Central Michigan University Athletics
Gymnastics Prepares for Tri-Meet in Denver
1/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Gymnastics Scoreboard
MOUNT PLEASANT — After posting a decisive home win last Friday to improve to 2-0, the Central Michigan gymnastics team takes its unblemished record on the road this weekend.
The Chippewas head to Denver, Colo., for a tri-meet against Brigham Young and No. 14 Denver on Saturday. The meet starts at 6 p.m., MT.
CMU is 2-0 for the second straight season after last Friday’s 192.275-187.275 victory over Utah State at Rose Center. The Maroon and Gold’s 191.962 team average is the best in the Mid-American Conference and ranks seventh in the region.
“This will be a real test for us,” head coach Jerry Reighard said. “Both Denver and BYU have posted higher scores than we have so far. We feel we have the ability to get those scores, but we also know that if we have to count a fall on any events, we won’t be competitive. The emphasis this week has been to show consistency in our practices. We feel we can hit that scoring threshold the other teams have shown already.”
BYU dropped its season opener to Southern Utah, 194.100-193.050, last Thursday. The Cougars’ team total was higher than any of their scores in 2009, when they battled injuries en route to a 3-16-1 season.
“BYU has had some ups and downs,” Reighard said. “I think they are on their way back up. They have an interesting lineup that does not have one all-around performer. Their gymnasts focus on one or two events, which puts less stress on their bodies. It will be interesting to see how we perform against a team like that.”
Denver is off to an impressive 3-0 start to its season. DU has already recorded a pair of victories over ranked foes, defeating Minnesota (no. 22 at the time) in its opener and no. 22 Penn State when the Nittany Lions were ranked 18th. The Pioneers team average of 195.112 ranks 14th in the country.
“Denver has been nationally ranked and made national championship appearances in recent years,” Reighard said. “They are a quality team that has the ability to sting you when you least expect it. We’re going to get a chance to compare ourselves to a team that we know is going to be ranked all year.”
Central is a perfect 2-0 all-time against Denver, but has dropped both its previous meetings against Brigham Young.
Complete results will be available on cmuchippewas.com following Saturday’s meet.
News and Notes
Leading the Way — Senior Katie Simon is displaying some of the poise that made her the 2009 Mid-American Conference all-around champion. Simon ranks in the top five among all MAC gymnasts in every event. Simon is tied for the MAC lead on vault (9.825) and bars (9.775), ranks third in the all-around (38.575) and is fourth on both beam (9.700) and floor (9.800).
Checking the Leader Board — Katie Simon isn’t the only CMU name near the top of the conference rankings. Several Chippewa gymnasts’ contributions have put them on the MAC leaderboard. Freshman Britney Taylor is tied for the league lead on vault (9.825), sophomore Kristin Teubner is tied for second on beam (9.750), junior Cheryl Conlin ranks in the top five in both the vault (t-fourth; 9.750) and all-around (fifth; 38.450), junior Andrea de la Garza is tied with Simon for fourth on beam (9.700) and freshman Darrian Tissenbaum is tied with Conlin for fourth in the MAC on vault (9.750).
Instant Impact — A roster comprised of eight freshmen would be a concern to some teams, but the Maroon and Gold have shown a knack for developing newcomers into instant contributors. A Central Michigan gymnast has been named MAC Freshman of the Year in each of the past three seasons. Simon claimed the award in 2007, de la Garza took it in 2008 and Teubner made it three in a row last season.
