Central Michigan University Athletics
Gymnastics Faces In-State Rival Eastern Michigan This Weekend
2/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Feb. 8, 2006
Complete Release (including MAC standings and individual scorecards) in PDF Format
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CMU Gymnastics This Week
at Eastern Michigan
Saturday, February 11 • 4 p.m.
Warner Gymnasium
EMU is 1-5 overall, 1-1 in the MAC ... Eagles posted season-high mark of 191.800 at State of Michigan Classic ... Rebecca Fuss (38.575) finished sixth all-around ... Jolene Worley led EMU on bars (9.775) and beam (9.750).
MOUNT PLEASANT - The Central Michigan University gymnastics team returns to Mid-American Conference action this weekend with a dual meet at Eastern Michigan University. The Chippewas (3-4, 1-1 MAC) will travel to Ypsilanti on Saturday, Feb. 11 for the competition with the Eagles.
Both the Chippewas and Eagles competed at the prestigious State of Michigan Classic in Mount Pleasant last week. CMU finished third in the event behind Big Ten opponents No. 4-ranked Michigan (196.375) and Michigan State (193.525) with a score of 192.425, its best mark of the season. EMU finished last with a total score of 191.800.
"I thought we started well on vault and finished well on the floor at the Classic," CMU head coach Jerry Reighard said. "I'm concerned about the other two events (uneven bars and balance beam). We're doing some difficult skills on the bars, and we gambled a bit with that. One of our freshmen, Brittany Logan, was attempting a new dismount for the first time, and all of the skills that we're missing on are `E' skills, which are the toughest-rated. On the beam, our athletes really need to just settle down. They can't rush their routines, and our troubles on that event are due to mental factors more than the difficulty of the elements of the routines. That has to get better for us."
CMU's floor performance was particularly impressive. The team total of 49.125 was the seventh-highest total in the nation by any team this season, and all six routines scored a 9.750 or better. Seniors Mattie Crawford and Stephanie Langley both scored a 9.850, which tied the top mark in the conference this year.
"Our finish to the meet on the floor was a big boost for this team," Reighard said. "It gave us a cohesiveness and a belief in what we're doing that we needed. Our athletes believe in us as coaches that what we are telling them and teaching them is working, and they're believing in themselves that they have the ability to perform at a high level each and every time they compete. That's where we've made the most improvement so far, and that can carry us a long way the rest of the season."
The Chippewas are back on the road for this weekend's dual meet with Eastern Michigan. EMU has averaged 191.725 in its last two competitions, while CMU has averaged slightly higher, 192.325. The Chippewas and Eagles were neck-and-neck at the Michigan Classic before CMU's strong performance on the floor lifted them past EMU and Western Michigan into third place.
"EMU was disappointed that they didn't beat us at the Classic," Reighard said. "I could see it on (coach) Steve Wilce's face and on the faces of the athletes. Other teams and coaches feel that this is a year where their teams can get Central Michigan. We'll need to be even more mentally prepared than we were last weekend to be as successful as we want to be against Eastern Michigan this weekend."
The meet with the Eagles will begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Unlike the State of Michigan Classic, CMU will compete out of Olympic order, which means starting on the bars and finishing on the beam, the two events that it struggled on at the Classic.
"That is one of the more challenging aspects of competing on the road," Reighard said. "Our fans really rallied us on the floor, and it was a big factor in our success on that event. Now, Eastern will get that same treatment in this meet against us. There are so many complexities that can take a team out of its comfort zone, and being in a home environment and competing in Olympic order helps to erase so many of them. We have to put all of that out of our minds and concentrate on hitting our routines on every event."
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