The UW-Eau Claire gymnastics team crushed a new school record this past weekend when they competed against the UW-Oshkosh Titans. Though they were beaten in the final score, the women on the team didn’t let that stop them from celebrating their record-setting win. 

During the first rotation, the women were in good spirits. The score placed UW-Eau Claire just behind the lead with 47.050 and UW-Oshkosh sitting at 48.600. This score was after the Blugolds completed the vault event and the Titans were halfway done with the bars event. 

When it came time for the Blugolds at the uneven bars, the women kept hitting their marks and sticking their landings like clockwork. When there was an occasional wobble, the women kept pushing through their routines and would leave the mat with a beaming smile. 

In the second rotation, the team made their way to the balancing beam event and began their warm-ups. With every turn and flip, the audience cheered and hyped up the women. The Blugolds gave a stellar performance on the balance beam and set the second-highest balancing beam score in the program’s history. They ended the event with a score of 47.825.

In the last rotation, the team headed over to their final event, the floor. Within the first couple of minutes, the team sparked a ferocious energy that carried them until the end of the event. 

Third-year Andrea O’Connell performed a stellar performance that tied her for first place. It was no surprise her energetic routine and captivating choreography set her tied for floor champion. 

Second-year nursing student Molly Campell said the team culture this year was unlike anything she has seen before.

“We’ve worked really hard to create a good team environment,” Campbell said. “We have fun and work hard.” 

Campbell said she is excited to perform at the Division I meet during the week of Feb. 19 in Illinois.

“I’m hopeful for Illinois,” Campbell said. “Meets like that are more fun. There is so much energy in the crowd and it gets so loud, so it’s good practice for conference meets.” 

Second-year business administration student Georgia Guynn and fourth-year rehab science student Kelsey Donovan said they were both incredibly proud of the team’s performance during the meet. 

“We do better when we have more fun,” Guynn said. “We’re a very close team. We spend so much time together, even when we aren’t practicing. We have spent a lot of time building a strong team culture.”

The bond of the girls was evident in the way that they cheered and hollered for each other throughout the meet. 

“We are just gonna keep going because we’re not done yet,” Donovan said. “We’re still hungry for more.” 

It seems that these girls have nowhere to keep going but up and that breaking school records is just the beginning for this team. 

Gaitán can be reached at [email protected].