CMU gymnastics notches first home win against Western
Central Michigan graduate student all-around Lia Kmieciak celebrates after her bar routine during a meet against Western Michigan in McGuirk Arena, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. Kmieciak scored a total of 9.900 from the judges. (CM-Life | Alivia Cranick)
Central Michigan gymnastics continued its winning ways at home this Sunday, beating rival Western Michigan 195.000-194.675.
“For us, the message was come in and do what we have been training to do,” said CMU head coach Christine MacDonald. “We really wanted to showcase each individual routine.”
With the victory, CMU extends its 14-meet win streak at home, including a Mid-American Conference Championship win last season. Returning to McGuirk Arena for the first time this year, the pressure was on the Chippewas in their home opener against a deep-seated rivalry.
Despite the Broncos taking the first rotation, CMU was energized and shone on the uneven bars in the next rotation. Five gymnasts scored above 9.725, led by a stunning 9.900 performance by graduate student Lia Kmieciak.
After narrowly losing the third rotation, the Chippewas found themselves down 146.400-145.975. They needed some outstanding floor performances to outlast WMU in their balance beam routines to pull out a win.
“I thought it really showed maturity on their part that they knew where they were at and they wanted to make sure that they were successful,” said MacDonald on her team heading into the fourth and final rotation.
Picking up where they left off, four Chippewas recorded 9.800 or better in their final performances of the afternoon. With the last official routine, senior Luciana Alvarado-Reid crushed with a 9.900 to seal the victory for her team.
“I thought we showed a lot of fight and adversity,” said MacDonald. “We put ourselves in some situations where it would have been easy to just give up, and nobody gave up.”
Now 3-0 on the season, CMU will be back at home on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 6 p.m. as it faces Illinois State.
