and final rotation, the score was tight with the Blugolds leading the Warriors 139.175-138.600. DeZiel said this when asked about the team’s composure and mindset heading into their floor routine and final rotation.
“I don’t think we focus on the scores at all, I think we just try to focus on what we can control and do the routines that we practice in the gym,” DeZiel said.
Switching routines, the Warriors took on the balance beam, needing to make a comeback in order to win. Second-year Aspen Peters started things off strong for the Warriors, scoring 9.400 points. At the end of the Balance Beam rotation, the Warriors finished with a score of 46.825, putting them at a final total of 185.425.
Second-year Anna Preussner kicked off the floor routine for the Blugolds with a good performance, netting a score of 9.500. The Blugolds finished the floor routine with a total score of 46.900, good enough to defeat the Warriors with a total score of 186.075-185.425.
It was a close finish in the stats category, with the Warriors taking the floor routine and vault while the Blugolds won the uneven bars and balance beam.
The Blugolds now have defeated a pair of ranked teams and found their footing at home.
“Last meet was a great meet for us and then coming back this week we had a great meet tonight,” DeZiel said. “That boosts our confidence and now we just have to get back into the gym and work those little things and continue to peak at the right time towards the end of our season.”
Daly feels like the team is headed into the right direction as the WIAC Championships are looming.
“I definitely think our team is going to stay hungry, and we’re going to want to keep getting better and getting better for championships later and keep climbing,” Daly said.
The Blugolds will look to continue their success at home as they host conference opponent Hamline University on Friday, Feb. 21 at the McPhee Physical Education Center
Benes can be reached at beneseh8560@uwec.edu.
