Sunday's Gymnastics Results
Ball State 194.100, Towson 192.550
Western Michigan 195.275, Eastern Michigan 195.050, Bowling Green 193.575
Ball State
Scores
MUNCIE, Ind. – The Ball State gymnastics team defeated Towson University 194.100 to 192.550 Sunday, in Worthen Arena, advancing to 1-1 on the season.
“I was really happy with today’s performances,” Ball State head coach Joanna Saleem stated. “I was excited the team went out there and did what they needed to do. They had confidence which led to impressive routines.”
The Cardinals started the meet strong by winning the vault with a score of 48.700. Denasiha Christian took first place with a score of 9.80, Jordyn Penny stood second with a score of 9.775 and Sarah Ebeyer claimed third with a 9.725.
Penny placed second on the bars with a score of 9.775. Katie Honarmand and Kayla Beckler tied for third with a pair of 9.70 scores.
Chrsitian continued to shine on the beam and floor earning both titles with the score of 9.825.
Sydney Finke and Sarah Ebeyer tied for second place on floor with scores of 9.750.
“They went out there and competed like they have been training," Saleem said. "Although there were a couple things here and there that we can clean up, all in all this is where we should be in January of the meet season.”
The Cardinals will travel to Normal, Illinois to compete in a tri-meet with Illinois State and Lindenwood University, Friday, January 22.
For more news on Ball State gymnastics, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateGym, and @CoachSaleem.
Bowling Green
Scores
Kalamazoo, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team improved its team scores on three of four apparatuses from last weekend to this weekend, despite falling to Western Michigan and Eastern Michigan at University Arena Sunday afternoon. The Broncos scored 195.275 to take first place, followed by the Eagles with 195.050, then the Falcons with 193.575.
The matchup with WMU counts as a Mid-American conference meet for BGSU (0-4, 0-1 MAC) who now leads the series with the Broncos 28-13-1.
"We worked really hard last week on replicating the competition environment in the gym and I think the athletes did a good job with that," said head coach Kerrie Turner. "They made an improvement from last week to this week, but we are certainly hoping for more as we work to get the team healthy and get our line-ups stronger."
In one week's time, BGSU's scores on uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise all improved. The biggest jump came on floor exercise with the Falcons earning a 48.425 this afternoon compared to their 47.725 in their opening meet. The Orange and Brown won the uneven bars with a team score of 48.875. The five scorers on the apparatus (Rachel Reis, Feely, Leslie Delgado, Nocella, Ellingboe) all earned a 9.725 or higher.
The Falcons had three athletes place first on events, with junior Victoria Heath tying for first on vault with a season-high 9.775 and seniors Alyssa Nocella and Caroline Ellingboe tying for first on uneven bars with season highs of 9.825.
For the second meet in a row, Nocella has recorded the team's highest individual score, this time with her 9.825 on uneven bars. The senior notched a 38.325 in all-around competition for BGSU.
Heath also placed third on floor exercise, tying teammate Lauren Feely with a score of 9.775.
Feely equaled her all-around score from last meet against Arizona State and Nebraska with a 38.725 for a fifth-place finish.
Another Falcon who continues to shine is sophomore Laura Mitchell, who recorded her second straight 9.800 on the balance beam this season. Her career-high is a 9.875 as she hopes to break that mark in 2016.
The Orange and Brown head home to Anderson Arena for the first time this season to take on Alaska-Anchorage on Jan. 23 at 6 pm. The team then remains in Bowling Green, but will compete at the Stroh Center for the first time in program history on Jan. 30 as they host Denver at 4 pm. That meet will be broadcast on ESPN3.
"We'll be ready to take Anderson by storm and get our home fans there and try to use that momentum to overcome some of the hurdles we've had these first two meets," added Turner.
Eastern Michigan
Scores
KALAMAZOO, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team continued their 2016 season on the road, traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a tri-meet against Western Michigan and Bowling Green, Jan. 17. Although the team broke the 195 mark with a 195.050, the Eagles were bested by the Broncos, who finished with a 195.275.
"We definitely made some improvements, but sometimes we had a good routine going and then something would happen and bring the score down," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "We started on beam and the team came out rock solid, really strong and really aggressive. I felt like they kept that energy going throughout the meet, but we definitely need to finish routines a little bit stronger and not give the judges an opportunity to knock that score down a bit."
