MAC Gymnastics Championships Preview
YPSILANTI, Mich. -- The 2014 Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships will take place Saturday, March 22 at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. This event will be streamed LIVE on mac-sports.com as well as on BCSN. For all the information you need to know, check out Championship Central.
Ball State
Ball State's gymnastics team will compete at the Mid-American Conference Championships Saturday at 2 p.m. in Ypsilanti, Mich.
The Cardinals will be led by sophomore Denasiha Christian, who was selected to the All-MAC Second Team in a vote by the league's head coaches.
Christian has posted four first-place finishes on the vault and four on the floor for the Cardinals this season. She tied her career high on the vault with a 9.85 at Southeast Missouri State. Christian also tallied a 9.85 mark on the vault vs. Central Michigan last season and at the 2013 MAC Championships. She managed a season best 9.90 on the floor at Ohio State and tied the Ball State record on the floor with a 9.95 at the 2013 NCAA Regional.
Christian owns the team's top scores on the vault and floor exercise this season, while Brooke Evans is the second best competitor on the vault with a 9.825 and Erin Patchey owns the Cardinals' second best mark on the floor with a 9.80.
On the bars, Angie Hosbach and Brooklyn Schumacher have Ball State's best performance with a 9.80, while Jessica Leko and Leah Wilson are tied for the team's top marks on the balance beam with 9.85 marks.
Bowling Green
The Bowling Green State University Gymnastics team heads to Eastern Michigan University for the MAC Championships Saturday at 2 p.m. The Falcons are one of the favorites for the meet after finishing third in the conference during the regular season.
FOLLOW THE FALCONS
A link for live stats can be found on BGSUFalcons.com for the MAC Championship. Fans can follow the BGSU Gymnastics team through Twitter on the official team account @FalconGymn and through the official account of the Athletics Department @BGAthletics.
SHAPING UP THE MAC
The Falcons finished the regular season in third place in the MAC with a record of 4-2. Kent State finished the season undefeated at 6-0 and Central Michigan placed second at 5-1. Northern Illinois ended fourth at 3-3, while Eastern Michigan was fifth at 2-4. Western Michigan went 1-5 and Ball State was last at 0-6 during the season. For the MAC Championships, records are erased and all teams begin on even footing Saturday.
DEFENDING THEIR TITLES
Junior Jamilah Ali and sophomore Alyssa Nocella will look to defend MAC Championships from a year ago. Ali won the vault title in 2013, while Nocella claimed the balance beam championship. The duo represented just the second and third MAC individual champions under head coach Kerrie Turner.
REGIONAL QUALIFICATION
The Falcons dropped to No. 42 in the country this week after a third-place finish in a triangular meet at UCLA with Utah State. The Falcons have a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 194.695 at this point and need to raise that average above 195.000 in order to qualify for NCAA Regionals. RQS is determined by taking each team's top three away scores and their next three top scores (either home or away). The top score is dropped and the five remaining scores are averaged. The 36 teams with the best RQS then compete in NCAA Regionals..
FALCONS IN THE RANKINGS
After finishing third in a triangular meet with UCLA and Utah State, the Falcons dropped from No. 39 to No. 42 in the rankings. The Falcons need to fall within the top 36 in order to qualify for the NCAA Regional Tournament. The team's best event this year has been the floor exercise and the team ranks No. 33 in the country on that apparatus. The Falcons are also No. 35 in the country on vault. Individually, Alyssa Nocella is ranked 58th in the country in the all-around.
LAST TIME OUT
The Falcons finished third in their triangular meet against UCLA and Utah State this past week with an overall score of 194.175. This gave the Falcons their seventh finish above 194.000, the most since 2002. The Falcons also posted their third-best score of the season on uneven bars, scoring a 48.650. BGSU then struggled on the balance beam with an overall score of 47.975, but the Falcons finished strong on their final two events, posting a 48.825 on floor and a 48.725 on vault. Sophomore Alyssa Nocella posted the team's best all-around score with a 39.050. This was Nocella's fourth time finishing above 39.000 in the all-around category this season.
