Head coach Jerry Reighard is looking forward to having some of his former athletes back in town.

“We have our former alumni come back for a gathering,” Reighard said. “It’s just a good time for everyone, some come over to our house for a pregame meal. Then on Saturday they all sit in the club and cheer us on.”

The Chippewas (4-0 in the MAC) will have to overcome injury problems when they host Kent State (2-1).

Senior Samantha Piotrowski, sophomore Emily Heinz and a handful of freshmen have been lost for much of the season with injuries.

Reighard said he knows injuries are part of the sport, but admits that this many injuries are not common.

Sophomore Meaghan McWhorter, and freshman Rebecca Druien are overcoming serious injuries. They should return to competition this weekend baring any set backs.

“It’s not common, it’s a lot of injuries, we’re not used to that,” Reighard said. “Some of the injuries happened to freshmen athletes before they even got here. The bulk of injuries happen in practice, we fall a lot. We’re a contact sport, but we don’t wear pads.”

Senior Kristin Teubner is coming off her best meet of the season, scoring a 39.275 all-around score. That helped Teubner earn MAC gymnastic of the week honors.

Scoring a 196 as a team score is always the goal for CMU under Reighard. This year however, the team has fallen short, averaging scores in the 192 range.

Reighard is looking to pick up a few more points this weekend against the Golden Flashes.

“If everybody on the team improves by a half of tenth, that’s one point toward the team score,” Reighard said. “Our biggest obstacle is we haven’t had a meet, where we haven’t counted a fall. Last weekend we had two falls each in two events, there’s two points right there.”

Even with all the falls, Reighard said he is still confident with the team he has put together during all the injuries.

“I’m confident we have the personnel to do so,” Reighard said “But it’s going to take everyone’s best physical and mental effort.”

CMU is going through a tough stretch on the schedule. The team placed third in the Illinois/Michigan Challenge, and lost to Texas Woman’s University the week before.

Reighard is poised to stay undefeated in the MAC. He said it’s what matters to him the most.

“It’s paramount. That’s our number one goal,” Reighard said. “At the end of the season, the team with the best MAC record gets to choose what event they start on at the tournament.”

The Chippewas were behind Illinois State and Illinois-Chicago, but managed to beat fellow Mid-American Conference member Eastern Michigan. By beating EMU, CMU is now 4-0 in the MAC.

Head coach Jerry Reighard was unavailable for comment.

Senior Kristin Teubner had her best meet of the season. She scored a 39.275 all-around. Teubner scored first-place overall scores on the beam and floor at the meet.

With freshman all-around Rebecca Druien out with an elbow injury, the Chippewas had to count on other freshmen.

Freshman Halle Moraw scored a 9.775 on the floor exercise, while Taylor Noonan scored a career-high 9.8 on the balance beam.

CMU has now beat EMU in 12 straight meets.

CMU (8-3) next competes on Saturday, when they host rival Kent State.

It is the annual Illinois vs. Michigan challenge and it is at Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. Friday in Ypsilanti.

The Texas Woman’s University loss will have some lingering affects with freshman Rebecca Druien and sophomore Meaghan McWhorter getting injured during the meet.

Head coach Jerry Reighard said Druien will not be competing at the meet on Friday.

“It’s really unknown at this point, she sustained an injury to her elbow,” Reighard said. “She hasn’t practiced all week.”

One member of the team that has been counted on throughout the season is sophomore Brittany Petzold.

Petzold scored an all-around score of 39.300, while scoring 9.825 on vault, 9.850 on bars, 9.750 on beam, and 9.875 on floor.

Her efforts were rewarded with her second Mid-American Conference gymnast of the week award.

“Brittany is a very determined young lady, I don’t think many athletes have the competitive drive that Brittany does,” Reighard said. “That means a lot to our team, and to our program.”

The loss was a learning experiencing especially to the freshmen.

“It really brought to the attention of the freshmen that a tenth can contribute to a loss or a win,” Reighard said. “For us to be a great team, each individual has to be able to depend on everyone else.”

Against Texas Woman’s University, CMU had some line up changes. It was to experiment on who was comfortable on what events.

