Gymnastics Closes Season at NCAA Tournament
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Central Michigan
ST. LOUIS – Central Michigan’s Denelle Pedrick recorded a 9.6125 score on Friday on the floor exercise at the NCAA Gymnastics Championships at Chaifetz Arena.
It brought an end to the season for the sophomore from Wilcox, Saskatchewan, who made CMU gymnastics history by becoming the first Chippewa to qualify twice for the NCAA Championships. She competed last year on vault at the nationals.
Pedrick won the floor exercise two weeks ago at the Tuscaloosa Regional with a 9.900.
Pedrick’s 9.6125 was a disappointment, longtime CMU coach Jerry Reighard said, but in the grand scheme of things a return trip to the nationals will only benefit both Pedrick and the Chippewa program in the long run.
“It’s an invaluable experience to be here and just watch what’s going on,” Reighard said. “It’s an incredible learning experience and Denelle will continue to grow from it.”
Pedrick was one of just two gymnasts from Mid-American Conference schools to compete at the nationals.
It marked the end of an outstanding season for the Chippewas, beginning with the 196.375 – the third-highest score in program history – that they posted in the season-opening meet, to March, when they won both the Mid-American Conference regular-season title and placed first at the MAC Championships.
It marked the first time CMU won the MAC Championships since 2015, and it was its first regular-season league title since 2014. It was the first time since 2012 that the Chippewas have captured both crowns in the same season.
CMU also qualified for the NCAA Regionals for the 10th consecutive season.
“We’re really, really pleased with the entire season,” Reighard said. “We had a reasonably good showing at regionals and we’re here at the national championships and there’s a lot of people who are sitting at home watching on TV who would like to be right where we are.”
Bowling Green
ST. LOUIS, MO. -- Jovannah East wrapped up one of the most accomplished seasons in Bowling Green State University gymnastics history when she competed at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships on Friday afternoon (April 20). At Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, Mo., East performed in the all-around competition during the first national semifinal, becoming the first BGSU gymnast to compete on the national stage since 1999. She finished the meet with a cumulative score of 39.0125 and earned 16th place during the afternoon session and 34th place overall. East's best individual event score occurred in the floor exercise, where she was awarded a 9.8375.
"I felt that the competition was fun and exciting. The competition is just like any other competition no matter what it looks like on television," said East. "I learned to let loose, have fun, and enjoy my time with the team I'm rotating with, because it makes the competition a lot more fun!"
East rotated with Nebraska during the semifinal and began the afternoon on a bye. Following the first rotation, East and the Cornhuskers began their part of the festivities on the uneven bars, and she put together a routine that received a 9.6875. The third rotation brought the group to the balance beam. East hit all of the elements of her arsenal, including her double turn, and despite a snall knee dip, she stuck the landing. After taking a 9.7250 for her beam performance, East had an opportunity to rest during her second bye. Her third event was the floor exercise, where she once again excelled. With a 9.8375, East has scored 9.8 or better on floor in all 15 meets this season, 16 in a row, and 20 of 21 in her career. The score moved her into a tie for 22nd place in the semifinal and 46th of 85 overall. East finished her effort at the national championships with a strong vault that tallied a 9.7625.
"Jovannah did an outstanding job today. She hit all four events on the national stage, and her gymnastics truly stood with the most competitive collegiate gymnasts in the country," said BGSU head coach Kerrie Turner. "I am so impressed with Jo's mental toughness and her focus in a challenging competitive environment. This was a great experience and capped off an amazing season for her."
For BGSU and Jovannah East, the 2018 season is now in the history books. East accomplished many outstanding things during her sophomore season. Some of those items include: two-time MAC Gymnast of the Week, first team All-MAC, Academic All-MAC, MAC Vault Co-Champion, 19 event victories and 33 top-three finishes, 10 wins on vault in 14 meets (including six outright wins versus MAC teams, vault RQS that led the MAC and ranked 28th in the country, and vault, beam, and floor RQS that all ranked in the Central Region's top ten. In addition, the Falcons' gymnastics team had arguably the best season in school history. The team scored 194 or better in every meet for the first time ever and set program records for team scoring average and team RQS. They also set school meet records on the balance beam for lineup score and individual score. The Falcons tallied two of the nine best team scores in school history and were the only MAC team to defeat eventual MAC champion Central Michigan in the regular season. They also led the MAC in beam RQS and finished second on floor and third on vault.