FACING THE BEST
BGSU Head Coach Kerrie Turner bulked up the non-conference schedule and the Falcons faced numerous ranked teams this year. In the season opener, Bowling Green competed in a triangular against then-No. 12 (now No. 11) Oregon State and then-No. 19 Ohio State (now No. 24). In Chicago, BGSU faced then-No. 18 Boise State (now No. 17) and then met then-No. 19 Central Michigan (now No. 18) in venerable Anderson Arena two days later. The Falcons closed MAC play at Kent State, a team that has been in-and-out of the top 25 this year. BGSU closed out the regular season at No. 7 UCLA this past weekend.
WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
Bowling Green will look to improve upon last year's fifth place finish at the MAC Championships Saturday. In fact, the Falcons have not finished higher than fifth since 2009 or higher than fourth since placing third in 1991. If BGSU were to end as the runner-up, it would be the first time since 1987. The program won MAC Championships in 1982, 1983 and 1985.
LIEVENDAG NAMED MAC SPECIALIST OF THE WEEK THREE TIMES
Junior Amanda Lievendag has earned the Mid-American Conference's Specialist of the Week honors three times, most recently on March 11 after posting meet-best scores on both vault and uneven bars, including a 9.925 on bars. She earned the honor Feb. 25 after a meet-best 9.825 on vault against Northern Illinois and also picked up the award on Jan. 14 after a meet-best 9.987 on bars against No. 12 Oregon State and No. 19 Ohio State.
HARRINGTON NAMED GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
BGSU senior Megan Harrington was named MAC Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 10 following a career-best 39.100 in the all-around last weekend at the Chicago meet. Harrington also posted an all-around score of 39.075 just two days later at Central Michigan. Both scores were good for second place at both meets. Harrington also scored season-highs in the vault with a 9.800 as well as on the bars with a 9.725 in weekend's first meet in Chicago. Harrington then went on to score a career-best on beam with a 9.850, while tying her bars score of 9.725 in the meet against CMU. She posted at least a 9.675 in all eight rotations on the weekend.
NOCELLA NAMED GYMNAST OF THE WEEK
BGSU sophomore Alyssa Nocella was named MAC Gymnast of the Week on Jan. 28 after scoring a career-best 39.150 in the all-around and leading BGSU to its second-highest team score since 2005 in a win over Eastern Michigan. Nocella posted at least a 9.725 on all four apparatuses, tying her career-best with a 9.775 on vault.
PRESEASON POLL
BGSU was picked to finish third in the MAC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. The Falcons finished third during the regular season a year ago and fifth at the MAC Championship. Defending MAC Champion Kent State was picked to repeat, followed by Central Michigan. Following BGSU, Northern Illinois was selected fourth and Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan and Ball State round out the preseason standings.
SOLID FOUNDATION
BGSU Head Coach Kerrie Turner was named MAC Coach of the Year in 2013 with good reason. She has pushed the program forward after the team went 0-6 in the MAC in 2011. The 2012 team improved incrementally to 1-5 and the 2013 squad moved to 3-3. The Falcons return most of their contributors from a year ago, as well as adding a strong freshman class, and went 4-2 in MAC play.
THE MAC CHAMPS ARE BACK
BGSU is the only school in the MAC to return a pair of individual champions from a year ago in junior Jamilah Ali and sophomore Alyssa Nocella. Ali won the vault a year ago and Nocella claimed the balance beam title. The duo represent just the second and third MAC individual champions under Turner, who began her head coaching tenure at BGSU in 2008.
FIVE ADDED FOR 2014
Earlier this fall, BGSU announced five additions to the gymnastics program for the 2015 season. Morgan Denlinger (Lancaster, Pa./Hempfield HS/Prestige Gymnastics Club), Taylor Livingston (Hartland, Mich./Hartland HS/Geddert's Twisters Gymnastics Club), Shannon Goniwiecha (Rochester Hills, Mich./Stoney Creek HS/Oakland Gymnastics), Kylie Bosco (Illinois Gymnastics Institute) and McKenna Schoenberger (Maple City Gymnastics) will all join the program next year.
