WINONA, Minn. – The Gustavus gymnastics team returned west for a triangular with Winona State and UW-La Crosse on Friday, Jan. 24, taking third against the pair of WIAC opponents at McCown Gymnasium in Winona. 

UW-La Crosse won the triangular with a total score of 191.300, followed by the host Warriors (188.025) and the Gusties, who totaled a 185.600, matching the season-best score from earlier in the season. Gustavus (1-5, 1-3 WIAC) scored a 44.450 on the uneven bars, a 46.175 on the balance beam, a 47.900 on the floor exercise, and a 47.075 on vault. The team scores on both bars and beam were season-highs for the Gusties, who have also broken the vault program record twice this year. 

The Gusties started the triangular on the uneven bars in rotation one, led by the efforts of Maddox Lee (Jr., Hugo, Minn.) and Cara Wong (Fy., Sacramento, Calif.), who were the top two finishers for their team in the event. Lee posted a 9.175 and Wong a career-best 9.175 for eighth and ninth, respectively. Lili Guy (Sr., Glendale Heights, Ill.) added an 8.950, while Kate Clairmont (Fy., Grand Rapids, Minn.) posted a season-best 8.775. UW-La Crosse (4-0, 4-0 WIAC) won the event as a team with a total 46.960, while UWL's Morgan Engels took first individually with a 9.675.

Gustavus took to the beam next, as Lee and Lindsay Bangs (Sr., Owatonna, Minn.) each posted a 9.500 or better in the event to lead their team to a score of 46.175. Lee scored a 9.525 while Bangs collected a season-high 9.500 for ninth and 10th overall. Clairmont added a 9.400 to tie for 12th in her collegiate beam debut, followed by Olivia Jahnke's (Sr., Hanover, Minn.) 8.900. La Crosse's Kyla Dickson and WSU's Bryce Stoltz shared the top score with a 9.775. 

Both Wong and Bangs led the Gusties in the floor exercise, tying for sixth overall with a 9.625, both season- and career-bests for the two Gusties. Guy added a 9.600 to tie for eighth, followed by Jahnke's 9.575 (11th) and a 9.475 for Marley Michaud (Sr., Sartell, Minn.). Winona State (3-4, 2-1 WIAC) claimed the top two scores, a 9.775 and a 9.750, while the Eagles had the best team score at 48.075. 

On the fourth and final rotation, Guy led the Gusties with a vault score of 9.550, good for sixth overall. Wong was next with a 9.475 (10th), while Bangs collected a 9.400 (13th), and Clairmont a 9.375. Kennedy O'Connor (Winona State) and Lily Millington (La Crosse) shared the top score of 9.675 in the event. 

Wong totaled a new career-high in the all-around competition, taking first with a 37.100, improving on the 36.600 she achieved last weekend. 

The Gusties travel south for the second weekend in a row next Friday, facing UW-La Crosse for a dual meet at 6:30 p.m.