Central Michigan University
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Western Michigan
'Coming-out Party' Victory for CMU Gymnasts
1/15/2017 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
http://www.cmuchippewas.com/sports/w-gym/stats/20170115.htm
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Central Michigan gymnastics team did a lot of growing in a week, and it showed on Sunday.
The Chippewas won three events and the all-around in topping Western Michigan, 194.950-192.900, in their Mid-American Conference opener.
CMU, which is 3-0 overall, scored a 192.075 last Sunday in winning its season-opening tri-meet.
"I told my team in the meeting (Saturday) night I fully expected this would be a coming-out party and they came through," CMU coach Jerry Reighard said. "I'm really pleased. The highlight of the whole thing for me is we hit 24 for 24 routines and we have not done that in a long time.
"That's what we're supposed to do, but we've had a hard time doing that. I attribute that the heart of the team."
CMU's Bryttany Kaplan won the parallel bars with a 9.875; Katy Clements captured the balance beam, 9.850; Gianna Plaksa won the floor exercise, 9.800; and freshman Denelle Pedrick won the all-around, 39.050.
Anna Corbett of Western Michigan (1-3) won the vault, 9.800.
The Chippewas finished ahead of the Broncos on bars, beam and floor and finished just .025 behind on vault.
Kaplan, a junior, led a strong CMU showing in the first rotation, bars. Plaksa was second, Caroline Fitzpatrick was third, and Kasey Janowicz was fourth.
The Chippewas finished bars at 49.050 to take a solid lead -- Western started on vault, posting a 48.425 -- after the first rotation.
"We went 49 on bars and that just set the pace," Reighard said. "You could tell it just empowered people and we just kept getting better and better. We were very solid. It just says a lot about where their heads are and the determination of these athletes.
"We pressured Western Michigan and that was my goal, that was my plan."
Pedrick, competing in just her second collegiate competition, went 9.825 on beam, 9.775 on floor, 9.750 on vault, and 9.700 on bars. She also won the all-around last week in the season-opener, posting a 38.850 total.
"Pedrick, she had a great day," Reighard said. "I put that 39 out there for her. She understands the importance of that half of a 10th (point) per event."
The Chippewas also swept the top-four spots on balance beam, with Pedrick finishing second, and Skyler Memmel and Hayley Porter tying for third; Pedrick and Clements tied for second behind Plaksa on floor.
While Western's Corbett won vault, the Chippewas' Clements, Pedrick and Plaksa claimed the next three spots.
"We're still training a lot of kids," Reighard said. "Last weekend, 14 of the 24 routines were from athletes who had never competed in Division I before and it showed. To come as far as we did in four practices, I just hope we can do that again in four practices."
The Chippewas host defending MAC champion Eastern Michigan at McGuirk Arena on Friday, Jan. 20 (7 p.m.).
Players Mentioned
