Central Michigan University Athletics
Central Michigan University
Northern Illinois Triangular
Gymnastics Topples Northern Illinois, 192.250-190.450
1/29/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Jan. 29, 2006
DEKALB, Ill. - The Central Michigan University gymnastics team bounced back from a tough opening meet a week ago against Bowling Green to even its Mid-American Conference record at 1-1 with a 192.250-190.450 victory over Northern Illinois. CMU did fall to Illinois at the triangular meet, making the Chipepwas 1-2 overall after losing 192.825-192.250 to the Fighting Illini. Though the Chippewas didn't have any individual event winners, they did post nine scores of 9.700 or better, tripling the three scores of 9.700 or better in the BG meet. The Chippewas raised their total score 4.300 points from the season-opening mark of 187.950 at BG thanks to solid performances on all four events.
"I was really pleased with our performance today," CMU head coach Jerry Reighard said. "We obviously made some significant improvement from a week ago. We were much more prepared this week. In our sport, you have to become comfortable being out there by yourself, and we made great strides there from last week to this week. I think it speaks volumes to where our athletes were able to get themselves mentally to compete like we did today."
CMU started the meet on the uneven bars, an event on which it struggled against BG. The Chippewas posted a total score of 47.750 on bars, led by Jules Passy (9.750) and Sheena Smith (9.700). Smith competed despite an injury suffered in practice earlier this week that kept her off the vault, and was expected to sideline her for the bars as well.
"We had a great performance on the bars," Reighard said. "It really gave us the momentum we needed for the rest of the meet. Having Sheena on the bars for us was a huge mental boost. The team really counts on her for that event. She hadn't swung the bars all week but decided that she could handle it today. She toughed it out and gave us a great score, and the team really built off that."
The Chippewas then posted two solid scores on their next two events, the balance beam and floor exercise, and had a lead of 2.375 points over NIU, 144.125-141.750, heading into the last event, the vault. Danielle Espinoza, filling in for Smith on the event, led off with a career-best mark of 9.450 to help CMU catapult to a 48.125 vaulting total and the win over the Huskies.
"Danielle did one of the best vaults she's ever done," Reighard said. "She did a great job getting us going on the vault."
Passy led CMU's contingent of all-arounders with a 38.900 total. She led the Chippewas on the balance beam (9.825) and the bars, and was second on the team in the floor exercise (9.750). Freshman Jessica Neel (38.475) and Whitney Burton (38.325) both added strong all-around performances at the meet.
"Jules had an air of confidence that we haven't seen in a while," Reighard said. "She knew as the competition went on that she could post good scores, and she attacked the events and did a great job tonight."
Mattie Crawford also stepped up for CMU, posting a team-high 9.775 in the vault and 9.800 in the floor exercise, along with a 9.800 on the balance beam.
"Mattie is becoming the senior we need her to be," Reighard said. "She is a leader who is doing it by example, and that's always the most effective way to lead."
CMU returns to action this Friday, Feb. 3, when it hosts the State of Michigan Classic in Rose Arena. The meet, featuring the five NCAA Division-I schools with gymnastics programs in the state (No. 4 Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan), begins at 7 p.m.
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