Stypinski and Mohler Earn Gymnastics Weekly Honors
Gymnast of the Week
Rachel Stypinski, Kent State, Senior
All-American Rachel Stypinski posted the top all-around score by a Mid-American Conference gymnast since March 6, 2014 with a sensational 39.575 during Friday’s meet against Bowling Green. Stypinski’s score is the third-highest in Kent State history, and she now owns 5 of the program’s top 11 all-around scores all-time. She finished in the top-2 on all four apparatuses and posted three scores of 9.900 or better for the third time this season. Stypinski scored a 9.925 on both uneven bars and floor exercise, taking first on bars with a winning margin of .075 and tying for first in a highly-competitive floor competition between the conference’s two top teams in the event. She added a 9.900 to place second on balance beam and matched her season-high with a 9.825 to start the meet on vault, which was good enough to tie for second. Stypinski’s performance helped lead Kent State to a team score of 196.625, which is its highest in nearly three years.
Vault: 9.825 / T-2nd
Bars: 9.925 / 1st
Beam 9.900 / 2nd
Floor: 9.925 / T-1st
Specialist of the Week
Amelia Mohler, Western Michigan, Sophomore
In her only event, Western Michigan sophomore gymnast Amelia Mohler won the uneven bars and tied the WMU school record with a 9.925 against Ball State this past Saturday. She became just the fourth Bronco ever to accomplish the feat, joining Andrea Ruhe, former MAC champion Cherisse Marier and Jessie Peszek. Mohler's previous career high was a 9.900, recorded earlier this season at Central Michigan. Mohler’s performance helped WMU defeat the visiting Cardinals 196.075 to 195.400 in a Mid-American Conference dual. The Broncos' 196.075 tied for the second highest team score in school history and WMU's 49.150 event total on the uneven bars was fourth best in program history.
Bars: 9.925 / 1st
Gymnast Nominations
Jordyn Penny, Ball State, Senior
Senior Jordyn Penny had another competition of solid performances Saturday at Western Michigan. On vault Penny scored a 9.700 and placed 11th. She was rewarded fourth place for her consistent bar set of a 9.800. On beam she notched a 9.825 landing her in second place overall.
Vault: 9.700 / 11th
Bars: 9.800 / 4th
Beam: 9.825 / 2nd
Jovannah East, Bowling Green, Sophomore
Jovannah East, a sophomore from Zion, Ill., earned a victory on vault for the eighth time in 11 meets and secured her seventh 9.9+ of 2018 with a 9.900 in the floor exercise, as BGSU posted a 195.400 last Friday night at Kent State. On vault, East has scored 9.850 or better in ten meets and owns a 9.880 RQS in that event. She has been equally good in the floor exercise, with three 9.9s and eight scores of 9.85 or better in 11 meets. The 9.9 at KSU allowed her to tie for third place, and it raised her RQS on floor to 9.885. East added a 9.750 on beam. East now has 15 wins and 26 top-threes in 2018, which pushes her career totals to 27 and 45. Her sophomore season includes 9.8+ in 29 of 37 events (.784). Her efforts helped the Falcons raise their team RQS to 195.235.
Vault: 9.875 / 1st
Beam: 9.750 / 9th
Floor: 9.900 / T-3rd
Gianna Plaska, Central Michigan, Junior
Junior, Gianna Plaksa, was a staple across all events this weekend at Columbus, Ohio. Going against Ohio State and North Carolina State, Gianna finished with a 39.075 in the all-around. To help her reach this mark, she tied her career best on the uneven bars with a 9.900. She also finished with a 9.750 on floor, a 9.725 on the beam and a 9.700 on the vault.
Vault: 9.700, / T-13th
Bars: 9.900 / T-1st
Beam: 9.725 / T-13th
Floor: 9.750 / 15th
Kendall Valentin, Eastern Michigan, Senior
Senior Kendall Valentin continued her impressive senior campaign Sunday, March 11, as she assisted EMU to itshighest team score of the season, 195.725, in a quad meet helped by Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. Valentin’s best performance of the day came on bars, where she tied her career-high with a 9.95 to win the event title. Additionally, she was a pivotal piece in the team earnings its highest event score of the season with a 49.15. She was also plugged back into the vault lineup for the first time since Jan. 27, but didn’t skip a beat as she tied her season-high with a 9.825. Finally, the senior anchored the beam cohort, rounding out the Eagle performances with a strong 9.8.
