De la Garza, freshmen shine in California meet
The Central Michigan women’s gymnastics team won the Sacramento State quadrangular meet Friday with its best opening score since 2004.
The Chippewas tallied a 193.575 with Sacramento State finishing second (185.875), Alaska-Anchorage third (185.725) and Wisconsin-LaCrosse fourth (180.050).
“The mindset now is we can compete against anyone,” said head coach Jerry Reighard.
CMU won three of the four individual events along with taking the top three sports in the all-around.
The team started off winning the balance beam (48.550) as freshman Emily Heinz and senior Andrea de la Garza tied for first (9.775). De la Garza also finished first in the all-around with a score of 38.75.
“I don’t know if I have started off the season so well (before)," de la Garza said. "I just want to keep going from here."
Said Reighard: "Once we got past the balance beam we were able to push the envelope and that really helped us."
On its next event, floor, seniors de la Garza and Cheryl Conlin and freshman Brittany Petzold all tied for the top spot at 9.625 while CMU posted a mediocre 47.925.
The Chippewas rebounded on the vault, as sophomore Darrian Tissenbaum's career-high 9.825 helped them to finish first with a score of 48.450.
“We have been calling her a diamond in the rough," Reighard said of Tissenbaum. "She has worked extremely hard and now feels more a part of the team."
Then the team finished with a 48.650 on the uneven bars, taking the top five spots. Freshman Alysaa Wilson claimed the top spot with a 9.800.
The impact from the squad’s freshmen didn’t surprise Reighard. For each event, all three freshmen either tied or claimed CMU's top score.
“We watched them practice and had a good idea of how they could perform," Reighard said. "Their performances add depth to our team."
Heinz, recruited from H.D. Jacobs High School in Alogonquin, Ill., said she is excited about what her and the rest of the freshmen bring the table this season.
"With the four freshmen we have, I feel like we are going to have a really good year," Heinz said.
