Central Michigan University Athletics
CMU Gymnasts Open Sunday
1/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The names and faces change.
The expectations do not.
The Central Michigan gymnastics team opens the 2016 season Sunday (1 p.m.) with a non-conference meet at McGuirk Arena against Temple.
The Chippewas were hit hard by graduation losses, saying good-bye after the 2015 season to the likes of All-American Kylie Fagan and 2015 MAC Gymnast of the Year Halle Moraw.
"I think this is a really talented group, I really do," said Jerry Reighard, who begins his 31st season in charge of the program. "As far as the talent level, I don't think we've dropped off a lot. But we're going to rely on people who have never competed. They've been waiting in the wings for their turn."
There are several student-athletes who have, in fact, been mainstays in the lineup, including seniors Karlee Teet, Kirsten Petzold, Megan Lamphere and Taylor Bolender.
Teet and freshman Kasey Janowicz are all-arounders, Reighard said, while Petzold and Bolender will fill critical roles in any of several events. Lamphere specializes in uneven parallel bars.
"They have the skills, but I don't know what's going to happen," Reighard said. "I think the scary part is they don't know what's going to happen until they actually get in the line of fire and see if the bullets bounce off or knock them off."
Getting that experience, obviously, is critical, Reighard said, adding that he and his staff have laid the foundation for months.
"Right from September we've been doing a lot of in-the-gym competitive situations," he said. "We're mimicking competitions - you get this amount of time to warm up, you compete and you live with it, like a meet.
"The problem with that is there's nothing at stake. When it really gets to the point where it's going to be a W or an L, or All-MAC or All-America status - those things start creeping into their heads."
While there are plenty of questions that will begin to be answered on Sunday, Reighard is very clear about one thing: There is a high bar when it comes to CMU gymnastics, and he is uncompromising in his expectations.
"I talk to them on a daily basis that CMU is a team that always prevails in this conference," said Reighard, whose team won the regular-season MAC title a year ago, then finished second in the MAC Championships, ending a streak of a record five consecutive first-place finishes. "But that's not our target, our target isn't the conference - we're good enough to take care of business in the conference, let's work for the national ranking."
An indication of where the CMU program is, and what its reputation is, comes with a look to the preseason coaches rankings. CMU is ranked 25th.
"Almost every team that we compete against has their season-high score against us because they're up for us," Reighard said. "It's a big deal to knock us off. If we're not up for them we get vulnerable. We don't want that."
Reighard said he expects plenty of competition for lineup spots and plenty of fluidity as the season progresses.
"We'll see a lot of lineup changes," he said. "If you don't do well this weekend, you won't be in the lineup next weekend. Somebody else is going to get a chance and we'll find that mix. My fear is that it's going to take us awhile, and I don't like that. I want to know now.
"This is a tough time for me and my staff, trying to figure out the nuts and bolts, who can really do it and who wants to do it. I can assure you that the lineup will not be made until 10 minutes before the meet on Jan. 3."