Vault: 9.825 / 5th
Bars: 9.950 / 1st
Beam: 9.800 / 11th
Rachael Underwood, Western Michigan, Junior
Western Michigan junior Rachael Underwood set a new school record in the all-around with a 39.350 and placed first in the all-around, the vault and the floor exercise against Ball State on Saturday. Underwood’s performance helped WMU defeat the visiting Cardinals 196.075 to 195.400 in a Mid-American Conference dual. The Broncos' 196.075 tied for the second highest team score in school history and WMU's 49.150 event total on the uneven bars was fourth best in program history.
Underwood’s 39.350 in the all-around topped the previous school record of 39.325 established last year by Underwood at the MAC Championships. She scored a career-high 9.925 on the floor exercise, which tied for the second highest floor score in school history. Underwood became just the third ever Bronco to record a 9.925 in the event. Underwood also tied her career high with a 9.850 on the vault. She scored a 9.800 on the balance beam and a 9.775 on the uneven bars.
Vault: 9.850 / 1st
Bars: 9.775 / 6th
Beam: 9.800 / 5th
Floor: 9.925 / 1st
Specialist Nominations
Tia Kiaku, Ball State, Freshman
Freshman Cardinal Tia Kiaku scored her second 9.900 mark on floor this season. She claimed second place overall during the Mid-American Conference competition at Western Michigan. Kiaku remains a strong competitor for the Cardinals on floor.
Floor: 9.900 / 2nd
Kayla Rose, Bowling Green, Junior
Kayla Rose, a junior from Hamilton, Ohio, helped the BGSU gymnastics team improve its Regional Qualifying Score last weekend at Kent State with another outstanding performance in the floor exercise. Rose’s routine earned a 9.850 from the judges, giving her a 9.825+ in four consecutive meets. In that time, she has raised her RQS to 9.815. She was part of a lineup that scored a season-best 49.225; BGSU’s floor lineup has reached 49 or better in seven of 11 meets. As a result, the Falcons tallied a cumulative team score of 195.400, tied for the second- highest total of the season, and improved their team RQS to 195.235.
Floor: 9.850 / T-6th
Miranda Wierzorek, Central Michigan, Senior
Senior, Miranda Wieczorek, led the way for the Chippewas on the beam in Columbus, Ohio this past Sunday. She scored a career high 9.900 on the event. With her performance on the beam, she was rewarded the MVP of the meet. Miranda helped Central Michigan finish the meet with a 195.175 against Ohio State and North Carolina State.
Beam: 9.900 / T-4th
Lacey Rubin, Eastern Michigan, R-Senior
Redshirt senior Lacey Rubin was a vital member of EMU’s best bars team performance of the season in a quad meet held by Temple University, March 11, in Philadelphia, Pa. Rubin nailed her routine to earn a 9.925, marking a new personal-record in the event. She placed second overall in the meet, behind only teammate Kendall Valentin. Not only did she mark a career-best, but her score also helped the Eagles notch a 49.15, their highest score in any event this season. Ultimately, the Green and White posted a 195.725, which also serves as a new season-high.
Bars: 9.925 / 2nd
Sarah McCarty, Kent State, Sophomore
Sarah McCarty earned two career-high scores to help Kent State post its highest score in nearly three years in the final Mid-American Conference meet of the season against Bowling Green. McCarty followed a fall on vault and delivered for her team with a score of 9.825, which matched her career-high and was good enough to tie with teammate Rachel Stypinski for second-place in the event. In the final rotation of the meet, she performed the best floor exercise routine of her collegiate career and earned a 9.875 to finish fifth. McCarty’s score helped the Golden Flashes earn a season-high 49.425 on floor and season-best 196.625 overall.
Vault: 9.825 / T-2nd
Floor: 9.875 / 5th
