UW-L Wins NCGA Title; LaFleur and Matula Earn All-America Honors in All-Around

For Immediate Release: Friday, March 20, 2009

St. Paul, Minn. – The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse gymnastics team captured its 13th National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championship Friday night in Hutton Arena on the campus of Hamline University. The Eagles finished with a team score of 186.875 while SUNY-Brockport placed second with a score of 184.950 and UW-Whitewater was third at 184.850.

Winona State University (Minn.) placed fourth (184.600) followed by Ithaca College (N.Y.) fifth (183.600), SUNY-Cortland sixth (182.750) and Hamline University (Minn.) seventh (179.200).

It is UW-L's eighth national title in the last nine years and 10th in the last 13 seasons. The Eagles' 13 overall national crowns are the most in NCGA history.

Head coach Barb Gibson has led UW-L to all 13 of its national titles in her 24 seasons. She has also guided the Eagles to 17 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championships.

UW-L's Jackie LaFleur and Kelsey Matula each earned NCGA All-America honors in the all-around Friday night. LaFleur was fifth overall (37.150) while Matula placed eighth (37.050). The top-10 finishers in the all-around earn All-America accolades. The Eagles' Mackenzie Howard tied for 16th (35.825) in the all-around. Julie Zimmerman of MIT captured the all-around title (38.275).

In individual events Friday, Gabi Hooper finished first on the vault (9.800) while LaFleur tied for third (9.650). Hooper also tied for ninth on the floor exercise (9.500) while LaFleur tied for 12th (9.475). LaFleur also tied for ninth on the uneven parallel bars (9.325).

Howard and Matula tied for ninth on the uneven parallel bars (9.325) while Schaelyn McFadden was 12th (9.275). Erin Sommer was sixth on the balance beam (9.575) while Rachel Budelier was eighth (9.500). Sommer and Matula also tied for 12th on the floor exercise (9.475).

The top-14 finishers in each individual event Friday, plus ties, advance to the individual finals Saturday, March 21. In the individual events scheduled for Saturday, the first through sixth-place finishers will be named first team All-Americans while the seventh through 12th-place finishers earn second team All-American honors. Individual scores from Friday do not carry over to Saturday's competition.

For complete results of Friday's competition, click here.

Individual competition begins at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Hamline.