Sunday’s Gymnastics Results
Ball State 195.675, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 194.525, SEMO 194.500, Illinois State 193.975
Northern Illinois 193.000, Wisconsin-La Crosse 191.400
Western Michigan 195.500, Bowling Green 194.275, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 189.325, Greenville 195.225
Recaps courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Departments
Ball State 195.675, Wisconsin-Oshkosh 194.525, SEMO 194.500, Illinois State 193.975
CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO – Powered by a pair of 9.900s, the Ball State gymnastics team took top honors at the SEMO Quad Meet with a season-best score of 195.675 Sunday afternoon at the Show Me Center.
The Cardinals, who improved to 6-1 overall, earned head-to-head wins over Wisconsin-Oshkosh (194.525), host Southeast Missouri (194.500) and Illinois State (193.975).
In addition to the team wins, Ball State took top individual honors in three of the four events, starting with first-rotation scores of 9.825 on beam from juniors Lindsay Fuller and Ashley Szymanski to tie for the event victory.
Junior Ava Molina shined in the second rotation, with her second 9.900 of the season giving her a second floor win this year.
Senior Zoe Middleton rounded out Ball State's individual event winners by taking the top spot on vault with a 9.900. The effort also helped her capture the all-around title with a mark of 39.275.
Her vault score ties as the best by a Mid-American Conference gymnast this season, while her all-around score is the second-best in the league to date this year. Middleton would also tie for second on bars with a season-best 9.850.
Including the pair of the 9.900s, Ball State's gymnasts turned in 10 routines of 9.800-or-higher in the quad meet sweep.
Rotation 1: Beam (49.000)
For the second straight meet, the Cardinals turned in one of the best team beam scores in program history, tying the 18th-best score at 49.000. The effort was led by scores of 9.825 by Fuller and Szymanski which tied for first overall. Ball State also counted a 9.800 from junior Delaney McMahon and 9.775s from Molina and Middleton.
Rotation 2: Floor (48.825)
Molina claimed her second floor win of the season with her second 9.900 in the event this season. Senior Alauna Simms turned in her best floor routine of the season to place second on the squad and fourth overall at 9.825. The Cardinals also counted a 9.750 from Middleton, a 9.700 from freshman Carley Stalder and a 9.675 from junior Lindsay Girard.
Rotation 3: Vault (49.025)
Ball State turned in its best team vault score of the season, with its 49.025 tying as the 35th-best effort in the Cardinals record book. Middleton led the way with the team's best individual vault of the season, and tied the top vault score in the MAC so far this year, winning the event with a 9.900. Sophomore Karli Mercer tied her career high with her second 9.825 of the year. In her second collegiate vault, freshman Ava Thurston turned in a career-best 9.800, tying for sixth overall with classmate Stalder
Ball State's final countable score was a 9.700 from sophomore Grace Suchecki.
Rotation 4: Bars (48.800)
Middleton also led the way for the Cardinals on bars, tying for second overall with a season-best 9.850. McMahon was second on the squad with a career-best 9.775. The Cardinals also counted a 9.750 from senior Mary Rose Bellan, a 9.725 from Molina and a 9.700 from Mercer in her competitive bars debut.
All-Around
Middleton earned her second straight all-around title with the second-highest score in the MAC this season at 39.275. The effort included a winning score of 9.900 on vault, a second-place 9.850 on bars, a 9.775 on beam and a 9.750 on floor. Her vault and bars scores were both season highs.
The Ball State gymnastics team returns to Worthen Arena next Sunday (Feb. 8) for Sports Crossover and Alumni Day. Action begins at 1 p.m. and tickets are still available at BallStateSports.com/GymTickets.
Northern Illinois 193.000, Wisconsin-La Crosse 191.400
DeKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University gymnastics team hosted the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse at the NIU Convocation Center on Sunday afternoon and won the meet by score of 193.000-191.400. The Huskies won three of the four rotations in their second home meet of the season.
Junior Mikayla Brown (Suwanee, Ga./Peachtree Ridge) led the Huskies in two different routines, scoring a 9.800 in both beam and floor. Sunday afternoon set season-high marks for Brown and the junior has now placed on floor in consecutive meets.
Freshman Elizabeth Poncin (Tinley Park, Ill./Tinley Park) and sophomore Maria King (Nashville, Tenn./Currey Ingram Academy) turned in career-high marks on bars. Poncin landed first place with a 9.775, her second time placing on bars in the last three meets. King finished second with a 9.750 and took home second place.
Rotation One
NIU opened the meet with a 48.325 on vault and swept the top finishes for the meet. Sophomore Audrey Brenner (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) and freshman Alanah Wallace (Frisco, Tex./Frisco) tied for first place after earning a vault score of 9.725.
Junior Dawsyn Sallee (Versailles, Ky./Woodford County High) finished third with a score of 9.700.
Rotation Two
Poncin and King led the Huskies on bars while freshman Makenna Brooks (Kokomo, Ind./Eastern) landed a score of 9.650 to set a new personal best.
Rotation Three
Brown's 9.800 score on beam tied a team-high by NIU this season. Brooks and Sallee were the next highest scoring Huskies, each earning a 9.675 and setting another season-high for Brooks.
Rotation Four
The Huskies closed the meet just how they opened it by sweeping the top three finishes, this time on floor. NIU finished with a 48.675, its highest event score of the dual.
Brown earned her first win on floor of the season while sophomore Drake White (Indianapolis, Ind./Bishop Chatard) and senior Jocelyn Harbeck (Frankfort, Ill./Lincoln-Way East) rounded out the top three.
NIU is back at home this Friday, Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. vs. Western Michigan.
Western Michigan 195.500, Bowling Green 194.275, Wisconsin-Eau Claire 189.325, Greenville 195.225
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -The Western Michigan gymnastics team posted its best team score of the season, a 195.500, to win its quad meet against Bowling Green, UW-Eau Claire and Greenville on Sunday at University Arena.
A Bronco was at the top of the leaderboard of all four events and the team posted season highs in three of the four.
Freshman Isabella Ciolfi and sophomore Kennedy Cooper tied for the vault title with scores of 9.800, while the team posted a season-best of 48.900. Hannah Milton and Makenna King finished just behind them with a score of 9.775.
Five of WMU's gymnasts finished at or near the top of the results on bars. Reese Samuelson won the event with a 9.800, while Julie Korfhage, Aliyah Kelly and King all tied for second place with a 9.775. Sophomore Reilan Garvey scored a 9.750 and the Broncos posted a 48.875.
Samuelson took first place on beam and matched her career-high score of 9.875. Korfhage and Garvey tied for third, while Casey Mooney took fourth with a score of 9.775. The team posted its best beam score of the season, a 49.000.
Korfhage took the floor title with a 9.825, the highest score by a Bronco this season in the event. Milton finished tied for second with a 9.800, while Brooke Gelesko tied for third with a 9.775.
Western Michigan is back in action next Friday with a meet at Northern Illinois at 7 p.m. ET.
