Winona State Warriors

During the mid to late 1980’s there were very few gymnastics teams or individual gymnasts on a NAIA or NCAA Div. II level as successful as the program at Winona State University.  Part of that was due to one of those excellent gymnasts, Gina (Vitale) Born.

That period of time brought many awards and national recognition for Winona State.  Vitale came to Winona State shortly after the Warriors captured a 1985 NAIA national championship.  A couple of years later, Vitale helped lead the Warriors to a second NAIA championship in 1987 and also four consecutive trips to the NAIA national championships.  It was also a time when the Warriors competed at the NCAA Division II level and Vitale was practically instrumental in leading WSU to a second place finish in the NCAA Division II regional competition and a third-place finish in the 1986 NAIA national championships.

Those WSU team accomplishments were helped to a great extent by the individual efforts of Vitale.  In the years leading up to WSU’s second national championship, Vitale earned All-American honors on the uneven parallel bars.  The 1987 season led to more outstanding efforts for Vitale.  She went on to become the runner-up on the balance beam during the national championships and eventually grabbed All-American honors on the balance beam and the All-Around.