Eastern Michigan Athletics
Valentin Named Regular Season All-American
3/27/2017 10:34:00 AM | Gymnastics
This marks EMU's first ever All-American honor
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — The National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches for Women (NACGC/W) announced Friday, March 24, that junior Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. - Holmdel) received regular season All-American honors. This marks the first time in program history that an Eagle has earned the award, which debuted in 2013.
Regular season All-American honors are based on a gymnast's final regional qualifying score (RQS), which comes prior to regional competition. The first team honorees rank 1-8 in the country on their respective events, while second team is reserved for spots 9-16.
Valentin, who had an incredible season for the Green and White, finished the season in a tie for the No. 7 spot in the nation on bars. The junior's RQS of 9.925 tied her with Lexie Priessman of LSU and Amelia Hundley of Florida. This year, Valentin tied the program record on bars, scoring a 9.950 at West Virginia, March 5, while also scoring a 9.925 five times this season and posting a 9.900-or-better on seven occasions.
The Holmdel, N.J. native is racking up plenty of hardware this season, as she was named Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week three times, in addition to also being named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week twice. Additionally, she earned First Team All-MAC honors, while also earning a spot on the 2017 All-Tournament Team.
Valentin and the Eagles will travel to Champaign, Ill. this weekend, April 1, for the team's second ever NCAA Regionals competition, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in the State Farm Center. Joining the Eagles at the Champaign Regional will be No. 5 UCLA, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 17 Iowa, No. 19 Illinois, and No. 26 Ohio State. To order tickets, visit the University of Illinois website at www.fightingillini.com. Additional information can also be found on www.NCAA.com/wgymnastics.
Regular season All-American honors are based on a gymnast's final regional qualifying score (RQS), which comes prior to regional competition. The first team honorees rank 1-8 in the country on their respective events, while second team is reserved for spots 9-16.
Valentin, who had an incredible season for the Green and White, finished the season in a tie for the No. 7 spot in the nation on bars. The junior's RQS of 9.925 tied her with Lexie Priessman of LSU and Amelia Hundley of Florida. This year, Valentin tied the program record on bars, scoring a 9.950 at West Virginia, March 5, while also scoring a 9.925 five times this season and posting a 9.900-or-better on seven occasions.
The Holmdel, N.J. native is racking up plenty of hardware this season, as she was named Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week three times, in addition to also being named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week twice. Additionally, she earned First Team All-MAC honors, while also earning a spot on the 2017 All-Tournament Team.
Valentin and the Eagles will travel to Champaign, Ill. this weekend, April 1, for the team's second ever NCAA Regionals competition, which is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. in the State Farm Center. Joining the Eagles at the Champaign Regional will be No. 5 UCLA, No. 8 Oregon State, No. 17 Iowa, No. 19 Illinois, and No. 26 Ohio State. To order tickets, visit the University of Illinois website at www.fightingillini.com. Additional information can also be found on www.NCAA.com/wgymnastics.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ GymnasticsCinematic Highlights: MAC Gymnastics Championships
Sunday, March 23
Cinematic Highlights: Gymnastics vs WMU + Wilberforce
Friday, February 28
Cinematic Highlights: Gymnastics vs. Kent State
Tuesday, January 28
Cinematics Highlights: Gymnastics Golden Girls Classic
Saturday, January 18