2010 WIAC/NCGA West Regional Championships

St. Peter, Minn. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse gymnastics team had its streak of 13 consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships snapped after a second-place finish Sunday at the 2010 conference meet in the Lund Center Forum at Gustavus Adolphus College. The Eagles finished second with a team score of 183.775 while UW-Whitewater took the conference title at 185.475.

The meet also served as the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) West Regional. UW-L had won the previous seven regional championships.

UW-L scored 46.425 on the vault; 44.025 on the uneven parallel bars; 45.925 on the balance beam and a season-hihg 47.400 on the floor exericse.

Winona State University (Minn.) placed third Sunday (183.600) followed by UW-Eau Claire fourth (180.325), UW-Oshkosh fifth (179.675), UW-Stout sixth (178.725), Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn) seventh (175.275) and Hamline University (Minn.) eighth (175.100).

UW-Whitewater, UW-L and Winona State automatically advance to the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association Championships March 26-27 at Springfield College (Mass.).

The Eagles' Gabi Hooper captured a pair of WIAC titles Sunday night. She took the vault championship (9.625) while tying for first on the floor exercise (9.675) with Naomi DeLara of UW-Stout. Hooper wraps up her career with six first-place finishes at the conference championships. She is a three-time winner in the vault (2007, 2009, 2010) and two-time winner on the floor exercise (2007, 2010). Hooper also won the league crown on the balance beam in 2008.

Hooper was also fifth on the uneven parallel bars (9.150) Sunday night.

UW-L's Emily Dinse placed 11th in the all-around (35.400) Sunday while also finishing eighth on the uneven parallel bars (9.425) and tying for 10th on the vault (9.350).

Other top finishes included Courtney Gonzales tied for seventh on the floor exercise (9.525) and finished ninth on the balance beam (9.400). Chelsy Luck tied for eighth on the uneven parallel bars (9.050), Kelsey Matula and Kendra Klein tied for 10th on the floor exercise (9.475) and Kahlynn Hunt finishing 13th on the vault (9.300).

Meghan Hargens of UW-Stout took the all-around title (37.875) Sunday while Justine Weyer of UW-Whitewater won the uneven parallel bars (9.650) and Danielle Schulztenberg of UW-Eau Claire the balance beam (9.725).

UW-L returns to action Friday, March 26 at the NCGA Team Championships at Springfield College.