Central Michigan University Athletics
Taylor Leads Chippewas Past Eagles in MAC Opener
1/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
YPSILANTI, Mich. — Britney Taylor took another step forward in her already strong freshman campaign on Saturday night.
Taylor won three events, including the all-around, to help lead the Central Michigan gymnastics team to a 192.975-191.525 victory over rival Eastern Michigan in its Mid-American Conference opener.
The Memphis, Tenn., native scored a 9.7 or better in three of four events to finish with a season-best 39.025 in the all-around. Taylor won the balance beam with a 9.825 and posted an identical mark on vault, where she shared the title. She also posted a 9.700 on uneven bars.
"Scoring a 39 is a benchmark for any all-arounder," head coach Jerry Reighard. "Britney had a great meet, she really showed a glimpse of her potential in every event."
The Chippewas (4-1, 1-0 MAC) began the night on bars, where four gymnasts scored a 9.7 or better, led by Katie Simon’s first-place score of 9.800. Cheryl Conlin, Kari Dieffenderfer and Taylor each posted a 9.700 to finish tied for second. CMU took the lead with a score of 48.550 on the apparatus while EMU scored a 47.925 on vault.
"Katie had a typical routine on bars," Reighard said. "It was the routine we see every day in practice and it was good to see her do it on Saturday. We got a strong effort on the event that gave us a slight lead after the first rotation."
Simon and Taylor led a strong performance on vault as once again four Chippewas posted a 9.7 or above. The duo shared the title with a 9.825 while Andrea de la Garza took fourth (9.725) and Kristin Teubner (9.700) finished fifth. Central scored 48.725 on the event as a team while Eastern scored 47.900 on bars, giving the Chippewas a 97.275-95.825 lead through the second rotation.
"We had a real good performance on the vault," Reighard said. "It was comparable to our effort in Denver, even though we didn't get the same score on Saturday."
Three gymnasts scored 9.75 or better on the floor exercise as the Maroon and Gold posted a 48.600 in the third rotation. Teubner won the floor title with a 9.775 while Conlin and Simon each scored a 9.750 to finish second. The effort helped hold off the Eagles’ strongest performance of the night, a 48.350 on beam, as the Chippewas extended their lead to 145.875-144.175 going into the final rotation.
"We were able to extend our lead a little bit on the floor," Reighard said. "Everyone was in control on their tumbling and we didn't really miss any of our routines."
CMU fell short in its bid to eclipse 194 points for the second straight week. While Taylor's 9.825 won the balance beam, the Chippewas finished with 47.100 points in the event. Eastern Michigan scored a 47.350 on floor to close out the dual
"We did what we had to do to win," Reighard said. "The beam took us down and let Eastern close the gap. For some reason, we have tightened up on beam. We know the potential is there, but the skills have happened when they needed to in competition. We show the skills and have talent, but we need to put it together on that event."
Three Chippewas competed in the all-around, led by Taylor's first-place performance. Simon finished runner-up with a season-best 38.900 and Conlin took fourth with a 38.025.
Central competes again on Saturday when it heads to Kalamazoo, Mich., for the State of Michigan Classic.
