MENOMONIE, Wisc. –Ursinus College Gymnastics put a bow on the team portion of the 2017 season with a fourth-place finish at the NCGA Championship on Friday night at Wisconsin-Stout.
Wisconsin-Whitewater ran away with the national title, scoring an even 191.00 to outpace runner-up Wisconsin-La Crosse (188.300) by nearly three points. Brockport State (186.800) edged out the Bears (186.750) by half a point for third place, while Wisconsin-Stout (186.475) and Springfield (184.775) rounded out the scoring.
Junior Alexandra Puryear claimed All-America honors by finishing ninth overall in the all-around competition with a combined total of 36.875. She is the first all-around All-American for the Bears since junior Kaelin Ruoss finished fourth at the 2015 national championship.
Ursinus scored a 47.500 on the beam, 46.600 on the floor, 46.550 on the bars, and 46.100 on the vault.
The Bears began the night on the beam, their top event for the majority of the season. Junior Amanda Palladino tied for fifth overall with a sparkling 9.700, and classmate Kelly McLaughlin placed ninth with a season-best 9.625. Ruoss netted a 9.500, freshman Skylar Haas tallied a 9.400, and Puryear finished with a 9.275.
Next came the floor, where Puryear and junior Heather Brubaker posted matching 9.500 scores to tie for 15th overall. Freshman Eleanor LaFountain was right behind at 9.450, with fellow rookies Breanna Couts (9.125) and Skylar Haas (9.025) completing the Bears' scoring.
Freshman Courtney Pearson and Brubaker were the Bears' top performers on the vault with a 9.275, and Couts registered a 9.250. Ruoss collected a 9.175, and sophomore Lindsay Rush had a 9.125. Puryear recorded an even 9.000.
Senior Lauren Chavis and Ruoss each finished among the top 10 overall on the vault. Chavis was eighth at 9.550, with Ruoss one spot behind at 9.525. Senior Vanessa Scalora earned a 9.225, Palladino a 9.150, and Puryear a 9.100. Rush compiled a 9.100.
Seven Bears will be in action on Saturday night, when the season concludes with the NCGA individual championships.