MAC Announces Gymnast and Specialist of the Week
Gymnast of the Week
Rachel Stypinski, Kent State, Senior
All-American Rachel Stypinski tied Kent State’s uneven bars record and earned a personal-best 39.550 to win her third all-around title of the season in Kent State’s quad meet Sunday at #25 George Washington. Stypinski’s all-around score is tied for the 3rd-highest in program history and she became just the 7th Kent State gymnast ever to score a 9.950 on bars and won the event by 0.075. She also picked up a win on the balance beam with a 9.925, which is tied for the 8th-highest score in program history. Stypinski matched her season-high with a 9.900 to finish 2nd on floor exercise and added a 9.775 on vault to tie for 6th. Her scores on bars and beam are the best in the MAC this season and her floor routine earned the second-best score in the conference.
Vault: 9.775 / T-6th
Bars: 9.950 / 1st
Beam: 9.925 / 1st
Floor: 9.900 / 2nd
Specialist of the Week
Anna Martucci, Northern Illinois, Junior
NIU junior captain Anna Martucci recorded her second 9.900 on floor for the season on Friday in the quad-meet hosted by Iowa State. She tied for first with Iowa State’s leading scorer. Martucci and the Huskies also took on West Virginia and Yale.
Floor: 9.900 / T-1st
Gymnast Nominations
Kaitlyn Menzione, Ball State, Junior
Ball State junior Kaitlyn Menzione claimed her best all-around score (39.225) of her career Saturday, Feb. 3 in Hamilton Gymnasium against Denver, BYU and Bowling Green. Menzione scored a 9.825 (8
th) on vault helping the squad to a 49.075 total. On bars she notched a 9.775 standing 12
th overall. During beam Menzione claimed 7
th place for her 9.800 performance. On floor she managed another 7
th place finish for her score of 9.825. Menzione helped the Cardinals claim a second place standing over No. 18 BYU and Mid-American Conference opponent Bowling Green.
Vault: 9.825 / 8th
Bars: 9.775 / 12th
Beam: 9.800 / 7th
Floor: 9.825 / 7th
Jovannah East, Bowling Green, Sophomore
Jovannah East, a sophomore from Zion, Ill., added to her growing legend during BGSU’s quad meet at #11 Denver on Saturday night (Feb. 3). Against the host Pioneers, Ball State, and #18 BYU, East posted another trio of routines that garnered scores of 9.8 or above. On vault, she tied for first place, set a new personal record, and tied for the second-best score in BGSU history with an exceptional 9.925. East added a fourth-place and season-best 9.850 on the balance beam and a 9.800 for her floor exercise routine. East has finished first on vault in all five meets this season, and her 9.875 average is second in the MAC and tied for 16th in the country. She now has seven wins in 15 events this season and 19 in her career. With three more 9.8s, she has 9.8 or above in 13 of 15 events this season, including the last 11 in a row, as well as 41 of 47 career events (.872).
Vault: 9.925 / T-1st
Beam: 9.850 / 4th
Floor: 9.800 / T-12th
Denelle Pedrick, Central Michigan, Sophomore
This past weekend against Southern Utah, Denelle Pedrick scored a career best 39.350 in the all-around to take first-place over two other competitors. The sophomore accomplished this by taking first place on both the vault (9.850) and the floor (9.875). She also took fourth on the uneven bars with a score of 9.775. To top off the weekend, she set a personal best on the beam with a score of 9.850 to place third.
Vault: 9.850 / 1st
Bars: 9.775 / T-4th
Beam: 9.850 / T-3rd
Floor: 9.875 / T-1st
Emili Dobronics, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore
Sophomore Emili Dobronics won the all-around title with a career-high all-around score of 39.075 in EMU’s 194.900-194.250 victory over UIC, Friday, Feb. 2 in Ypsilanti, Mich. Dobronics was consistent through the entire meet, with her best performance coming in the last event of the evening, as she tied her career-best score on floor with a 9.825 to capture a share of the event title. Additionally, her beam score of 9.775 tied her season-best in the event, and was a vital piece in the beam squad earning a team score of 48.850, the second-highest beam score of the season thus far.
