Eastern Michigan Athletics
No. 24 Eagles Nab Three Spots on All-MAC Teams
3/16/2016 2:08:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Green and White tied for most team members in the conference
CLEVELAND, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) – The Mid-American Conference announced today, March 16, that sophomores Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. – Holly Springs) and Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. – Holmdel) of the No. 24 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team were named All-MAC First Team, while fellow sophomore Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. – Brighton) earned All-MAC Second Team honors. The accolades are the first of Slocum and Conrad's career, while Valentin was named All-MAC Second Team last season.
The All-MAC teams are based on regional qualifying scores (RQS). The individual with the top RQS on each event, as well as all-around, was awarded First Team All-MAC honors. Additionally, the second and third place gymnasts were named Second Team All-MAC.
"I'm extremely proud of all three of them," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "All the kids on the team have done great, but they have separated themselves a little bit within our conference. To have the most on first team and then to tie for most on both teams just goes to show that what we are doing is working and we're raising the level here. Those kids have done a fantastic job all year. Everything we ask them to do, they just keep coming back for more. I think it really shows their work ethic, dedication, and commitment, and it is always great to see kids who are working hard get awards and get recognition. We're very proud and excited for them, and we're looking forward to this weekend."
All three sophomores played pivotal roles in the team's incredible regular season in which the Eagles topped the previous program record of 195.575 six times. Slocum anchored the vault and the floor lineups throughout the season, posting a career-high of 9.925 on vault at Ohio State, Feb. 27. She also tied her career-best on floor with a 9.875 at Bowling Green, Feb. 13. The sophomore is the MAC's top ranked gymnast on vault with a RQS of 9.865, as well No. 8 on floor with a RQS of 9.850.
Valentin followed up her solid freshman campaign with another fantastic year for the Green and White. She was the team's best competitor on bars, scoring a career-best 9.925 on the road at Michigan, Feb. 8, which is also the second-ranked score in the EMU record books. Throughout the year, she scored a 9.85 or better on seven occasions, including a streak of six in a row to end the regular season. Not only was Valentin great on bars, but she also had a stellar season on vault and beam as well. At Bowling Green, she posted a career-best 9.9 on vault, in addition to five scores of 9.8 or better on beam throughout the year. Finally, the sophomore also competed all-around at five meets, with her personal-best total of 39.200 coming at Michigan. Valentin closed the regular season at No. 5 on vault with a RQS of 9.820, No. 10 on beam with a 9.815, and No. 1 on bars with a 9.875.
Rounding out the trio, Conrad regularly competed all-around for the Green and White this year, scoring a career-best 39.350 to close the season at home against Central Michigan and Southeast Missouri State, March 10. Her score was also the team's best since 2003, and is the seventh-best in program history. In total, the sophomore posted an all-around score of 39 or better six times. During the course of the season, Conrad notched career-bests on all four events, including a 9.85 on vault, a 9.9 on bars, 9.875 on beam, and 9.85 on floor. She was also very consistent, only missing 2-of-43 routines. The Brighton, Mich. native finished the year at No. 8 on vault with a RQS of 9.800, No. 10 on bars with a 9.835, No. 2 on beam with a 9.850, and No. 2 all-around with a 39.125.
The Eagles travel to Muncie, Ind. for the Mid-American Conference Championships this Saturday, March 19. Action from Worthen Arena is slated to begin at 2 p.m.
The All-MAC teams are based on regional qualifying scores (RQS). The individual with the top RQS on each event, as well as all-around, was awarded First Team All-MAC honors. Additionally, the second and third place gymnasts were named Second Team All-MAC.
"I'm extremely proud of all three of them," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "All the kids on the team have done great, but they have separated themselves a little bit within our conference. To have the most on first team and then to tie for most on both teams just goes to show that what we are doing is working and we're raising the level here. Those kids have done a fantastic job all year. Everything we ask them to do, they just keep coming back for more. I think it really shows their work ethic, dedication, and commitment, and it is always great to see kids who are working hard get awards and get recognition. We're very proud and excited for them, and we're looking forward to this weekend."
All three sophomores played pivotal roles in the team's incredible regular season in which the Eagles topped the previous program record of 195.575 six times. Slocum anchored the vault and the floor lineups throughout the season, posting a career-high of 9.925 on vault at Ohio State, Feb. 27. She also tied her career-best on floor with a 9.875 at Bowling Green, Feb. 13. The sophomore is the MAC's top ranked gymnast on vault with a RQS of 9.865, as well No. 8 on floor with a RQS of 9.850.
Valentin followed up her solid freshman campaign with another fantastic year for the Green and White. She was the team's best competitor on bars, scoring a career-best 9.925 on the road at Michigan, Feb. 8, which is also the second-ranked score in the EMU record books. Throughout the year, she scored a 9.85 or better on seven occasions, including a streak of six in a row to end the regular season. Not only was Valentin great on bars, but she also had a stellar season on vault and beam as well. At Bowling Green, she posted a career-best 9.9 on vault, in addition to five scores of 9.8 or better on beam throughout the year. Finally, the sophomore also competed all-around at five meets, with her personal-best total of 39.200 coming at Michigan. Valentin closed the regular season at No. 5 on vault with a RQS of 9.820, No. 10 on beam with a 9.815, and No. 1 on bars with a 9.875.
Rounding out the trio, Conrad regularly competed all-around for the Green and White this year, scoring a career-best 39.350 to close the season at home against Central Michigan and Southeast Missouri State, March 10. Her score was also the team's best since 2003, and is the seventh-best in program history. In total, the sophomore posted an all-around score of 39 or better six times. During the course of the season, Conrad notched career-bests on all four events, including a 9.85 on vault, a 9.9 on bars, 9.875 on beam, and 9.85 on floor. She was also very consistent, only missing 2-of-43 routines. The Brighton, Mich. native finished the year at No. 8 on vault with a RQS of 9.800, No. 10 on bars with a 9.835, No. 2 on beam with a 9.850, and No. 2 all-around with a 39.125.
The Eagles travel to Muncie, Ind. for the Mid-American Conference Championships this Saturday, March 19. Action from Worthen Arena is slated to begin at 2 p.m.
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