Reighard experimented with the line up last meet, and is still looking for that perfect combination.

“We were trying to find score building,” Reighard said. “Score building is when you put together the right combination, the previous routine should help improve the score. I think we are still looking for that combination.”

CMU will be competing against EMU, Illinois State, and University of Illinois-Chicago. Last year, CMU took first place at the event.

“We don’t think we will be full strength at this meet,” Reighard said. “Druien is out, and we are skeptical that Meaghan McWhorter will compete. We are looking at a line up that probably won’t include six competitors on each event.”

The Central Michigan gymnastics team (7-1, 3-0) split over the weekend but won its Mid-American Conference match over Eastern Michigan.

On Friday, CMU competed in a tri-meet at EMU along with Texas Woman’s University.

The Chippewas were able to hold off EMU 193.325 to 192.725. Texas Woman’s University placed third with a score of 190.550.

The same Texas Woman’s University pulled off an upset on Sunday in Mount Pleasant.

After performing well on the vault, the bars proved to be a complete disaster for the Chippewas.

Freshman Rebecca Druien landed awkwardly and was unable to continue the rest of the meet. Senior Kristen Teubner also struggled maintaining momentum on bars, which led to the team’s final score being 46.175.

Sophomore Brittany Petzold scored a 39.300 all-around score. A score of 39 or higher has eluded CMU this season until this point.

“I was really excited on how I did,” Petzold said. “I felt like I didn’t let the pressure get to me. There was a lot of pressure on me, because we had a few mistakes on the past events.”

If there was any blame to be passed around, head coach Jerry Reighard is asking to take it.

“I take full responsibility of what happened today,” Reighard said. “I had totally changed my approach to this meet. I wasn’t Jerry Reighard, I was low key.”

CMU did some experimenting this meet to find out who is comfortable in which events. The results were not pleasing.

“We made some line-up changes, put people in different positions to see where they will compete best,” Reighard said. “That did not seem to work in our benefit. We are having a real difficult time putting 24 positive things together in a meet.”

While the loss stings CMU, it doesn’t hurt them in the MAC standings, in which they are still undefeated.

Reighard believes Druien’s injury might be a torn ligament in her elbow.

The injury forced freshman Kylie Fagan to perform on the floor. The timing gave Reighard and Fagan 10 minutes to make up a routine.

Fagan ended up scoring a 9.650, a great score for just making the routine up.

“Bless her heart, she came to me and said if you need someone to go on floor I’m here,” Reighard said. “We made the tumbling up in 10 minutes.”

The team has not performed up to the standards of scoring 196s during the meets.

Reighard was surprised that a day where the team struggled hasn’t happened earlier.

“To be honest, I’m surprised it hasn’t happened before this,” Reighard said. “We have been competing very well, but perhaps we were due.”

Win at EMU

Druien continued her strong season with the top all-around score of 38.775, scoring a 9.725 in three out of four events.

Petzold notched the top score of the meet with a 9.850 on bars.

The floor exercise proved to be the Chippewas toughest event. The team had two falls counted against them and scored a season low 47.800.

The victory over EMU marked the 25^th consecutive win for the Chippewas over the MAC.

The Chippewas (5-0, 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference) will face Eastern Michigan (0-1, 0-1), and Texas Women’s University at 7 p.m. Friday in Ypsilanti.

Texas Women’s University (3-1) will follow CMU back to Mount Pleasant for another meet at 1 p.m. Sunday in McGuirk Arena.

Friday’s meet against Eastern Michigan should give CMU its biggest challenge of the weekend, and more important because it is an in-conference match.

“The Friday night meet will be the important meet. It’s the MAC meet counter for us,” head coach Jerry Reighard said. “To continue to control our own destiny we need to have a MAC win against Eastern.”

While CMU has a road meet, it’s a luxury that the team only has about a two-hour ride. Reighard doesn’t believe that fatigue will be a factor because the Chippewas will still be sticking to their basic routine over the weekend.

“If we were on the road I think that would be a bigger factor,” Reighard said. “We’ll be back home Friday night, and then we’ll have our team meal on Saturday night. We’ll be ready to go on Sunday.”

