Kent State and Ball State Win Tri-Meets
Sunday's Results
Ball State 194.575, Illinois State 194.250, SEMO 186.900
Kent State 195.725, NC State 195.400, George Washington 195.350
Stories Courtesy of MAC Sports Information
Ball State
Results
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State gymnastics team turned in steady performances across the board Sunday on the way to victory over Illinois State and Southeast Missouri inside Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals, fresh off a season-best score of 195.025 two days earlier at Pittsburgh, backed it up with a 194.575 on Sunday. BSU topped Illinois State (194.250) for the top spot, while SEMO (186.900) finished third.
"That double weekend is always an interesting thing, especially when you throw it in the middle of the season," Ball State head coach Joanna Saleem said. "I'm happy that we came home and had a solid performance."
Ball State grabbed the lead early with a score of 48.950 on vault and never relinquished it. The Cardinals cemented their victory on the floor exercise in the final rotation, with Kaitlyn Menzione firing on all cylinders for a 9.900 to put an exclamation point on the day.
Sydney Finke matched her season-best with a 9.825 on floor to help the Cardinals slam the door shut with a team score of 48.850. Ball State had three of the top 5 individual scores on floor and bars and four of the top 5 on vault and beam.
Menzione was the meet champion on the floor with her second-best score of the year. Illinois State took the top spot in the other three events, but Ball State's depth proved too much.
Freshman Stefanie Schweikert (9.825) led BSU on vault, while Jordyn Penny (9.800) on was the top Cardinal on bars. Arden Hudson and Rachel Benoit both turned in 9.800 routines on beam to help the team overcome a couple falls.
"We had some really cohesive teamwork throughout the whole meet," Saleem said. "We had a little hiccup on beam, but they did a really nice job of pulling it back in. There were a lot of really strong things today, I feel."
Ball State returns to action Sunday, March 3 for its final home meet of the season. The Cardinals will host Central Michigan at 1 p.m.
Kent State
Results
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team earned its second first-place finish this weekend against George Washington and North Carolina State. The Golden Flashes all-around score of 195.725 is its second highest this season. NC State finished second (195.400), while George Washington finished in third place (195.350).
Kent State recorded its sixth straight win and scored a season-high 49.175 on beam, with five Flashes finishing in the top-five. Seniors Sarah Lippowitsch and Kennedy Pludetied for first-place with a 9.850, while sophomore Abby Fletcher and freshmen Cami Klein and Riley Danielsonrecorded a 9.825 to tie for third.
Fletcher matched her season-high 9.875 on floor to grab her second event title of the season. Senior Sarah McCarty also matched her season-high 9.850 to tie for second. Junior Jade Brown earned a 9.800 to finish in eighth place.
Senior Dara Williams recorded a career-high 9.900 to tie for first place. Williams earned her sixth event win of the season. McCarty finished with a 9.775 to tie for ninth place.
On bars, junior Gabby Williams earned a career-high 9.800 to tie for second with Dara Williams, junior Jade Brown and freshman Madison Trott.
