Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, March 19
Muncie, Ind.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Championships
Photo by: Andrew Mascharka
Eagles Take Home Second MAC Championship in Program History
3/19/2016 6:39:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Green and White ran away with the title, as they were the only team to score above a 196
Complete Results
Muncie, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Following an incredible team performance, the No. 24 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team claimed its second Mid-American Conference Championship today, March 19. The Eagles, who notched a 196.425, took home the conference title by a wide margin, as second-place Ball State scored nearly eight tenths lower than the Green and White.
The conference championship is the second for the Eagles all-time, and the first since 2007. It also marked the largest margin of victory in a MAC Championships since 2014, as the Eagles finished in first by just less than eight tenths. In addition, the final score of 196.425 was also the team's second-highest in the EMU record books.
Overall, the Eagles' victory came in large part due to outstanding beam and floor rotations. Eastern broke the beam total record once again, notching a huge 49.325, which included four scores of 9.875 or better. On floor, the squad posted the third-highest floor score in the EMU record books at a 49.350, spearheaded by three 9.9's.
"It's amazing," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "I told the team it was going to be a close meet and it would come down to who focused on the details. The girls showed up and did amazing. It was the second highest score of the year for us, and they did a fantastic job. I'm so proud of what they did. We told them not to sweat the little things and just fight for everything. We started a bit tight on bars, but they picked up their energy and kept going. Beam got us really rolling, and they just kept fighting."
The Eagles began the day on bars following a bye rotation. The team got off to a quick start, totaling a 48.825 on the event. A pair of sophomores paved the way, as Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. – Brighton) notched a 9.8, while Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. – Holmdel) posted a huge 9.9 following a beautiful routine. Additionally, juniors Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Sturgeon Heights) and Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. – Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) each chipped in a 9.75. From bars, the Eagles carried the positive momentum over to beam.
The beam squad has been fantastic all season long, and tonight was no different, as the team scored a program record 49.325 behind four scores of 9.875 or better. Gervais posted her second mark of 9.9 or better on the season, as her fantastic routine finished with a 9.9. The sophomore duo then struck again, as Conrad and Valentin each scored a 9.875, while Rubin matched them with a 9.875 of her won following a great set. Finally, senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. – Whiteland Community) was the catalyst on the event, leading the Eagles off with a 9.8 to get the ball rolling. With two events completed, EMU led the field of six other teams with a 98.150.
"The beam group was amazing," said Santos. "They were rock-solid and they didn't give away anything. We've had a couple days where we were good but would be checking here and there, but today they stood tall. They were just amazing."
The team then traveled to floor, where the Green and White posted their highest floor total of the season with a 49.350, which is tied for third-best in EMU history. Ultimately, the Eagles finished with three 9.9's, all of which were personal bests, as well as a 9.85 and a 9.8. Conrad was the second competitor on the event, and scored a 9.8 to begin the streak. From there, freshman Ciara Gresham (Shiloh, Ill. – Belleville) tied her career-high with a 9.85 after a routine featuring very powerful tumbling. From there, junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Kelvin) scored a career-best 9.9, after which Ebeyer matched her with a personal-best 9.9 of her own. To close out the rotation, sophomore Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. – Holly Springs) posted a beautiful routine, also scoring a career-high 9.9. With just one event remaining, the Eagles sat in first with a three-event total of 147.500.
With other teams still within striking distance, the Eagles needed to close the meet with another strong rotation. Notching a 48.925, the Green and White did just that through five consistent vaults. Ebeyer got the event started with a 9.775, after which sophomore Julia Schwartz (Gilbert, Ariz. – Mesquite) posted a 9.75. From there, Gresham nabbed a personal-best 9.75, while Conrad pitched in a 9.8. Slocum then scored a 9.85 after a beautiful handspring front pike 1/2 to round out the five counting scores. The Eagles then had to wait while other teams finished up to figure out where they finished. With the final scores tallied, the Green and White emerged victorious, with Ball State and Bowling Green coming up short.
Following the competition, Slocum was also named MAC Specialist of the Year. The Eagles also placed four on the All-Tournament Team, which was the most of any programs in attendance. Conrad, Gervais, Slocum, and Valentin all earned the honor.
With the MAC Championships finished, the Eagles now turn their sights towards NCAA Regionals. The Green and White will learn their fate on Monday at 4 p.m. through the NCAA Gymnastics Selection Show. The broadcast can be viewed by clicking here.
Muncie, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Following an incredible team performance, the No. 24 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team claimed its second Mid-American Conference Championship today, March 19. The Eagles, who notched a 196.425, took home the conference title by a wide margin, as second-place Ball State scored nearly eight tenths lower than the Green and White.
The conference championship is the second for the Eagles all-time, and the first since 2007. It also marked the largest margin of victory in a MAC Championships since 2014, as the Eagles finished in first by just less than eight tenths. In addition, the final score of 196.425 was also the team's second-highest in the EMU record books.
Overall, the Eagles' victory came in large part due to outstanding beam and floor rotations. Eastern broke the beam total record once again, notching a huge 49.325, which included four scores of 9.875 or better. On floor, the squad posted the third-highest floor score in the EMU record books at a 49.350, spearheaded by three 9.9's.
