NCGA Individual Event Championships Results

Brockport, N.Y. - University of Wisconsin-La Crosse's Dani Barmore and Samantha Wiekamp each earned individual titles at the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Individual Event Championships Saturday afternoon in Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium at The College of Brockport.  Barmore shared the NCGA title on the uneven parallel bars (9.825) with Mackenzie Smith of UW-Whitewater while Wiekamp shared the national crown on the vault (9.875) with Katie Fiorilli of UW-Whitewater.

It is the second national title for Wiekamp and the first for Barmore.  Wiekamp tied for the national title on the uneven parallel bars with teammate Amy Enright in 2015.  The uneven parallel bars score of 9.825 by Barmore and Smith broke the NCGA record of 9.800 set by Alysse Dieringer of UW-Whitewater in 2014 and Wiekamp, Enright, Fiorilli and Maddy Scozzie of The State University of New York Cortland in 2015. 

The vault score of 9.875 by Wiekamp and Fiorilli broke the NCGA record of 9.850 set by Fiorilli at the 2015 national championships. 

Barmore is the eighth gymnast in UWL history to win the NCGA title on the uneven parallel bars, joining Kris Robbins (1985), Lisa Kartman (1986), Susie Milts (1988), Michelle Saxton (2003), Nina Schubert (2004, 2005, 2006), Enright (2015) and Wiekamp (2015).

Wiekamp is the fifth gymnast to capture the national title on the vault for the Eagles and the first since Gabi Hooper won back-to-back titles in 2007 and 2008.  Jackie LaFleur tied for the crown with Hooper in 2007 while Kartman won the title in 1986 and Laura Pastore in 1995.
 
Barmore and Wiekamp earned All-America honors on a second event Saturday as Barmore tied for eighth on the vault (9.625) and Wiekamp tied for fifth on the uneven parallel bars (9.750).

Barmore now has three career NCGA All-America honors.  Along with the two earned in Saturday's individual championships, she placed fourth in the all-around (38.650) Friday as UWL captured its second straight national title in the team competition.

With her two NCGA All-America accolades Saturday, Wiekamp has four in her career.  Along with the national title on the uneven parallel bars in 2015, she tied for second in the all-around (38.675) in Friday's team competition.

Eighteen different gymnasts have won an individual national title for the Eagles, including nine multiple champions. Hooper, Kartman, Kim MacKrille, Kari Motz and Schubert each won three individual national crowns while Tricia Adkins, Jennifer Houle, Becky McDonnell and Wiekamp have won a pair of NCGA titles.

UWL's Enright, Leah Spankowski and Elsa Spitzmueller also earned NCGA All-America honors in Saturday's individual competition.  Enright tied for fourth on the uneven parallel bars (9.775) while Spankowsi tied for fourth on the balance beam (9.775) and Spitzmueller tied for eighth on the floor exercise (9.750).

Enright earned her third career NCGA All-America accolade Saturday.  She shared the national title on the uneven parallel bars with Wiekamp in 2015 while also placing third in the all-around.

It is Spitzmueller's second career All-America honors after tying for seventh on the floor exercise last season.  Spankowski earns her first career NCGA All-America award.

The top-six finishers (plus ties) earn NCGA First Team All-America accolades while the seventh through 12th-place finishers (plus ties) earn NCGA Second Team All-America honors. 

In other results Saturday, Spankowski tied for 13th on the vault (9.500) while Chelsie Richards finished 16th on the floor exercise (8.925) and Lauren Wilson placed 16th on the uneven parallel bars (9.525).

Candis Kowalik of Brockport (N.Y.) won the NCGA title on the balance beam (9.850) Saturday while Lisa O'Donnell of UW-Whitewater and Alexandra Kopp of Gustavus Adolphus College (Minn.) shared the crown on the floor exercise (9.850).

UWL captured its second straight NCGA Championship Friday with a school record score of 193.650 while Brockport (N.Y.) placed second at 193.000 and UW-Whitewater third at 192.925. Winona State University (Minn.) placed fourth (191.650) followed by The State University of New York Cortland fifth (188.200) and Ursinus College (Pa.) sixth (186.500).

It was UWL's record 17th NCGA title in school history and 12th in the last 16 years.  The Eagles set school records in the overall (193.650), uneven parallel bars (48.500) and floor exercise (49.225) Friday night.  UWL scored 47.925 on the vault and 48.000 on the balance beam.

The overall score of 193.650 set an NCGA Championship record, breaking the score of 193.025 by UW-Whitewater in 2014.

Head coach Barbara Gibson has led UWL to all 17 of its NCGA titles in her 31 seasons.  The Eagles have also won 20 WIAC championships under Gibson, including the 2016 title.