Seniors lead gymnastics team to first MAC Championship since 2004


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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Jessica Suder puts an extraordinary amount of pressure on herself prior to her balance beam routines.

As the anchor in her only event, the CMU senior gymnast was needed by her team in Saturday’s Mid-American Conference Championships at Anderson Arena more than any other time this season.

After No. 24 CMU scored a pedestrian 48.45 on the uneven bars, it trailed Kent State by 0.475 points after its first rotation. Four of her five teammates in the lineup scored a 9.75 or higher. Suder needed to continue the trend to close the gap with Kent State at the half-way mark. If she did not, the team would have to count a costly 9.6 on the event.

“I was there for two routines and I walked out,” she said. “I mean, I knew we were doing good, but I didn’t know the scores — I didn’t know anything. Pressure? I mean, I was worried.”

But in the end, there was nothing to worry about. Suder scored a meet-high 9.875 to shave 0.15 points off the deficit. It was enough to springboard the Chippewas to a MAC Champion score of 195.6. Kent State, last year’s champion, finished second with a 195.05.

“The crowd was tremendously loud,” said CMU coach Jerry Reighard. “All the things, the distractions that we coached for I think really paid off. Jess was so tunnel vision.”

Reighard gave praise to balance beam coach Christine MacDonald and credited his team with fighting back.

“You win MAC Championships and you win big meets on balance beam,” he said.

CMU scored a meet-best 49.025 on the event and followed it with a meet-best 49.175 on the floor exercise.

Senior Katie Simon and juniors Cheryl Conlin and Andrea de la Garza tied three others with a meet-best 9.85 on the event.

Simon, the only other senior on the team, won the all-around with a 39.2 to claim her second MAC title in as many years. After a 9.675 score on the uneven bars, she came back with scores of 9.85 on the balance beam, 9.85 on the floor exercise and 9.825 on the vault.

“I know deep down inside after her bar routine, she’s thinking, ‘I blew the all-around, I blew the all-around,’ … she put it behind her, she came out, she attacked the beam,” Reighard said. “She’s absolutely the most decorated gymnasts in CMU history.”

After Kent State fell twice on the balance beam — its third rotation — and finished with a 48.25 on the event, CMU took the lead by 0.6 points and closed the win shortly after.

CMU finished the meet with a 48.95 score on the vault.

Just behind Simon, de la Garza and freshman Britney Taylor finished tied for second in the all-around with a 39.1.

Simon and Taylor tied for first on the vault (9.825).

Eastern Michigan placed third overall (193.625), Northern Illinois fourth (193.175), Ball State fifth (193.1), Western Michigan sixth (192.875) and host Bowling Green seventh (191.85).

See also: Gymnastics team claims three postseason awards, including Senior Gymnast of the Year (Simon), Coach of the Year (Reighard) and Freshman of the Year (Taylor).

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