MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES GYMNASTS OF THE WEEK
MAC Gymnastics: Co-Gymnast of the Week
Jovannah East, Bowling Green, Senior
Jovannah East opened the season with a 39.300 all-around score to take the all-around title in Bowling Green’s meet against MAC opponent Eastern Michigan. She placed in the top four on all four rotations, including winning both vault and floor exercise. Her 39.300 all-around score was a strong start for the former NCAA qualifier as she surpassed that total just twice a year ago.
Vault: 9.850 / 1st
Bars: 9.750 / 3rd
Beam: 9.825 / 4th
Floor: 9.875 / 1st
All-Around: 39.300 / 1st
MAC Gymnastics: Co-Gymnast of the Week
Denelle Pedrick, Central Michigan, Senior
Denelle Pedrick had an outstanding start of the season, recording four top-two finishes in Central Michigan’s opening win at Michigan State. The senior took first on floor (9.875) and second in the all-around (39.325), vault (9.825) and bars (9.875). Her score on bars matched a career high. Central Michigan’s score of 195.625 place the Chippewas 14th in the nation.
Vault: 9.825 / 2nd
Bars: 9.875 / 2nd
Beam: 9.750 / 9th
Floor: 9.875 / 1st
All-Around: 39.325 / 2nd
MAC Gymnastics: Specialist of the Week
Samantha Marion, Bowling Green, Junior
After spending two years on the sidelines for Bowling Green, junior Samantha Marion opened 2020 with a bang. In her first collegiate meet, Marion won the balance beam (9.875) and placed second on vault (9.825) as the Falcons began the year against MAC opponent Eastern Michigan. Marion’s balance beam score tied for the highest in the MAC this year and her vault score ranks tied for third.
Vault: 9.825 / 2nd
Beam: 9.875 / 1st
Additional MAC Gymnast of the Week Nominees:
Arden Hudson, Ball State, Junior
Arden Hudson placed in the top 5 in three different events last Saturday in a tri-meet at Iowa. Her 9.800 on beam tied for 2nd among 21 competitors. She was also 4th on vault (9.775) and tied for 5th on bars (9.725). Hudson’s performance in helped the Cardinals defeat Air Force and place second in the team meet’s team scoring.
Vault: 9.775 / 4th
Bars: 9.725 / t-5th
Beam: 9.800 / t-2nd
Kara Roberts, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore
Sophomore Kara Roberts made her highly anticipated collegiate debut Saturday, Jan. 11 at Bowling Green. The Pinckney, Mich. native competed in the all-around competition after suffering an achilles tear just a year ago. Roberts started on bars, earning 9.750 and tying for third, then moved to vault where she scored 9.725, finishing fourth. The sophomore 9.775 on floor, finishing sixth, and then closed out her first meet by scoring 9.675 on beam, tying for 10th. Roberts finished the day with an all-around score of 38.925, tying for second place.
Vault: 9.725 / 4th
Bars: 9.750 / t-3rd
Beam: 9.675 / t-10th
Floor: 9.775 / 6th
All-Around: 38.925 / t-2nd
Brookelyn Spears, Northern Illinois, Freshman
In her college debut, NIU freshman Brookelyn Sears put together four solid routines to earn the all-around title and help the Huskies to a 193.175-193.125 comeback victory at Kent State. Sears opened the meet for NIU on bars and the freshman showed no signs of nerves as she hit for a 9.775 score which tied for second in the meet. She scored a 9.725 on floor for her second-best score of the day and put her in fourth place in the meet. Her all-around total of 38.775 was the highest by a Huskie since 2018, and the highest all-around score by a NIU freshman since Holly Reichard in 2008.
Vault: 9.625 / 10th
Bars: 9.775 / t-2nd
Beam: 9.650 / 12th
Floor: 9.725 / 4th
All-Around: 38.775 / 1st
Stacie Harrison, Western Michigan, Junior
Junior Stacie Harrison turned in three solid performances for the Broncos at the Arizona Quad Meet. Harrison turned in Western Michigan’s top finish of competition by claiming second on the floor with a 9.850. Harrison also tied for sixth on the bars (9.775) and tied for eighth on the vault (9.750). Harrison’s 9.850 on the floor is her second-best career mark in the event and tied for her highest since a 9.850 versus Eastern Michigan on March 10, 2019. The performance helped Western Michigan to a combined 48.700 on the floor, its highest score of the meet.
Vault: 9.750 / t-8th
Bars: 9.775 / t-6th
Floor: 9.850 / 2nd
Additional MAC Specialist of the Week Nominees:
Stefanie Schweikert, Ball State, Sophomore
Sophomore Stefanie Schweikert, second team All-MAC in vault last year, was the top scorer in the vault Saturday at Iowa. Her 9.825 mark was tops among 20 competitors in the event. She also competed in two other events as Ball State placed second in the three-team event.
Vault: 9.825 / 1st
Bars: 9.625 / t-12th
Floor: 9.700 / t-11th
Brenna Hauser, Central Michigan, Freshman
Brenna Hauser kicked off her Central Michigan career with a fifth-place finish on bars, helping the Chippewas to a victory at Michigan State. Hauser scored a 9.800.
Bars: 9.850 / 5th
Caitlin Satler, Eastern Michigan, Sophomore
Caitlin Satler started her sophomore campaign right where she left off last year on beam, tying her career-high with a score of 9.875, tying for first in the event at Bowling Green Saturday, Jan. 11. Satler also competed on floor, scoring 9.500, good for ninth place.
Beam: 9.875 / t-1st
Floor: 9.500 / t-9th
Mia Lord, Northern Illinois, Junior
Mia Lord, the 2019 MAC beam champion, picked right up where she left off a year ago by winning the balance beam event at the season meet at Kent State. Lord’s score of 9.850 was the highest posted in any event of the met and helped the Huskies to a narrow .050 victory (193.175-193.125) over the Flashes. Her performance capped the NIU comeback as the Huskies scored a meet-best 48.950 as a team on balance beam to overcome a .625 deficit heading into the final event.
Beam: 9.850 / 1st
Josephine Thomas, Western Michigan, Freshman
Freshman Josephine Thomas competed on the floor for the first time in her career and turned in another strong outing on the vault. Thomas posted a 9.775 vault to tie for fifth while her 9.575 marked her floor debut. Thomas’ 9.775 helped the Broncos to a 48.350 overall on the vault, their second-highest event of the Arizona Quad Meet. Thomas owns an average score of 9.787 on the vault this season, tied for the 97th-highest mark in the country.
Vault: 9.775 / t-5th
Floor: 9.575 / 21st
