Central Michigan University Athletics
Gymnastics Welcomes In First Place Kent State
2/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
MOUNT PLEASANT The Central Michigan University gymnastics team looks to bounce back from a tough loss at Bowling Green last weekend when it welcomes in nationally-ranked Kent State this Saturday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m.
The rivalry between Kent State and CMU has been fierce the past 14 years with the two teams combining to win 11 MAC titles during that period of time. The two squads also shared the MAC regular season title last year with CMU earning the tiebreaker with a 195.775-195.200 victory at Kent State.
“Every meet we have with Kent State is very intense because both teams know how much a victory means,” CMU head coach Jerry Reighard said. “The situation surrounding the meet this year is a little different but I expect both teams to be at the top of their game this weekend. It always seems like this meet brings the best out of both teams.
“The big difference this season is they are a proven, experienced team and we are starting a lot of young gymnasts who are still learning the type of maturity it takes to be successful at this level. Beating Kent State is always a goal of ours and I expect it to be a great meet. We just have to go about preparing for the meet a little different than we usually do.”
One thing that will help the Chippewas this weekend is the return of some of their injured gymnasts. CMU has been hit hard by the injury bug this season but had almost the full team take part in practice this week. The squad expects to have Jessica Suder compete for the first time this year against Kent State while Laura Rogers and Kyla Krygier return after missing multiple weeks.
“Getting those athletes back is so important especially this weekend where I believe the winner will be decided by a team’s fifth score on every event,” Reighard said. “I think it will make a big difference because those three have a lot of experience and consistently stay on the apparatus. Having to count on true freshmen for scores is tough because the consistency isn’t there. Our freshmen have really stepped up for us but adding more depth will take some of the pressure off them. It is nice to see everyone being pushed for spots in the line-up.”
After a tough start to the home season, CMU put together its best team score this year with a 193.200 the last time it competed in Rose Arena.
“We struggled the first couple meets to handle the home crowd atmosphere but the Western meet showed have really improved in that area,” Reighard said. “It is tough for a young team to know how to deal with the pressure of performing in front of family and friends. It takes a lot of focus and we didn’t have that early on. The last meet it seemed like we really started to thrive off the crowd and it made us a better team. We definitely have to use our crowd as an advantage this weekend.”
About the Golden Flashes Kent State enters the meet ranked 22nd nationally and atop the MAC standings. KSU is 2-0 in conference action and 7-3 overall. The Golden Flashes took third at the Sweetheart Invitational hosted by NC State last weekend, posting a 194.025. KSU placed behind NC State (195.150) and Penn State (194.775) while beating William & Mary (189.625). Senior Kristen Peters won MAC titles on bars and beam last year along with being named the MAC Specialist of the Year.
De la Garza Honored By The MAC - Andrea de la Garza became the third straight Central Michigan University gymnast to earn Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week honors this week. The freshman all-arounder out of Macomb, Mich., joins Katie Simon (Feb. 5) and Jessica Neel (Feb. 12) as recipients of the honor this season.
The freshman posted a 39.375 in the all-around on her way to posting career highs in all five events. De la Garza was CMU's top performer on vault (9.875), beam (9.850), and floor (9.850) while finishing second on bars (9.800). She was also first overall on all-around, vault and beam while finishing second on bars and floor. De la Garza's all-around score is the top in the conference this season by more than three-tenths of a point.
The rivalry between Kent State and CMU has been fierce the past 14 years with the two teams combining to win 11 MAC titles during that period of time. The two squads also shared the MAC regular season title last year with CMU earning the tiebreaker with a 195.775-195.200 victory at Kent State.
“Every meet we have with Kent State is very intense because both teams know how much a victory means,” CMU head coach Jerry Reighard said. “The situation surrounding the meet this year is a little different but I expect both teams to be at the top of their game this weekend. It always seems like this meet brings the best out of both teams.
“The big difference this season is they are a proven, experienced team and we are starting a lot of young gymnasts who are still learning the type of maturity it takes to be successful at this level. Beating Kent State is always a goal of ours and I expect it to be a great meet. We just have to go about preparing for the meet a little different than we usually do.”
One thing that will help the Chippewas this weekend is the return of some of their injured gymnasts. CMU has been hit hard by the injury bug this season but had almost the full team take part in practice this week. The squad expects to have Jessica Suder compete for the first time this year against Kent State while Laura Rogers and Kyla Krygier return after missing multiple weeks.
“Getting those athletes back is so important especially this weekend where I believe the winner will be decided by a team’s fifth score on every event,” Reighard said. “I think it will make a big difference because those three have a lot of experience and consistently stay on the apparatus. Having to count on true freshmen for scores is tough because the consistency isn’t there. Our freshmen have really stepped up for us but adding more depth will take some of the pressure off them. It is nice to see everyone being pushed for spots in the line-up.”
After a tough start to the home season, CMU put together its best team score this year with a 193.200 the last time it competed in Rose Arena.
“We struggled the first couple meets to handle the home crowd atmosphere but the Western meet showed have really improved in that area,” Reighard said. “It is tough for a young team to know how to deal with the pressure of performing in front of family and friends. It takes a lot of focus and we didn’t have that early on. The last meet it seemed like we really started to thrive off the crowd and it made us a better team. We definitely have to use our crowd as an advantage this weekend.”
About the Golden Flashes Kent State enters the meet ranked 22nd nationally and atop the MAC standings. KSU is 2-0 in conference action and 7-3 overall. The Golden Flashes took third at the Sweetheart Invitational hosted by NC State last weekend, posting a 194.025. KSU placed behind NC State (195.150) and Penn State (194.775) while beating William & Mary (189.625). Senior Kristen Peters won MAC titles on bars and beam last year along with being named the MAC Specialist of the Year.
De la Garza Honored By The MAC - Andrea de la Garza became the third straight Central Michigan University gymnast to earn Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week honors this week. The freshman all-arounder out of Macomb, Mich., joins Katie Simon (Feb. 5) and Jessica Neel (Feb. 12) as recipients of the honor this season.
The freshman posted a 39.375 in the all-around on her way to posting career highs in all five events. De la Garza was CMU's top performer on vault (9.875), beam (9.850), and floor (9.850) while finishing second on bars (9.800). She was also first overall on all-around, vault and beam while finishing second on bars and floor. De la Garza's all-around score is the top in the conference this season by more than three-tenths of a point.
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