CMU is coming off a win despite what Reighard said was a disappointing performance against Ball State.

The high standards Reighard has for the team remains a focus for the weekend. The team totaled a score of 193.350 against Ball State. That is three points less that Reighard’s goal of 196.

He said he is trying to get him team to think differently going into this weekend.

“They need to come outside of their own little bubble. We kind of locked ourselves into a situation, we’ve conditioned ourselves to do what we want,” Reighard said. “My statement to them is if you think like you’ve always thought, then your going to do like you’ve always done. We have to think totally different.”

Against Ball State all three all-arounders, Kristin Teubner, Brittany Petzold, and Rebecca Druien, scored below 39 points.

“I think our whole situation that we put ourselves into is we’ve settled on this plateau on the mountain,” Reighard said. “Right now we don’t think we can climb to the next plateau.”

In order to change the mindset of the team, Reighard is willing to take some chances.

“The danger in gymnastics is that when you do something different it could have a little bit of ramifications. That’s when you make mistakes that cost you more,” Reighard said. “I’m willing to take that chance because the team has to climb off that plateau and reach the next level, that’s the plan this weekend.”

Just winning is no longer good enough for coach Jerry Reighard and the Central Michigan gymnastics team.

CMU defeated Ball State on Saturday afternoon in Mount Pleasant 193.350 to 190.100 to improve their record to 3-0.

But despite the win, poor performances made Reighard visibly frustrated.

“I was disappointed in the fact that we couldn’t close it, the way I know we can close it,” Reighard said. “We actually let Ball State believe they were competitive with us, and we can’t do that. That’s not CMU gymnastics.”

Senior Kristin Teubner scored a 9.8 on the vault and floor, but fell off the balance beam.

“It’s not the outcome we were looking for,” Teubner said. “Me personally, I can’t fall on beam, that’s not acceptable and it will definitely change.”

CMU wanted to achieve certain goals; one of them was to have an all-arounder score a 39 or better for the meet.

All three all-arounders for CMU failed to do so.

“We set some lofty goals for this meet that we did not obtain,” Reighard said. “I know that they are obtainable, and it’s my job to get those things to happen, and they will happen.”

The Chippewas were successful on the bars. Four out of six members scored a 9.7 or better.

“We had a few highlights today, some people scored better than their best,” Teubner said. “That’s something we are always striving for.”

Because of the poor performances a lot of pressure has been put on the shoulders of Teubner and sophomore Brittany Petzold.

That’s a big burden for Teubner which may have felt some of that pressure Saturday.

“Yeah there has always been pressure since I was a sophomore here,” Teubner said. “That’s my role here, I have to be the leader. I have to be the one getting the 9.8’s, I have to step up and be the senior I know I can be.”

Freshman Rebecca Druien had the top CMU all-around score with 38.725. Druien was pleased with her performance, but still has a lot to work on.

“Overall I did a lot better on certain areas,” Druien said. “I know my vault can be better, and I have to fix some form issues, the little steps.”

It is the little steps that will be driving Reighard the next few weeks to beat Kent State on Feb. 11. Kent State put a 194.150 in its meet.

“We are competing against a team that is in Ohio that scored a 194,” Reighard said. “I won’t rest until I know we are better than they are.”

The gymnastics team is back in action 7 p.m. Friday when the team travels to Eastern Michigan.

CMU gymnastics team will look to make it 23-straight Mid-American Conference wins against Ball State Saturday at 1 p.m. in McGuirk Arena. (Paige Calamari/Staff Photographer)

The Central Michigan gymnastics team looks to continue the streak of domination over Mid-American Conference teams at 1 p.m. Saturday at McGuirk Arena against Ball State.

With 23-straight MAC wins, head coach Jerry Reighard and his team are looking to continue the streak.

“We are here to do just that, we want to control the conference as our number-one goal,” Reighard said.

Senior Kristin Teubner and sophomore Brittany Petzold will need to perform well to keep the streak alive.

They both contributed early this season with Teubner scoring a 9.825 on the floor against Bowling Green, while Petzold scored a 9.8 on the bars.

