Air Force Academy
Southeast Missouri
Falcons Exceed 192 in Victory over SEMO
2/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
Feb. 26, 2016
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – The Air Force women's gymnastics team recorded a season-high 192.650 to easily defeat Southeast Missouri (190.425) on Friday, Feb. 26, at the Academy's Cadet West Gym. Highlighted by a victorious 38.975 in the all-around from junior Kara Witgen, the 2016 squad collected a team total that is listed among the top 25 scores of head coach Doug Day's tenure (No. 22).
Witgen, who improved her career high in the all-around by 0.275 points, finished among the top three on all four individual events. The junior scored a career-best 9.750 to take second on the vault, while earning the same placement on the uneven bars with a tally of 9.800. Witgen rounded out her overall score with third-place finishes on the balance beam (9.675) and floor exercise (9.750).
Senior Shannen Kelly tied with Witgen for third on the balance beam (9.675), while sophomore Jamie Lewis earned the same placement on the vault with a season-best matching score of 9.725. In all, Lewis earned three top-five finishes, as she placed fourth on the floor exercise (9.725) and fifth on the uneven bars (season-high 9.625).
Air Force earned three of the top-four finishes on the vault, as freshman Mariana Murphy scored a 9.600 to tie for fourth behind Witgen and Lewis. Junior Darby Germain tied for fifth on the uneven bars with a 9.625, while senior Sarah Neumann tied for the same finish on the uneven bars (9.650). Sophomore Casey Bell scored a 9.700 to finish fifth, outright, on the floor exercise, and classmate Chelsea Grimison rounded out the list of Air Force finishers within the top half of the field, as she tied for sixth on the vault with a 9.575.
As a team, the Falcons surpassed the 48-point plateau on the vault for the first time this season, as they scored a season-best 48.225 – an improvement of nearly one-half point. The Falcons also posted their second-highest scores of the year on the uneven bars (48.150) and floor exercise (48.300).
The Falcons return to action next Friday (March 4), when they travel to Denver for the first of two triangular competitions against a pair of nationally-ranked teams. Air Force will face No. 13 Denver and No. 19 Minnesota at Hamilton Gymnasium on Friday, before hosting the same two programs Sunday (March 6) for the team's annual Senior Day Celebration.
Players Mentioned
