Mistakes cost Central Michigan gymnastics in NCAA regional
Small mistakes cost the No. 25 ranked Central Michigan gymnastics team on Saturday as it finished sixth in the Tuscaloosa, Ala., region, failing to qualify for the NCAA nationals.
Ending the meet with a 195.075, the Chippewas, the fifth seed in the meet, finished in last behind No. 1 Alabama (197.275), No. 14 Illinois (195.925), No. 11 Penn State (195.850), No. 22 Auburn(195.600) and unranked Kentucky (195.600).
Needing to finish in the top two spots in order to qualify for the next round, CMU missed the No. 2 spot by .850 points.
The Chippewas began the meet with a bye, but competed in the bars in the first rotation and scored a 48.575. Senior Andrea de La Garza led the team with a 9.800, finishing 10th in the event. Freshman Alyssa Wilson also posted a 9.725 in the event.
The balance beam was the second rotation for CMU, where junior Kristin Teubner (9.800), de La Garza (9.775) and freshman Emily Heinz (9.775) led the squad to a total of 48.825 points.
The third rotation pitted the Chippewas on the floor exercise. A strong event for the team as of late, averaging scores of 48.800 this season, the team finished below average Saturday with a 48.775. De La Garza again led the squad with a 9.800, which was good enough again for the No. 10 spot.
The final rotation saw CMU finish on the vault, where sophomore Brittney Taylor claimed the No. 7 spot with her team-leading 9.825. Three Chippewas (Meaghan McWhorter, Teubner and de La Garza) posted matching 9.775 scores.
De La Garza and Taylor were the top finishers in the all-around category for CMU, with de la Garza leading the team with a 39.150, good enough for No. 8 overall. Taylor posted a season-high 39.025 which placed her at No. 12 overall.
The Chippewas ended their 2011 campaign with a 23-6 overall record and perfect 12-0 mark in the Mid-American Conference. Winning the regular season title and conference tournament, the team also qualified for their third consecutive NCAA regional tournament.