HALL OF FAME
BGSU gymnastics alumnus Marny Oestreng was inducted into the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame over the summer. Oestreng, a 2002 BGSU graduate, won the 1999 NCAA Championship in the floor exercise. Her school- and career-best score in the all-around while at BG was 39.600, and she also posted the program's best-ever scores in the floor exercise (9.975), uneven bars (9.950), vault (9.950) and balance beam (9.925).
SCHOLASTIC ALL-AMERICANS
In August, five Falcons were named Scholastic All-Americans by the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches for Women (NACGC). Student-athletes must have a grade point average of 3.50 or higher to be honored. Senior Megan Harrington and sophomores Caroline Ellingboe and Alyssa Nocella, along with graduates Monica Eaton and Sunny Marchand (who is now an assistant coach with the team), received the recognition.
Central Michigan
No. 18 Central Michigan gymnastics looks to make history this weekend at the Mid-American Conference Championships hosted by Eastern Michigan on Saturday, March 22, at 2 p.m.
The Chippewas are looking to become the first program to win five-consecutive MAC championships. Last season was the second time CMU won four in a row with the previous run going from 1990-93. The Chippewas are looking for their 15th team championship as their 14 is the most in conference history.
CMU will meet six other MAC teams at the EMU Convocation Center. Central Michigan will take on Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Bowling Green, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Ball State. The Chippewas rotation goes bye, beam, floor, bye, vault, bye and bars.
Kent State is CMU’s main competition this weekend as the Golden Flashes captured the MAC regular season title this year. KSU defeated the Chippewas in Mount Pleasant during the regular season, defeating CMU by 0.025. Bowling Green finished third in conference standings at 4-2, followed by Northern Illinois (3-3), Eastern Michigan (2-4), Western Michigan (1-5), and Ball State (0-6).
Six of the Mid-American Conference teams rank in the top 50 nationally. Central Michigan ranks highest at No. 18, followed by Kent State (26), Bowling Green (42), Eastern Michigan (45), Western Michigan (46) and NIU (50). Ball State ranks just outside of the top 50 teams in the nation, coming in at No. 56.
Although the Chippewas fell to Kent State, Central Michigan gymnastics still holds the top spot on every event in the conference, both as a team and individually. CMU’s Taylor Noonan (beam), Kylie Fagan (bars), Kirsten Petzold (vault) and Halle Moraw (floor) are ranked first on their specific events in regional qualifying score amongst other MAC gymnasts.
Moraw is CMU’s lone returning MAC champion from last season, as she won the floor title with a career-best 9.950. She was also the only Chippewa to be named to the All-MAC team this week, earning first team honors.
Eastern Michigan
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team will look to protect its home floor as all seven Mid-American Conference gymnastics teams will converge on the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. with EMU hosting the 2014 MAC Gymnastics Championships, March 22. The conference championship meet is set to begin at 2 p.m.
Where We Stand: Following a 194.075-193.600 conference road victory over Ball State, March 14, the Eagles enter the conference championship with a 2-4 MAC record, finishing the regular season in fifth place. Kent State took down the six other schools for a perfect 6-0 mark. Central Michigan followed with a 5-1 mark with its only loss coming to the hands of the Golden Flashes. Bowling Green placed third at 4-2 while Northern Illinois split its conference meets at 3-3. After EMU, Western Michigan and Ball State round out the standings with marks of 1-5 and 0-6, respectively.
Hoping For The Same Outcome: EMU will be the site of the conference championship meet for the first time since 2007. That year, the Eagles protected their territory by claiming the program's first conference crown in 26 years. The Green and White was led by all around champion and All-MAC First Team honoree Jolene Worley, edging out second-place finisher Kent State University by less then three-tenths of a point. EMU posted a season-high team score of 194.525.
EMU Gymnast Willette Earns First Team All-MAC Honors: EMU junior Anna Willette has been named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team, the league office announced, March 19. The All-MAC teams were voted on by the conference's head coaches. Willette earns All-MAC accolades for the second straight season after being second team All-MAC one season ago. She is the first Eagle in program history to earn first team honors since the regular season All-MAC teams began in 2013.
