Full Results
Ypsilanti, Mich. – The Central Michigan gymnastics team came from behind in the final rotation to post a 196.275 team total on Saturday to win the Mid-American Conference Championships at Eastern Michigan's George Gervin GameAbove Center.
"Amazing," CMU coach Christine MacDonald said. "It's just been an amazing day, an amazing year. We couldn't be more excited for the whole team."
CMU's Hannah DeMers earned the MAC Gymnast of the Year, Sierra DeMarinis was named the co-MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year, and MacDonald was named the MAC Coach of the Year as the Chippewas won their first MAC Championships title since 2018 and completed the sweep after they won the regular season co-championship by finishing 5-1 in league duals.
It marked CMU's first sweep of both titles since 2018.
"We worked so hard this year," said DeMers, who captured the all around title and tied for third on both vault and uneven parallel bars. "This is the most resilient, hard-working team I've ever been a part of. We all came in expecting nothing less, we all had high expectations and they delivered."
It is the first MAC Championships crown as a head coach for MacDonald, a former CMU gymnast and longtime assistant coach who took over the program in 2020.
The Chippewas posted a 49.175 on bars to start the meet and then followed with a season-best 49.200 on balance beam. They recorded in a 48.825 – subpar by their standards – on floor exercise and went into the final rotation, vault, in second place, .350 behind Western Michigan.
CMU entered Saturday's meet ranked No. 1 on vault and the Chippewas delivered – big time – with a 49.075 to pull ahead of the Broncos. Northern Illinois finished second with 196.125 and Western (196.075) was third.
CMU sophomore Katie Kowalski tied for first on vault with a 9.875, her second-best score of the year, while DeMarinis was eighth and Elizabeth Cesarone was 12th.
CMU freshman Lia Kmieciak and DeMers tied for third on bars at 9.875 and the Chippewas' Adriana Bustelo was sixth.
Chippewa senior Morgan Tong for second (9.900) on beam, Bustelo tied for fourth, and DeMarinis tied for sixth. Junior Taylor Pitchell tied for third (9.900) for CMU's lone top-10 finish on floor.
DeMers, Kowalski and Tong were named to the MAC Championships All-Tournament Team.
DeMers, who won the all around with a 39.225, is the seventh Chippewa to capture the MAC Gymnast of the Year Award. It marks the third time in the last four years that a Chippewa has earned the honor after Denelle Pedrick accomplished the feat in 2019 and again in 2020.
"Hannah, she puts in the time and the work, and we talk about it all the time that hard work pays off and you're going to have to go out there and earn it," MacDonald said. "Today wasn't a perfect day for her but she never gave up. Hannah was there today for the team. To have her have that individual success was something that she strives for, but that is second to what she wants for the team.
"For her today I think it was a shining moment. She's done the work all year and she's clearly deserving of it."
DeMarinis is the 10th Chippewa to earn the MAC Senior Gymnast of the Year Award. She shared the honor with Tara Kofmehl of Northern Illinois. DeMarinis and Tong are the lone two seniors on the roster.
Team Scores
1. Central Michigan – 196.275
2. Northern Illinois – 196.125
3. Western Michigan – 196.075
4. Ball State – 195.900
5. Kent State – 195.325
6. Eastern Michigan – 195.025
7. Bowling Green – 192.550
Coach of the Year
Christine MacDonald, Central Michigan
Freshman of the Year
Ella Chemotti, Eastern Michigan
Gymnast of the Year
Hannah DeMers, Central Michigan
Specialist of The Year
Suki Pfister, Ball State
Co-Senior Gymnast(s) of the Year
Sierra Demarinis, Central Michigan
Tara Kofmehl, Northern Illinois
All-Tournament Team
Hannah DeMers, CMU
Rachel DeCavitch, Kent State
Brookelyn Sears, NIU
Katie Kowalski, CMU
Halle Faulkner, WMU
Ella Chemotti, EMU
Natalie Hamp, NIU
Payton Murphy, WMU
Morgan Tong, CMU
Amanda Gruber, WMU
Tara Kofmehl, NIU
