Gymnastics can't keep up with LSU and UCLA, season ends at NCAA regionals
Gymnastics got off to a rocky start Saturday at the NCAA Regionals, and it couldn't keep up with No. 7 LSU and No. 6 UCLA and its near-perfect results.
The beam proved to be the biggest struggle as the Chippewas fell behind against some of the top teams in the nation. LSU and UCLA both scored above a 49.2, while CMU could not quite get past the 48.4 mark.
Although the Chippewas did not reach their desired score, they proved to everyone that they deserved to be at the regionals for their fifth-consecutive time with the floor routine.
CMU earned another high score on the floor, once again breaking the 49 mark for its seventh meet in a row. The floor routine of the Chippewas has improved in almost every meet this year.
Sophomore Taylor Noonan shined on beam, scoring a 9.875, showing great potential for next season. Junior Emily Heinz and sophomore Mid-American Conference champion Halle Moraw led the team on the floor, each earning 9.85s.
Junior Brittany Petzold scored a 39.1 in the all-around, placing her eighth of 16 in the competition.
No. 7 LSU took first place with an overall score of 197.275 followed by No. 6 UCLA with 196.95. The two top-10 powerhouses will advance the national championship, ending CMU's bid for the NCAA championships.
For seniors Meaghan McWhorter, Emily LaFontaine and Kari Dieffenderfer, it was their last meet, but they finished all four years with a MAC championship.
For the rest of the team, the majority being underclassmen, young athletes like Bolender and Kirsten Petzold will be in their sophomore year with NCAA regionals experience.
First team All-MAC and MAC all-around champion Brittany Petzold will return for her senior season next year to try to add additional titles to her name.
