Across multiple divisions, the Texas A&M men’s and women’s gymnastics squads ended with one first-place, two second-place and one fourth-place finish while hosting Texas Gymnastics Championships, or TGC.
The March 25 event was the squad’s last chance to show off its skills before the national competition on March 29 through April 1. Both the men’s and women’s teams and individuals finished with multiple top-five performances on Saturday.
A&M’s Collegiate NCAA Men’s division placed second with a total score of 221.3, after being edged out for first by the Oklahoma Gymnastics Center (235.2), but ahead of Tarrant County College in third (132.2), according to the TGC website.
The A&M Men’s Collegiate Level 9 division finished first in its group with a score of 158.5, finishing ahead of the University of Texas according to the TGC website. Level 9 is an optional Tier 4 level in college gymnastics eligible for regional competitions, according to the National Collegiate Scouting Association.
The club’s Xcel Platinum Women’s division placed fourth with a score of 109.25, and the Xcel Silver Women’s division placed second, with a score of 106.15, finishing close behind TCU, and leading the UT, according to the TGC website.
Molecular and cell biology sophomore Kayli Jones and applied mathematics junior Genny Hyla placed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Women’s Level 9 Division. Biomedical sciences sophomore Jamie Spell placed third in the Women’s Xcel Platinum Division.
In the Collegiate Men’s NCAA Division, mechanical engineering senior Tyler Naukam, mathematics junior and captain Joel Montgomery, landscape architecture junior Zach Cochran and ocean engineering senior Cameron Victor placed second through fifth, respectively.
The TGC Championships allowed the team to see what skills still need improvement before nationals, Montgomery said.
“We did a really good job of keeping positive energy overall,” Montgomery said. “Today wasn’t our best meet by any means, but any time we have a home meet we make it our goal to have a good time and show the TGC and the rest of the organizations why we regard ourselves so highly.”
In preparation for the championships, the team focused on cleaning up more specific skills, such as the parallel bars, Montgomery said.
“I want to commend our Level 9 Group,” Montgomery said. “It’s the group of less experienced or completely new guys. They ended up winning first overall in their group; they developed really well, and did a really good job.”
The TAMU Gymnastics Club will compete at the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Club Competitions March 29 through April 1 in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the team website.
Follow the team on Instagram @tamugymnastics.
Natalie Guerra is a communication junior and contributed this article from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.