Willette has been a focal point in the EMU lineup all season long in three of the four events. Through her 27 routines, 21 of them have been a 9.700 or higher, including seven at 9.800 or higher. Willette earned a career-high 9.850 on beam to finish third at the Eagle Invitational, March 8, a quad meet hosted at EMU. She ranks fifth in the conference on beam with an average score of 9.767. Along with her impressive scores all season long, four of those scores led to individual titles with two on vault and two on beam.
Sister Act: When the Eastern Michigan and Ball State competed Friday night, March 14, it was a special meet for one Eagle and one Cardinal. EMU sophomore Kimberly Ebeyer saw her younger sister, Sarah, on the opposing side. Although they are not identical twins, the two sisters recorded identical scores in the two events that they both were in their respective team's starting lineup. The two Ebeyers earned 9.650 on vault before tallying a pair of 9.750s on floor. Kimberly also competed on the beam for the Eagles, receiving a 9.650 from the judges.
Taking the Floor: In the Eagles' victory over Ball State, March 14, Head Coach Steve Wilce's squad outscored the home Cardinals in three out of the four apparatuses, including on floor where the Green and White tallied a season-high 49.025. Redshirt-juniors Chantelle Loehner and Kaylee Meyers tied for the floor title as each recorded a 9.850. Moreover, Loehner's mark was a career-high for the Cary, Ill. native. Team co-captain Paulina Miller followed with a 9.800 for third place, and senior Shawna Ciaramella notched a new personal-best 9.775. Tying her sister Sarah who competes for Ball State, Kimberly Ebeyer added a 9.750.
Catching Them at the Wrong Time: Head Coach Steve Wilce and his team have been unfortunate to catch opponents in their peak form during the season. Out of the Eagles' nine losses throughout the 2014 campaign, seven of the setbacks have been due to the opposition notching season-high marks in meets against the Green and White. One of the two foes who did not record a season-best was Central Michigan, and that was because the Chippewas already tallied their high mark in a previous meet against the Eagles.
The Floor Queen: Redshirt-junior Chantelle Loehner has claimed the floor titles in three of the past four EMU meets. She won the exercise in both meets against Air Force, Feb. 26 and March 1, tying the top mark with a score of 9.800 on each routine. Then against the Ball State Cardinals in the Eagles' last meet before the MAC Championships, March 14, Loehner tied teammate Kaylee Meyers for the top score as she earned a career-high 9.850. The personal best also led Eastern to a season-high team total of 49.025 in the event.
Kent State
Kent State's gymnastics team travels to Ypsilanti, Mich. for the 2014 Mid-American Conference Championships hosted by Eastern Michigan on Sat., March 22 at 2 p.m. at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center.
Kent State … 10-4, 6-0 MAC
The Golden Flashes finished the regular season with a record of 10-4 and were crowned the MAC regular season champs with a perfect 6-0 in the conference, which was the second straight season for Kent State to win the regular season. Kent State seeks their 12th MAC Championship after finishing third a year ago (194.775).
On the season, the Golden Flashes are led by senior, 2014 First Team All-MAC selection, Marie Case. Case has set her career-high in four-of-five events this season – vault (9.950), bars (9.925), floor (9.975) and All-Around (39.600).
In the last outing for Kent State, the Golden Flashes took second in a tri-meet with Pittsburgh and Centenary in Pittsburgh, Pa. on March 15. Kent State scored a season high on vault with a 49.175, and ended with a team score of 195.975. The Panthers won with a 196.125 and Centenary took third with a 191.000.
Case took first in the All-Around (39.475) and first on vault with her career-best, 9.950. She tied for first on floor (9.925) and on the balance beam (9.875) as teammate Jaymi Baxter took home first place on bars with her career-high 9.875.
MAC Championships History …
Central Michigan leads the overall championships by school count with 14 total as Kent State is second with 11 … the next closest school is Western Michigan with 4. The Golden Flashes lead the Vault Champions race with 12, as the Chippewas come in second with 10. Kent State and Central Michigan are tied in Balance Beam Champions with 10 a piece, and on the Uneven Bars with 13. Central has the most Floor Exercise Champions (19) and All-Around Champions with 13.
