2008 Woodie Awards
Senior send off
Gymnastics beats Ball State in last home meet
By: Justin Berndt
Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: Sports
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CMU scored 1.15 higher than the Cardinals on the event. However, the Chippewas watched their lead shrink over the course of the night, but ended up with a 192.15-191.95 win.
"After vault I thought, 'Alright, this is our night - this is where we wanted to be,'" said coach Jerry Reighard. "(But) it was just scary after vault. We kept opening the door, and opening the door, and quite honestly we couldn't close the door."
CMU's struggles on the balance beam continued, as the team was forced to count two falls. It finished the event with a 47.6. Ball State's performance on the floor exercise kept it in the meet. The Cardinals scored 48.775 on the event, with two gymnasts scoring 9.8.
Freshman Andrea de la Garza, sophomore Katie Simon and Junior Jessica Neel all had vault scores of 9.8 or higher. De la Garza's career-high vault score of 9.925 brought a roar from the crowd.
"Right before my vault, Jerry was like, 'Close your eyes and visualize the perfect vault,' and that's what I did," de la Garza said.
Seniors Danielle Espinoza and Jenna D'Alie had strong nights in their last meet at Rose Arena. Espinoza scored a 9.825 on the floor exercise and a 9.85 on the balance beam, and won the individual title on the both events.
"It was amazing; it was everything I thought it would be," Espinoza said. "It was rewarding and a great crowd, and I'm going to miss it."
D'Alie received a 9.525 on the balance beam, a meet-best 9.8 on the uneven bars and a 9.7 on her first floor exercise routine of the season.
"I couldn't be more proud of the seniors. They absolutely carried the meet for us, and when it came down to it, Jenna absolutely stepped up," Reighard said. "If you would have asked me at the beginning of the season if Jenna would compete, I would have said, 'I'm not sure.' So for her to do three events is absolutely amazing."
Freshman Cheryl Conlin continues to build on a solid freshman campaign. She scored a career-high 9.75 on the floor exercise, tied a career high with a 9.725 on the vault and scored a 9.65 on the balance beam.
"I think my mindset has changed. I put myself in meet situations every routine I do," Conlin said. "It helps me when I come to a meet. I'm not as nervous."
Sophomore Laura Rogers competed on the balance beam for the first time since a broken left ankle limited her to uneven bars in competition. Rogers scored a 9.45 in an exhibition routine.
"I think Laura surprised herself," Reighard said. "We wanted to put her in last week and she just sucked it up."
Central (6-11, 4-4 Mid-American Conference) travels to Western Michigan for a 1 p.m. meet on Friday in its last test before the Mid-American Conference Championships in Kent, Ohio, the following week.
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