No. 18 gymnastics favored to win record fifth consecutive MAC championship


No. 18 Gymnastics will be the highest ranked team at Saturday’s Mid-American Conference championships at Eastern Michigan, but head coach Jerry Reighard said that doesn’t guarantee anything.

“If we could mail in our scores, we would win,” Reighard said. “Statistically, we’re dominating every category. That’s not how it works. We all have to go, we all have to do it one more time, so that’s going to be the key. Who comes to compete and who’s going to be the team that’s most determined?”

A fifth consecutive MAC title would be a record. CMU collected four straight under Reighard from 1990-93 and have won 10 more since then.

While the Chippewas shared the title with Western Michigan last season current junior Halle Moraw was the only individual title, winning on floor.

“I would love to repeat as MAC floor champ,” Moraw said. “You know what, to be the beam and the vault champion too, that would be so great.”

The Clarkston native was named to the All-MAC First Team Wednesday, extending the Chippewas streak of having a gymnast on the list to seven consecutive years. Moraw suffered a scare Tuesday in practice, popping her shoulder out for the first time since her surgery.

“I’m very concerned about that, that’s a big three events for us, so we have to be very careful with her,” Reighard said. “Some of the other kids are being held together by baling twine and barbed wire.”

Moraw has scored a 9.85 or higher in all three of her events the past two weeks. She said she’s not about to give up at this point of the season.

“I’ll be fine, I’m ready to go,” Moraw said. “I’ve made it all year, so I’m not really going to let something stop me now.”

The one event Moraw does not compete on is bars, where she will be needed most. Bars is CMU's worst event, averaging a 48.679 per meet.

“Bars is one of my favorite events and it’s hard to sit back and watch knowing how amazing all those girls are in the lineup,” Moraw said. “It’s hard to see them struggle, but I know we’ll be fine this weekend.”

Moraw cannot compete on bars because of her shoulder, but plans to be back on the event next year after sitting out the past two years.

In a mock meet Tuesday during practice, Reighard said he would have given the team a 49.25 on bars, higher than they’ve scored on bars all year.

“We’re just working on all the little things to make our goal of hitting the six-for-six and we did it (Tuesday)," said sophomore Taylor Bolender. "So I think we’re on track.”

CMU will start the meet with a bye, followed by beam, floor, another bye, vault, another bye and will finish up on bars.

The 15-3 Chippewas suffered their only conference loss to the MAC regular season champions, Kent State. The Golden Flashes rank 26th in the nation and have the best chance of anybody to knock off CMU again.

“We don’t like Kent at all,” Moraw said. “We’re always after them and to beat them big would be wonderful.”

The meet begins at 2 p.m. Saturday in Ypsilanti.

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About Taylor DesOrmeau

Taylor DesOrmeau is a senior at Central Michigan University, majoring in integrative public relations ...

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