"It's amazing," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "I told the team it was going to be a close meet and it would come down to who focused on the details. The girls showed up and did amazing. It was the second highest score of the year for us, and they did a fantastic job. I'm so proud of what they did. We told them not to sweat the little things and just fight for everything. We started a bit tight on bars, but they picked up their energy and kept going. Beam got us really rolling, and they just kept fighting."
The Eagles began the day on bars following a bye rotation. The team got off to a quick start, totaling a 48.825 on the event. A pair of sophomores paved the way, as Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. – Brighton) notched a 9.8, while Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. – Holmdel) posted a huge 9.9 following a beautiful routine. Additionally, juniors Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Sturgeon Heights) and Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. – Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) each chipped in a 9.75. From bars, the Eagles carried the positive momentum over to beam.
The beam squad has been fantastic all season long, and tonight was no different, as the team scored a program record 49.325 behind four scores of 9.875 or better. Gervais posted her second mark of 9.9 or better on the season, as her fantastic routine finished with a 9.9. The sophomore duo then struck again, as Conrad and Valentin each scored a 9.875, while Rubin matched them with a 9.875 of her won following a great set. Finally, senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. – Whiteland Community) was the catalyst on the event, leading the Eagles off with a 9.8 to get the ball rolling. With two events completed, EMU led the field of six other teams with a 98.150.
"The beam group was amazing," said Santos. "They were rock-solid and they didn't give away anything. We've had a couple days where we were good but would be checking here and there, but today they stood tall. They were just amazing."
The team then traveled to floor, where the Green and White posted their highest floor total of the season with a 49.350, which is tied for third-best in EMU history. Ultimately, the Eagles finished with three 9.9's, all of which were personal bests, as well as a 9.85 and a 9.8. Conrad was the second competitor on the event, and scored a 9.8 to begin the streak. From there, freshman Ciara Gresham (Shiloh, Ill. – Belleville) tied her career-high with a 9.85 after a routine featuring very powerful tumbling. From there, junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Kelvin) scored a career-best 9.9, after which Ebeyer matched her with a personal-best 9.9 of her own. To close out the rotation, sophomore Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. – Holly Springs) posted a beautiful routine, also scoring a career-high 9.9. With just one event remaining, the Eagles sat in first with a three-event total of 147.500.
With other teams still within striking distance, the Eagles needed to close the meet with another strong rotation. Notching a 48.925, the Green and White did just that through five consistent vaults. Ebeyer got the event started with a 9.775, after which sophomore Julia Schwartz (Gilbert, Ariz. – Mesquite) posted a 9.75. From there, Gresham nabbed a personal-best 9.75, while Conrad pitched in a 9.8. Slocum then scored a 9.85 after a beautiful handspring front pike 1/2 to round out the five counting scores. The Eagles then had to wait while other teams finished up to figure out where they finished. With the final scores tallied, the Green and White emerged victorious, with Ball State and Bowling Green coming up short.
Following the competition, Slocum was also named MAC Specialist of the Year. The Eagles also placed four on the All-Tournament Team, which was the most of any programs in attendance. Conrad, Gervais, Slocum, and Valentin all earned the honor.
With the MAC Championships finished, the Eagles now turn their sights towards NCAA Regionals. The Green and White will learn their fate on Monday at 4 p.m. through the NCAA Gymnastics Selection Show. The broadcast can be viewed by clicking here.
Gymnast of the Year: Rachel Stypinski, Kent State
Specialist of the Year: Rachel Slocum, Eastern Michigan
Senior Gymnast of the Year: Alyssa Nocella, Bowling Green
Freshman of the Year: Kasey Janowicz, Central Michigan
Coach of the Year: Brice Biggin, Kent State
2016 All-Tournament Team
Denasiha Christian, Ball State
Lauren Feely, Bowling Green
Laura Mitchell, Bowling Green
Catie Conrad, Eastern Michigan
Natalie Gervais, Eastern Michigan
Rachel Slocum, Eastern Michigan
Kendall Valentin, Eastern Michigan
Taylor Bolender, Central Michigan
Megan Lamphere, Central Michigan
Bryttany Kaplan, Central Michigan
Jordan Hardison, Kent State
Team Results
1. Eastern Michigan 196.425
2. Ball State 195.650
3. Bowling Green 195.625
4. Central Michigan 195.600
5. Kent State 195.325
6. Northern Illinois 194.975
7. Western Michigan 194.900
Eagles Results (*denotes career high, # denotes a program record)
Team 196.425
Vault 48.925
Rachel Slocum 9.85
Catie Conrad 9.80
Kimberly Ebeyer 9.775
Ciara Gresham 9.75*
Julia Schwartz 9.75
Kendall Valentin 9.70
Bars 48.825
Kendall Valentin 9.90
Catie Conrad 9.80
Natalie Gervais 9.75
Lacey Rubin 9.75
Julia Schwartz 9.625*
Sydney McEachern 9.6
Beam 49.325#
Natalie Gervais 9.90
Catie Conrad 9.875*
Lacey Rubin 9.875
Kendall Valentin 9.875*
Kimberly Ebeyer 9.80
Megan Hultgren 9.75
Floor 49.350
Kimberly Ebeyer 9.90*
Sydney McEachern 9.90*
Rachel Slocum 9.90*
Ciara Gresham 9.85*
Catie Conrad 9.80
Natalie Gervais 9.50
All-Around
Catie Conrad 39.275
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Gymnastics
V, BB, FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
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