MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES GYMNASTS OF THE WEEK
MAC Gymnastics: Gymnast of the Week
Hannah Demers, Central Michigan, Freshman
Freshman Hannah DeMers had two outstanding performances this past week. In Friday’s meet against Western Michigan, the freshman placed first on bars with an impressive 9.950 including a 10 from one judge. She also placed first all-around with a 39.375, second on vault (9.875) and sixth on beams (9.775). In Sunday’s meet at Illinois, DeMers placed first on vault (9.850) and won all-around with a 39.350. She also tied for third on beam (9.800) and on floor (9.875). For the weekend, DeMers set personal bests on bars (9.950), beam (9.800), floor (9.875) and in the all-around (39.375).
vs. Western Michigan
Vault: 9.875 / 2nd
Bars: 9.950 / 1st
Beam: 9.775 / 6th
Floor: 9.775 / t-9th
All-Around: 39.375 / 1st
vs. Illinois
Vault: 9.850 / 1st
Bars: 9.825 / t-5th
Beam: 9.800 / t-3rd
Floor: 9.875 / t-3rd
All-Around: 39.350 / 1st
MAC Gymnastics: Specialist of the Week
Claudia Goyco, Ball State, Junior
Junior Claudia Goyco’s career-best score on her floor routine helped Ball State to a school record team score on Sunday. Her 9.925 floor mark set a personal best and lifted BSU to a 195.800 score, the best for a single meet in school history. It was her fourth 9.900 of the season and third in as many meets. She has scored 9.800 or better on floor in every meet this season.
Floor: 9.925 / 1st
Additional MAC Gymnast of the Week Nominees:
Marissa Nychyk, Ball State, Sophomore
Sophomore Marissa Nychyk’s excellence in three events helped Ball State to a school record 195.800 in a road meet at Northern Illinois. She won vault with a personal-best 9.900 and then added 9.775 on bars and 9.800 on floor. She was the only all-arounder in the meet, scoring 38.600 on the day.
Vault: 9.900 / 1st
Bars: 9.775 / t-5th
Beam: 9.125 / 12th
Floor: 9.800 / t-7th
All-Around: 38.600 / 1st
Elena Lawson, Bowling Green, Junior
Junior Elena Lawson scored at least a 9.750 on all three rotations in which she competed Friday night at Kent State, placing second on the vault. She recorded a 9.825 on vault, equaling her career-best and trailing only her teammate in the quad meet. She was fourth on bars and seventh on floor with identical scores of 9.750.
Vault: 9.825 / 2nd
Bars: 9.750 / 4th
Floor: 9.750 / 7th
All-Around: 39.275 / 1st
Jada Rondeau, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Eastern Michigan junior Jade Rondeau competed Feb. 29 against the U.S. Air Force Academy, earning first place in the all-around competition with a score of 39.025. Rondeau claimed first in two events, bars and beam, earning scores of 9.825 in both. On floor, the junior hit 9.875 for second place and tied for ninth on vault with a score of 9.500. The Savage, Minn. native tied her career-high with her 9.875 on floor.
Vault: 9.500 / t-9th
Bars: 9.825 / t-1st
Beam: 9.825 / t-1st
Floor: 9.875 / 2nd
All-Around: 39.025 / 1st
Abby Fletcher, Kent State, Junior
Kent State junior Abby Fletcher wowed the judges across three events at Kent State’s annual Pink Meet. She recorded a season-high 9.900 on floor and took home the individual floor title. She also placed fourth on beam (9.825) and sixth on vault (9.750) in Golden Flashes’ dominant wins over three teams including MAC-rival Bowling Green. Fletcher also posted her highest total score between the three events this season (29.475).
