Gymnastics team led by seniors in home finale
The CMU gymnastics team was slightly disappointed after Saturday’s Rose Arena finale against Ball State.
Not because it lost — it won 194.325-193.275 — but, after clinching a GymInfo top 25 ranking (No. 23) for the first time during the middle of the season since 2005, it wanted to do better.
“We scored a lot lower than we hoped to,” said senior Katie Simon. “We have potential to go much higher, like 196, and that is what we are going for against Bowling Green (next week).”
Simon and Jessica Suder, in their final career home meet, combined to win two individual events and the all-around Saturday. But despite reaching 194 for the fifth time in six meets, coach Jerry Reighard was not particularly encouraged by the team’s performance.
“Honestly, it’s disappointing,” he said. “The win was important, but we threw away a great opportunity. This won’t help us a great deal.”
Simon won the all-around with a 38.625 and Suder, a balance beam specialist, scored a season-high 9.875 as the anchor. The team scored a season-high 49.125 on the floor exercise.
CMU (11-2, 4-1 MAC) began the competition on the vault, where it recorded a 48.875, .775 points higher than BSU after the first rotation.
Leading the event was Simon with a 9.85 and sophomore Kristin Teubner, who finished second with a 9.825. Freshman Darrian Tissenbaum, in the No. 2 spot of the lineup, posted a 9.725.
The second rotation put the team on the uneven bars, where it scored a 48.75. The event was led by freshman Emily LaFontaine’s 9.8.
The balance beam again was problematic for CMU, and it lost by 1.025 (48.600-47.575) with two falls. Suder’s 9.875 controlled some of the damage, however.
“It was a great day for Jess,” Reighard said. “She has really shown what she is made of over her entire career. She maintained poise on the balance beam.”
Floor exercise
Prior to the team’s season-high performance on the floor exercise, the previous high score came in the last meet against then-No. 23 Arizona State (49.075). Teubner won the event with a 9.875.
A surprise addition into the lineup was redshirt freshman Samantha Piotrowski. A frequent exhibitionist on the floor exercise, Piotrowski replaced freshman Britney Taylor in the lineup and scored a 9.8. It was her first collegiate competition.
“We had to call on someone. (Samantha) has done a great job in exhibition,” Reighard said. “She did come through far beyond our expectations.”
Junior Andrea de la Garza finished third in the all-around with a 38.475. Following last week’s win against Arizona State, de la Garza was awarded the MAC Gymnast of the Week award. She scored above a 9.8 in all four events and shared the all-around victory with a personal high of 39.275 in Tempe, Ariz.
CMU next faces Bowling Green at 2 p.m. Sunday in Bowling Green, Ohio. It is the team’s final dual meet before the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 27.
CMU’s only MAC loss was to Kent State on Feb. 13. However, CMU (No. 23) is ranked higher than Kent State (No. 27) because of its regional qualifying score.
Taylor out with flu
Freshman Britney Taylor was scratched from the lineup because of flu symptoms through the last week. However, Reighard said the team is well rested.
“We gave them a lot of time off, but I don’t regret that because, right now, everyone is healthy and everyone feels good and that is something we haven’t had in a few years,” he said.