“There is a great deal of pressure on them, they are almost our sole returners,” Reighard said. “They will feel the weight of the team, especially this weekend.”

Reighard has the team working on becoming a balanced team, something he is always striving for his teams.

“It’s still very early in the season but, we’ve been good on bars. I’ve been very pleased with our performance on the balance beam,” he said. “Just like in other sports, the team has to be complete in all phases. A football team can’t just be a third quarter team and win.

“We just can’t be a one-event team. Being good on one event won’t carry a team to victory.”

Kylie Fagan won MAC specialist of the week after posting a 9.7 on the bars and 9.75 on the balance beam.

CMU will be competing against tMAC gymnast of the week, Ball State senior Kayla Kmiecik.

Kmiecik posted a career high 9.8 on the floor, and 9.625’s on the bars and balance beam in the Cardinals first victory of the season over Illinois State.

Reighard would like to see one of his all-around members get a 39 overall score. It hasn’t happened yet this season, but it’s something that Reighard wants his team to focus on at this meet.

“I’d like one of our athletes to hit 39 as a totaled score for their events,” Reighard said. “I think Teubner, Petzold and Druien all have the ability to hit 39. That’s something that has to happen at this meet, one or even all of them hit 39.”

Junior all-arounder Samantha Piotrowski center, reacted as she screamed joyously with teammates after she saw the overall score, putting CMU in the lead after the first event of four at the gymnastics meet Sunday at McGuirk Arena. CMU took first place in a meet of four teams, including Wisconsin- La Crosse, Wisconsin Eau Claire and Centenary. (Jake May/Staff Photographer)

Senior Samantha Piotrowski lay on the mat in disbelief after landing awkwardly on her arm during a practice series of flips.

“When I heard the pop, I felt uncertainty,” Piotrowski said.

She instantly erupted in tears, and soon the rest of her team surrounded her sobbing. Piotrowski ruptured her ulnar collateral ligament, and just like that the Central Michigan gymnastics’ senior captain’s career was over.

“It was life changing when I found out it was career ending,” Piotrowski said. “After doing gymnastics for 18 years — it was devastating.”

All her teammates could do was wipe away their tears, circle up and pray as she left practice.

But Piotrowski is not feeling bad for herself and leaving the program and moving on with her life.

She’s doing the one thing an injured captain can do: Be another coach and a leader.

“Well I definitely think that as a senior, that the experience that I have, even the juniors and sophomores lack,” Piotrowski said. “As a senior I think it’s my job to lead by example.”

The ulnar collateral ligament injury in her elbow happened Dec. 30, nine days before gymnastics’ first meet. She still went to that first meet, but as an inspirational leader instead of a performer.

The Naperville, Ill., native will continue to lead the team as captain even without competing. One of her goals as leader will be keeping the team calm in pressure-filled atmospheres.

“Especially when there is a competition setting where there is pressure,” Piotrowski said. ”Keeping your head on straight, keep poised and do things that you practice in the gym everyday.”

Head coach Jerry Reighard expects Piotrowski to lead, too.

“Her role obviously has changed, but she is still the captain of the team,” Reighard said.  “The underclassmen have looked to her over the last three months, and that’s not going to change. They still need to depend on her to be there to inspire them, and that’s a role that she will make.”

She plans to be another coach for the team.

“I’m one more eye in the gym, where now I don’t have to focus on myself. I can put all my energy toward them,” Piotrowski said. “I can lead by motivating them and speaking to them. My part on the team isn’t gone, it’s just very different.”

It is easy to learn from someone that has had so much success.

Piotrowski has been on back-to-back Mid-American Conference champion teams, and led them on bars.

Looking back, her favorite memory is when CMU hosted the MAC championships last year.

“Last year we hosted MAC championships and it was honestly the best energy and home crowd,” Piotrowski said. “And we absolutely blew the competition out of the water, the next team was almost a whole point behind us.”

She said it was a great send-off for the seniors.

“To do that in front of your home crowd, it was a great feeling. For our seniors, as their final send-off. It was the best feeling, it was really fun,” Piotrowski said.

