Wildcats Finish Fourth at NCAA University Park Regional

Saturday, April 7

University Park, Pa.

4 PM

University of New Hampshire

194.950

197.725

Florida

Photo by: Michelle Bronner

4/7/2018 7:27:00 PM | Women's Gymnastics

UNH registers best NCAA Regional Placement Since 2010

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Casey Lauter (Northport, N.Y.) scored a team-high 9.825 on balance beam and Lauren Diggan (Sinking Spring, Pa.) recorded a 9.800 on both uneven bars and floor exercise to propel the University of New Hampshire gymnastics team to a fourth-place finish (194.950) in Saturday's NCAA University Park Regional Championship at Penn State University's Recreation Hall.

UNH, which defeated Penn State (194.900) and West Virginia (194.400), earned its best NCAA Regional Championship finish since 2010, which was also fourth place at Penn State's Rec Hall.

No. 5 Florida won the Regional championship with a 197.725, and No. 8 Washington finished runner-up (196.275), so both the Gators and the Huskies advance to the 12-team field for the NCAA Gymnastics Championships in St. Louis on April 20-21.

No. 17 Arizona State (195.750) finished in third place.

Meet Information
2018 NCAA University Park Regional Championship • Rec Hall
Hosted by Penn State University • University Park, Pa. • Saturday, April 7 (4 p.m.)
Results

Standings (Final)
1. Florida, 197.725
2. Washington, 196.275
3. Arizona State, 195.750
4. UNH, 194.950
5. Penn State, 194.900
6. West Virginia, 194.400

HOW IT HAPPENED

Rotation 1 (Vault-48.625)
•The Wildcats opened the meet by scoring a 48.625 on vault to jump into third place, behind Florida (49.325, floor) and Washington (49.075, beam). The final two 'Cats in the lineup -Nicole O'Leary (Newtown, Conn.) and Diggan- registered matching marks of 9.775 to lead the way. Courtney Bondanza (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Marissa Toci (Mount Laurel, N.J.) each tallied a 9.700.

Rotation 2 (Bye)
•With New Hampshire on bye in Rotation 2, Florida (98.725) seized the top spot, followed by Penn State (97.025) as the only two teams to complete two events.

Rotation 3 (Uneven Bars, 48.575)
•In the third rotation, the back of the lineup stepped up once again with each of the final three competitors --Diggan, Danielle Mulligan (Farmingdale, N.Y.) and Makenzie Kerouac (Merrimack, N.H.) -- hitting their sets and scoring a 9.800. For Diggan, it was the 12^th time in 13 meets she hit for at least a 9.800. For Mulligan, it was a gutty performance and a stuck landing that was executed expertly despite a sprained ankle that forced her out of the beam and floor lineups. And for Kerouac, it was an outstanding way for the senior co-captain to represent the Wildcats one final time.

Rotation 4 (Balance Beam, 48.775)
•As they have all season, the Wildcats brought their A game to beam with a team score of 48.775 to move into third place (145.975), behind only Florida (148.225) and Washington (147.225). Lauter was the team's beam leader for the 10^th time this season courtesy of a 9.825. Filling in for the injured Mulligan, and competing beam for only the second time all season, Clare Hampford (Trumbull, Conn.) came through in impression fashion with a personal-best 9.775, and Lia Breeden (York, Pa.) capped her stellar UNH career with a 9.750.

Rotation 5 (Bye)
•

Rotation 6 (Floor Exercise)
•From beginning to end, the Wildcats' floor lineup rose to the occasion with four members achieving 9.800s to power the squad to its highest score (48.975) of the meet. Diggan, Danielle Doolin (Medford Lakes, N.J.), Hampford and Emma Winer (Georgetown, Mass.) all hit that 9.800 mark, while Breeden's final Wildcat performance was a solid 9.775.