Last year Central Michigan and Western Michigan tied for first with a score of 194.800, Kent State took third (194.775), Northern Illinois was fourth (194.050), Bowling Green placed fifth (193.750), Eastern Michigan took sixth (193.675) as Ball State finished last with a score of 192.500. Bowling Green's Head Coach Kerrie (Beach) Turner took home Coach of the Year honors as Brittany Petzold (Central Michgian) and Marie Case (Kent State) were named Co-Gymnast of the Year. Brittney Emmons (Ball State) was named Senior Gymnast of the Year while Freshman of the Year honors went to Western Michigan's Kayla Weber. Kent State's Rachel Guida was selected as Specialist of the Year.
Case was the 2013 All-Around Champion (39.250) as Guida was the Bars Champion, 9.875. Bowling Green's Jamilah Ali was the Vault Champion (9.875), Alyssa Nocella (Bowling Green) was the Beam Champion (9.850) and Halle Moraw (Central Michigan) was the Floor Champion.
Northern Illinois
The Northern Illinois University Huskies are confident, healthier and unified entering Saturday's Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Huskies will battle six other teams for the MAC Championship at the Convocation Center on the campus of Eastern Michigan beginning at 1 p.m. (CT).
Fans can watch the free live stream of the meet at here or follow updates on Twitter @niuscores.
NIU Head Coach Sam Morreale believes the Huskies are peaking after scoring 195.000 or higher in each of the last two regular season meets of the season.
"I feel really good about our group going into MACs," Morreale said. "I feel good about the build we've been on the last three to four weeks. This is the first team we've brought a team into the championship meet that is peaking. I want to go in and hit; we don't' want to leave anything on the table. If we are hitting, we're putting pressure on all those other teams."
NIU, which finished with an 8-8 regular season record and was 3-3 versus MAC opponents, put up a 195.000 team score a week ago at Arizona State just one week after tying the second-highest team score in school history with a 195.100 at the EMU Eagle Invitational. It is the first time NIU has reached the 195 mark twice in the same season. The Huskies have seen several gymnasts get healthier, while others have returned to the line-up after missing time earlier this season and have earned their highest scores in the last few meets.
"We're excited," Morreale said in regards to the team's mindset. "We've been working toward this all year and trying to build for it. We're on a good confidence roll. We're going after the team championship, we have individuals that want to be MAC Champions and we have individuals whose chances for a spot in regionals hangs on this meet."
Seniors Kim Gotlund (Wadsworth, Ill./Warren Township HS), Natasha Jufko (Spring Hill, Fla./Pasco-Hernando HS) and Megan Melendez (Stafford, Va./North Stafford HS) have each raised or hit their career-high marks this season, and their drive and determination has fueled the 2014 Huskies. Gotlund's 39.075 all-around score at Arizona State last week established a new career-best and she was named to the first team All-MAC squad by league coaches for the second straight year. Jufko, a balance beam specialist, has a season-best mark of 9.875, while Melendez overcame an early season foot injury and has excelled on both uneven parallel bars and balance beam over the last month of the season.
"It's the last chance for our seniors to make that statement and put an imprint on this program that will go down in history," Morreale said. "I can't say enough about how they've helped us turn this program in the right direction. They really bought in to the team concept and helped instill it in the younger kids."
In addition to Gotlund in the all-around, sophomore Jaelyn Olsen (Bethany, Okla./Putnam City West HS) and junior Amanda Stepp (Lapeer, Mich./Lapeer East HS) are among those Huskies looking to improve their regional chances and/or claim a MAC individual title. Olsen, who has become a force on balance beam of late while continuing to dominate on vault, has won vault in six of NIU's 10 meets on the year and averages a 9.815 on the event. Stepp, meanwhile, has five scores of 9.825 or higher in her last seven meets on floor exercise.
NIU will have a bye in the first rotation and follow the "traditional" order of events - vault, bars, beam and floor exercise - and will be on floor in the meet's final rotation. While that rotation is familiar, other aspects of the conference meet, including the number of teams, the noise generated by seven fanbases and the addition of byes, is different. Morreale believes this team has gained experience and enters the event with the right mindset to handle the biggest meet of the season.