Vault: 9.750 / 6th
Beam: 9.825 / 4th
Floor: 9.900 / 1st
Morgan Hooper, Northern Illinois, Sophomore
Northern Illinois sophomore Morgan Hooper contributed seven solid routines in a double meet weekend for the Huskies, as NIU earned two of its highest team scores of the season versus Southeast Missouri and Ball State. Versus SEMO on Friday in Nashville, Hooper was moved into the vault line-up after an injury on bars and finished with a career-high all-around score of 38.850, the highest total by a Huskie this year. Her 9.875 score on balance beam Friday tied her career high as did her 9.850 on floor exercise Sunday. She was part of the floor squad that earned NIU’s highest team score of the season on that event Sunday.
vs. Southeast Missouri
Vault: 9.500 / 11th
Bars: 9.750 / t-6th
Beam: 9.875 / 2nd
Floor: 9.725 / t-8th
All-Around: 38.850 / 3rd
vs. Ball State
Bars: 9.750 / t-7th
Beam: 9.825 / 2nd
Floor: 9.850 / 3rd
Stacie Harrison, Western Michigan, Junior
Junior Stacie Harrison turned in three solid performances for the Broncos at Central Michigan, helping WMU to a final score of 194.950, its seventh of the year higher than 194.800. Harrison started the day on the bars with a 9.825 to set her season high and tie for fourth overall. The Fayetteville, N.C., native then moved to the vault and tied for sixth overall with a 9.750. She completed the day on the floor with a 9.800 to tie for sixth overall. Harrison’s 9.835 NQS on the floor is tied for seventh in the league this season.
Vault: 9.775 / t-6th
Bars: 9.700 / t-11th
Floor: 9.825 / t-4th
Additional MAC Specialist of the Week Nominees:
Samantha Marion, Bowling Green, Sophomore
Sophomore Samantha Marion won the vault and scored at least a 9.725 on both events she competed in Friday at the Kent State quad meet. Marion equaled her career high on vault with a 9.850 for her second career event title. She added a 9.725 on balance beam.
Vault: 9.850 / 1st
Beam: 9.725 / 8th
Morgan Tong, Central Michigan, Sophomore
Sophomore Morgan Tong competed this past week on vault and beam. She placed first on beam with a 9.900 and tied for sixth on vault with a 9.750 against Western Michigan. On Sunday, at Illinois, Tong tied for fifth on vault with a 9.800. Here 9.900 on beam against WMU matched a career-high.
vs. Western Michigan
Vault: 9.750 / t-6th
Beam: 9.900 / 1st
vs. Illinois
Vault: 9.800 / t-5th
Beam: 9.300 / 12th
Cortney Bezold, Eastern Michigan, Junior
Junior Cortney Bezold competed at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Feb. 29. Bezold tied for first-place on bars with a score of 9.825.
Bars: 9.825 / t-1st
Samantha Henry, Kent State, Sophomore
Sophomore Samantha Henry posted a career-high 9.875 on beam at Kent State’s annual Pink Meet to support breast cancer awareness. She placed second on beam and helped the Flashes post one of their highest beam scores of the season. Henry also helped the Golden Flashes pick up three wins in the meet, including a crucial MAC win against Bowling Green, and improve to 12-2 on the season.
Beam: 9.875 / 2nd
Tara Kofmehl, Northern Illinois, Sophomore
Sophomore Tara Kofmehl posted three scores of 9.850 or higher in her four routines this weekend as NIU took on SEMO and Ball State on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Kofmehl started the weekend with a career best 9.850 vault Friday in the leadoff position on vault to help lead the Huskie vault squad to its highest score of the season and the fourth-highest mark in school history. She came back to win floor with a 9.850 in that meet. Her floor score of 9.875 Sunday vs. Ball State helped lead the NIU floor team to its highest score of the year as well (49.075). As a team, NIU posted its second highest overall score Sunday while Friday’s mark ranked fourth on the season.
vs. Southeast Missouri
Vault: 9.850 / t-2nd
Floor: 9.850 / 1st
vs. Ball State
Vault: 9.750 / t-9th
Floor: 9.875 / 2nd
Alexis Olivier, Western Michigan, Junior
Junior Alexis Olivier excelled on the bars Friday at Central Michigan, helping WMU to its seventh score of the year of 194.800 or higher with a 194.950 final. Olivier, a product of Cornelius, N.C.., scored a 9.875, tying her high score for the season and her personal best. Her performance helped the Broncos finish with a 49.075 on the bars, the sixth-highest mark in program history and its best since a 49.150 against Ball State on March 10, 2018. Olivier’s 9.790 NQS on the bars ranks 10th in the Mid-American Conference.
Bars: 9.875 / t-2nd
