CLEVELAND — The 2011 NCAA individual event champions have been crowned.
Freshman Sam Peszek took home the beam title, scoring a 9.90 after adding a skill in her routine to boost her difficulty level. The skill Peszek added, a standing full, was one that she had performed many times during her Elite career.
Junior Aisha Gerber scored a 9.8875, tying for second place on beam.
Marissa King of Florida took home the vault title with a 9.8750 average of two vaults. Last year’s champion, UCLA gymnast Vanessa Zamarripa won the title with a 9.925.
The only Bruin competitor on vault this year was redshirt senior Brittani McCullough. McCullough averaged a 9.9125 on her first vault but then was not able to stick the landing on her second, landing backwards. Her overall vault average was a 9.6125.
Georgia gymnast Kat Dig took first place on bars with a 9.9125. Junior Elyse Hopfner-Hibbs and sophomore Monique De La Torre also competed in the event, with De La Torre finishing in a three-way tie for third place. She scored a 9.8625 and Hopfner-Hibbs totaled a 9.750, her lowest score of the season.
Alabama’s Geralen Stack-Eaton won floor exercise with a 9.9375. This was the same score that McCullough had earned the previous year to win the 2010 floor title. McCullough qualified to defend her title this year, scoring a 9.900. She tied with two other gymnasts for second place.
Kylee Botterman of Michigan won the all-around title during the national semifinals on Friday, earning a 39.525.