Piotrowski certainly won’t let her injury stop her from achieving the next goals she has in life.

“Well, I’d like to work in some sort of broadcasting area, focusing on sports. I’d like to work with College Gameday, be the Erin Andrews (ESPN sideline reporter) type deal,” Piotrowski said. “But first I’m going to try and be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.”

The victory marks the 23^rd consecutive victory for CMU (4-0, 1-0) over Mid-American Conference opponents.

Freshman all-around Brittany Petzold earned her second-straight first-place finish Saturday against Bowling Green. (Paige Calamari/Staff Photographer)

Head coach Jerry Reighard predicted that senior Kristin Teubner, and sophomore Brittany Petzold would step up and lead the team against Bowling Green. His prediction was spot on.

Both scored of over 9.7 on an event. Teubner scored a 9.825 on the floor, while Petzold scored a 9.8 on the bars. Both finished with identical 38.200 all-around scores. The first-place finish for Petzold was her second straight.

Freshmen Rebecca Druien scored a 9.775 on the balance beam, a season high. The youth movement included sophomore Meaghan McWhorter, who posted a 9.75 on the floor and a 9.8 on the vault.

Bowling Green was led by Megan Harrington, who compiled an all-around score of 37.925. In Danielle Wishart only event for BGSU, she scored a 9.85 on the vault.

Central Michigan held a decisive advantage on the balance beam, and bars, outscoring the Falcons by a one point in each category.

The Chippewas will try and continue their streak of domination over MAC opponents when CMU hosts Ball State on Jan. 21^st.

So Kristin’s mother Connie Tuebner decided it would be after to put her daughter into a gymnastics program.

“My mom thought that it wasn’t very safe, so she stuck me in a program at the local Y,” Teubner said.

Now a senior at Central Michigan, Teubner hasn’t stopped doing flips.

Last year she was the Mid-American Conference co-gymnast of the year, following a season she was named to the MAC all-academic team. Teubner was also the MAC’s top performer on the vault and floor.

Becoming a leader

Since her freshman year, when she won the MAC Freshman of the Year award, Teubner has been producing for the CMU gymnastics team. But now during her last year on the squad she faces a different challenge.

“I’m one of the captains, so I’m going to have more of a vocal role this year,” Teubner said. “In the past I’ve been a leader by example, so I’m pretty excited about that.”

Head coach Jerry Reighard expects Teubner to lead.

“She is captain of the team this year, she’s very inspirational to the entire team,” Reighard said.

But Teubner still expects greatness from herself.

“I’ll be more vocal in the gym, and be a leader that way. But also in the gym being an all-arounder, and current MAC champion,” she said. “I try to step up my game by showing everyone how to do it right the first time and how it should be done.”

Fellow senior captain Samantha Piotrowski has been with Kristin from the beginning.

“Kristin is one of the most valuable girls we have on the team, she is one of the most outstanding all-arounders on the team,” Piotrowski said. “You can’t replace Kristin’s gymnastics, it’s a statement to how hard she has worked since coming here, because she wasn’t as phenomenal as she is now.”

After racking up awards her first three years, Teubner has pushed her goals higher.

“I just try and focus on making myself better each day, and focusing on my goals like going to Nationals this year, and I’d like to repeat as MAC champion. So if I take care of those goals, other things will take care of themselves,” Teubner said.

Teubner has been a key member on back-to-back MAC championship teams. But not winning it her freshmen year is what has Teubner motivated.

“It feels awesome to win a MAC championship, but my freshmen year we missed out on being champions,” she said. “It was heart breaking so it’s great that we’ve done it the past two years, to get a third would be amazing.”

The health-fitness major with a 3.7 GPA has caught the public’s eye with her academics.

Recently Teubner received the Dick-Enberg Scholar Athlete of the Year award. The award recognizes a junior athlete that excels in both academics and athletics.

“It’s a great honor, there are so many awesome athletes here at Central that do well in academics as well as on the field and the fact that they thought I was the top person for this year is a really great feeling,” she said.

Teubner said she wants to go out on top as a senior.

“My goal for this year is to be MAC senior of the year, repeat as MAC champion and compete at nationals,” she said.