"Some of the atmospheres we've been in already this year - at Nebraska and at Arizona State - will help," Morreale said. "To me the difference with having seven teams is simply the length of the day. We'll rely on the upperclassmen to keep them focused. The key is to not making it a bigger deal than it is, and the hope is mentally we've crossed that bridge. Just like every meet, it's all about being steady and hitting. I think we're at a really good place with our skill level and the way we perform our routines. We're at a good place with each other, there's a real team feeling."
The Huskies are seeking their first MAC Gymnastics team title.
Western Michigan
The Western Michigan gymnastics team travels to Ypsilanti Saturday, March 22, to defend its 2013 Mid-American Conference title at this year’s conference championship meet, hosted by Eastern Michigan at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
ROTATION ORDER
Unlike traditional dual (two team) or even quadrangular (four team) meets, the MAC Championships will have seven rotations. Four teams compete - one on each apparatus - during every rotation while three teams will be on a bye and sit out that round. The championship awards ceremony will follow the meet with individual event winners on vault, bars, beam and floor honored along with an all-around champion.
Western Michigan begins the meet Saturday on the uneven bars in the first rotation and then has a bye before heading to the balance beam. WMU competes on the floor exercise in the fourth rotation, followed by another bye in the fifth rotation. The Broncos conclude the meet on the vault in the sixth rotation and have a final bye in the seventh rotation.
PENNY’S PERSPECTIVE
“Coach Rosso and I are very pleased with the progress we have seen over the past several months,” said first-year Bronco head coach Penny Jernigan. “Every choice we have made this season has been strategically focused on peaking the team to defend their 2013 MAC Championship title. Now the time is here and we are ready to do our best work.”
TITLE TALK
Western Michigan will be chasing its fifth title in school history and its third MAC Championship in the last nine years. The Broncos were co-champions with Central Michigan in 2013, and also took home the hardware in 2006. WMU won in back-to-back seasons under current Athletic Director Kathy Beauregard in 1986 and 1987.
MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
Historically speaking, Central Michigan (14 championships) and Kent State (11 championships) have been the front-runners in the conference. Western Michigan is third with four championships, followed by Bowling Green with three, while Ball State and Eastern Michigan have each won once. Northern Illinois has yet to reach the top of the podium. The host team of the championships has had the upper hand in recent years. Since 2001 the host school has claimed the team title in eight of 13 years.
LAST YEAR’S CHAMPIONSHIP
Western Michigan hosted last year’s championship meet and both the Broncos and Central Michigan totaled a 194.800 to finish as co-champion, ahead of regular season winner Kent State, with a 194.775. As a freshman, Jessi Buis took home an individual title on vault, tying for first with Bowling Green’s Jamilah Ali with a 9.875. Buis became the fourth vault champion in school history, joining Jennifer Sturgis (2006), Natalie Leach (1992) and Jackie Klein (1987). Two other Broncos reached the podium and as then senior and current WMU student assistant coach Caroline O’Brien closed out her career with a runner-up finish on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.850. Current senior Shelby MacDonald placed fifth on bars with a 9.800.
SCOUTING REPORT
Western Michigan has a team season average of 193.118 and a season-high of 195.075. The Broncos finished the regular season with a 5-7 overall, 1-5 MAC record. Kent State won the regular season title for the second straight year, going 6-0 in MAC duals. Central Michigan has the highest season average in the conference with a 195.544, ahead of Kent State at 195.200. WMU ranks fifth in the league in terms of season average.
BUIS AND MACDONALD EARN SECOND TEAM ALL-MAC RECOGNITION
Western Michigan had a pair of gymnasts earn all-conference regular season honors, as both sophomore Jessi Buis and senior Shelby MacDonald were named Second Team All-Mid-American Conference. The teams were voted on by the league’s head coaches. Buis finished first or runner-up on vault in all six MAC meets, winning four, and finished first or second on vault in 9 of 10 meets overall. MacDonald won the uneven bars in 5 of 6 MAC competitions, as well as in 6 of 10 total meets. Both gymnasts also earned MAC Specialist of the Week recognition during the regular season.
