DENTON, Texas -- The Yale gymnastics team placed fourth in the second semifinal session at the USA Gymnastics Collegiate National Championships Thursday night at Kitty Magee Arena in Pioneers Hall. The Bulldogs' score of 192.475 placed them behind first-place Texas Woman's (195.475), second-place Southeast Missouri (194.300) and third-place West Chester (192.825). The top two teams, TWU and SEMO, advance to Friday night's Championship and will face Air Force and Lindenwood (the qualifiers from session one). Individual event finals take place on Saturday.

Sherry Wang and Riley Meeks were the top qualifiers for Yale as they both secured first-place scores for vault and beam respectively. Wang tied for the top score for vault while Meeks tied for the top score for balance beam; they both scored 9.800. Sarah Wilson also stood out in the all-around (38.825).

For vault (48.625), Wang had a solid performance with only a tiny step in her Yurchenko full. She had perfect lines in her vault to secure the top 9.800 score for the team. Last year's national champion on vault, Raegan Walker, followed Wang with a 9.750 after she performed a Yurchenko 1.5 with a tiny hop in the end.
 
On bars (47.700), Wilson was the top performer with a 9.775; she tied for sixth in the session. She had a solid straddled Tkatchev and great lines all throughout her routine. Wang followed with a 9.750 on the bars to tie for ninth.
 
Yale found more difficulty on the balance beam, the Bulldogs' toughest event of the night (47.400). Meeks was a standout performer with the top score of the night, 9.800, in a difficult routine with multiple split leaps and split jumps. She had over 180 degrees in each of these leaps and jumps. She also had a stuck back handspring layout step out and had a stuck gainer pike as her dismount. Hana Strause followed with a 9.700. She had a clean routine with a back handspring double full dismount.
 
Floor was the Bulldogs' top event of the night with a 48.750. Wilson was the standout with a 9.825 to land her in a tie for fifth for the session. She had a strong 1 1/2 front lay out and a great double Pike with a small hop after. To end her strong floor season, Strause was the team's second-highest scorer with a 9.800. She performed her signature 2 1/2 layout to punch front and double pike.
 
Meeks, Wang and Wilson will compete in the events finals on Saturday starting at 2 pm EST.