Gymnastics Takes Third at Masters Classic

Sunday, February 26

Lincoln, Neb.

3:00 PM

Central Michigan University

Masters Classic (at Nebraska)

2/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics

Feb. 26, 2006

Complete Results

LINCOLN, Neb. - The Central Michigan University gymnastics team used its best showing of the season on the balance beam to rebound from a tough afternoon on the uneven bars and finish in third place with a score of 191.800 at the Masters Classic, hosted by the University of Nebraska, this afternoon. The No.10-ranked Huskers won the meet with a score of 195.250, San Jose State was second with 192.825 and Mid-American Conference rival Northern Illinois finished behind the Chippewas in fourth place with a score of 191.625. CMU is now 5-8 on the season, 2-3 in the MAC.

CMU started the meet on the floor exercise and posted a solid showing, scoring 48.125 on the floor and hitting all six routines. Senior Mattie Crawford and sophomore Danielle Espinoza led the way with matching 9.675 scores, which tied for seventh in that event. Junior Jules Passy added a 9.650 and senior Stephanie Langley posted a 9.625 for the Chippewas, who sat in second place after the first rotation.

The second rotation found CMU on the vault, and it once again came through with a good team effort of 48.100. Crawford paced the team here as well, scoring a 9.800 and placing third in the event. Junior Sheena Smith scored a 9.700, her fourth straight meet with a score of 9.700 or better on vault, and freshman Jessica Neel added a solid 9.600 to help CMU maintain second place after two rotations with a total of 96.225, three-tenths of a point ahead of San Jose State.

"We were in a really good position after the first two events," CMU head coach Jerry Reighard said. "We hit all six of our routines on both floor and vault, and put ourselves in position going into the final two events."

CMU moved to the uneven bars for the third rotation, but it could not maintain its clean performance up to that point as it suffered three falls on the bars. Sophomore Nicole Cherryhomes turned in a career-best effort with a 9.750 score, which tied for fifth at the meet. Neel (9.675) and Passy (9.600) also stayed on and contributed good scores, but the team's total took a hit as it counted two of the routines with falls and scored a 47.000 on the bars. CMU slipped to last place entering the final rotation, more than six-tenths of a point back of NIU.

However, the Chippewas rebounded with their best performance of the season on the balance beam, posting a team mark of 48.575. Crawford once again led the way, scoring a 9.825 which placed her second on the event. Three other Chippewas posted a score of 9.700 or better on beam - a 9.800 from Passy and a pair of 9.700's from Langley and Neel. Espinoza added a 9.550 for the last counted score.

"Our performance on the beam was a really significant growth moment for us this season," Reighard said. "We talked in our team meeting before the competition about showing grit and determination, and we certainly did that on the beam. We were able to rally from a disappointing showing on bars, and that was a positive thing to see from the team."

The Chippewas are back on the road for their next competition, traveling to our nation's capital for a dual meet against George Washington on Sunday, Mar. 5. The competition with the Colonials will start at 1 p.m.

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