Vault: 9.725 / 4th
Bars: 9.750 / 5th
Beam: 9.775 / 5th
Floor: 9.825 / T-1st
Morgan Spence, Western Michigan, Freshman
In just her fourth meet for the Western Michigan gymnastics team, freshman Morgan Spence won her third consecutive all-around with a score of 38.825 to boost the Broncos over the Southeast Missouri Redhawks on Friday, Feb. 2 in Cape Girardeau, Mo. The Raleigh, N.C. native, finished in the top eight in all four events including vault (9.550 / T-8), bars (9.725 / T-4), beam (9.750 / 3rd) and floor (9.800 / T-3) as the No. 33 nationally ranked Western Michigan Broncos won their second straight and improved to 3-1 overall on the season. Following the meet, the freshman is ranked 64th overall on the all-around, averaging 38.958.
Vault: 9.550 / T-8th
Bars: 9.725 / T-4th
Beam: 9.750 / 3rd
Floor: 9.800 / T-3rd
Specialist Nominations
Maddie Macdonald, Ball State, Sophomore
Ball State sophomore Maddie Macdonald claimed twelfth place for her 9.800 performance on vault at Denver with BYU and Bowling Green. Macdonald led the bar squad to the highest bar score of the season (49.025). She swung into third place on the event earning a personal best score of 9.875. Macdonald was one of the top scorers for the Cardinals on two events which helped lead them to second place overall.
Vault: 9.800 / 12th
Bars: 9.875 / 3rd
Alexandra Fochler, Bowling Green, Freshman
Alex Fochler, a freshman from Cranberry Township, Pa., continued to shine as a specialist on the uneven bars during BGSU’s quad meet at #11 Denver on Saturday night (Feb. 3). Fochler’s routine earned a 9.875 from the judges and resulted in a tie for third place among the 24 bars competitors. Those opposing gymnasts came from two top-20 programs (#11 Denver, #18 BYU) and MAC foe Ball State. Fochler’s score was a personal record and placed her on BGSU’s all-time top ten list; only five gymnasts in Falcon history have scored better on that apparatus. She has improved throughout the season, and in her last two meets, Fochler has tallied BGSU’s two best scores on the bars in 2018. In five meets, she has three top-three finishes.
Bars: 9.875 / T-3rd
Hayley Porter, Central Michigan, Sophomore
Sophomore Hayley Porter remained consistent this past weekend against Southern Utah. She once again tied her personal best on the uneven bars with a score of 9.750 to tie for sixth place. She followed up that routine just barely missing her personal best on beam with a score of 9.825 to tie for fifth.
Bars: 9.750 / 6th
Beam: 9.825 / T-5th
Lacey Rubin, Eastern Michigan, R-Senior
Redshirt senior Lacey Rubin continued her impressive consistency in Eastern’s 194.900-194.250 win over UIC Friday, Feb. 2 in Ypsilanti, Mich. Rubin notched a 9.825 on bars for the second consecutive week and third time this season to take the event title. Given her bars routine against UIC, Rubin now holds an average score of 9.820 for the season, which ranks fifth in the conference. Additionally, the Plainview-N.Y. native marked a solid 9.750 on beam, helping the squad earn its second-best team score of the season in the event with a 48.850.
Bars: 9.825 / T-1st
Beam: 9.750 / 8th
Nasha Manitkul-Davis, Kent State, Freshman
Nasha Manitkul-Davis earned a pair of top-7 finishes in Kent State’s quad meet Sunday at #25 George Washington. Manitkul-Davis scored a 9.775 to tie for 6th in a competitive vault competition, an event in which the host Colonials ranked #11 nationally entering the meet. The freshman added a 9.800 on floor to help the Golden Flashes post their best floor rotation of the season (49.100).
Vault: 9.775 / T-6th
Floor: 9.800 / T-7th
Kira Hoy, Western Michigan, Senior
Senior Kira Hoy had arguable her best performance of her career with the Western Michigan gymnastics team on Friday, Feb. 2 at Southeast Missouri. The Mifflinburg, Pa. native, delivered a career-best 9.775 on the floor that placed her in sixth overall to boost the Broncos to a 48.225 on the event. The No. 33 nationally ranked Brown and Gold went on to defeat the Redhawks 192.425 – 191.6650 in unfamiliar territory to win their second straight and improve to 3-1 on the season.
Floor: 9.775 / 6th