Starting out on beam like last week, senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. – Whiteland Community) got the ball rolling with a great leadoff routine, notching a 9.75. Freshman Megan Hultgren (Rockford, Ill. – Sacred Heart Classical Center) continued her strong work on beam with a 9.7, after which sophomore Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. – Holmdel) scored a 9.775. Junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. – Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) and sophomore Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. – Brighton) ended the event on a high note, earning scores of 9.8 and 9.85 to close out the first rotation. After one event, EMU sat in first with a 48.925.
Moving to floor, sophomore Kirsten Gendron (Birch Run, Mich. – Frankenmuth) led off the team with a 9.675. Senior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Kelvin) received a 9.625, after which Valentin made her EMU debut on the floor and scored a 9.7. From there, Ebeyer continued her strong day with a 9.725. Rounding out the EMU lineup was sophomore Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. – Holly Springs) in the anchor spot. With strong tumbling, Slocum scored a 9.825 to give the team an event total of 48.550. With two events completed, EMU and the Broncos were tied with a score of 97.475.
Leading off once again, Ebeyer began vault for the Eagles with a nice yurchenko half, earning a 9.75. The Green and White's scores on vault were very consistent, with everyone scoring between a 9.65 and 9.775. McEachern received a 9.7, while the sophomore duo of Conrad and Slocum each earned scores of 9.775. Valentin finished off the event for the Eagles with a 9.725, giving the Eagles an event total of 48.725. After three, Western still led the Eagles, 146.575 – 146.200.
Trailing Western, the Green and White had to finish strong on an event that gave them some trouble last week. Shaking off last week's mishaps, the Eagles finished with a solid 48.850 on bars, highlighted by a 9.825 from Valentin. Conrad finished her day with a 9.8, while junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Sturgeon Heights) stuck her dismount and received a 9.75. Rubin also posted a 9.75, and McEachern was just behind her with a 9.725. Although the Green and White finished strong, Western ultimately ended up taking the meet, 195.275 – 195.050. Bowling Green rounded out the trio in third with a 193.575.
The Eagles continue their season on the road with a tri-meet at Ball State. The meet is slated to begin at 1 p.m. in Muncie, Ind. against the Cardinals, as well as the Illinois State Redbirds.
Western Michigan
Scores
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan gymnastics team improved to 3-0 on the season and 1-0 in MAC play, defeating both Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan in a three-way meet on Sunday. The Broncos finished with a total of 195.275, good for sixth best overall in school history. By comparison Bowling Green scored 193.575 and Eastern Michigan had 195.050. The matchup against the Falcons counted towards the conference standings, while the meeting with the Eagles was considered a non-conference matchup.
“I think it’s great. The kids have been ready all this time and it really shows them what their potential truly is,” head coach Penny Jernigan said. “This was a very competitive meet. Both Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan were putting up a huge fight today. This was sort of a mini-MAC Championship meet for us with three strong teams and I think it’s just going to bolster us going to our first road meet at West Virginia next week.”
The top event for the Broncos on the day was the balance beam where they posted the third best score in school history with a 49.100. It is the best score by WMU in the event since 2004. Leading the way on the beam was freshman Rachael Underwood who won her first of two events on the day with a 9.875. That is an improvement from last week’s collegiate debut when she scored a 9.725.
Underwood’s next event was the floor exercise, the last one of the day for the team. Western Michigan needed a score of 9.600 to surpass Eastern Michigan and Underwood was the final competitor for the Broncos. She nailed her routine, ending with a 9.825, giving Western Michigan the victory by 0.200 of a point.
Also shining throughout the day was last week’s all-around champion Anna Corbett who won her second straight title with a score of 39.125. She scored at least a 9.775 in each event and also won a share of her second straight vault title.
Sophomore Kendall Carlson who missed last week’s season opener made her season debut on the bars. In just her second collegiate routine, she scored a career-best 9.800, giving the Broncos a crucial uptick to end the event.
“Kendall has worked so hard in the gym and we are so proud of her,” Jernigan said. “We would have had to count a fall if she hadn’t hit her routine and she ended up with the best one I’ve ever seen her do.”
In addition to Carlson, other Broncos had career-highs on the day including three who did it on the balance beam. The aforementioned Corbett accomplished the feat (9.800), along with Jessi Buis (9.850), Kira Hoy (9.825) and Underwood. Brittany Aragon also set a career-high on the vault with a 9.775.
Western Michigan will now have a week off before going to Big 12 country to take on West Virginia in Morgantown, W. Va. on Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.
