Central Michigan University
Kent State
Season-Best Gives CMU Gymnasts Much-Needed Win
2/19/2017 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
KENT, Ohio - A week after one of its worst performances of the season, the Central Michigan gymnastics team produced its best.
The Chippewas won three events and posted a season-best team score on parallel bars Sunday in holding off Kent State, 195.775-195.675 in a Mid-American Conference dual at the Golden Flashes' M.A.C. Center.
The Chippewas totaled a season-best 195.775 one week after they posted a 194.000 in falling in a MAC dual at Ball State. The 194.000 was CMU's second-worst score of the season.
"Part of the reason that (last week) was so difficult for the coaching staff and for me in particular to accept was that we know what we see in the (practice) gym every day and we'd go to a meet and we wouldn't see that," CMU coach Jerry Reighard said. "Today, we saw exactly what we see in the (practice) gym.
"I think it really started with the bus ride home from Ball State. There was some real soul searching. We made a decision to do certain things this week. Those practice days that we had this week really led us into this meet."
CMU improved to 7-3, 2-2 MAC. The Chippewas entertain Bowling Green in a MAC dual on Sunday, Feb. 26 (1 p.m.). Kent State is 2-7, 1-3.
CMU gymnasts finished first in three of the four events. The Chippewas' Denelle Pedrick won the vault (9.875); Kasey Janowicz and Bryttany Kaplan tied for first on parallel bars (9.875); and Katy Clements won balance beam (9.925).
Clements' performance on beam was clutch as she performed simultaneously with Kent State's Rachel Stypinski on floor exercise. Stypinski, consistently one of the MAC's best on floor, posted a 9.925 to equal Clements' total, which was a career-best for the junior from Gainesville, Ga.
And it kept the Chippewas' lead intact. Kent State finished with a season-best 195.675 team total.
Clements, Macey Hilliker and Pedrick finished second-fourth, respectively, on floor exercise; Caroline Fitzpatrick was second and Hilliker was fourth on beam; CMU's Kailey Miller tied for fourth on bars; and Clements tied for second and the Chippewas' Rachel Carr was fifth on vault.
Senior Shaila Segal competed in just one event, the balance beam, and finished 11th with a 9.250. Normally, that kind of placing and that kind of score wouldn't warrant much attention, but her finish was critical on a day when every 10th proved crucial, Reighard said.
"Shaila Segal fell on beam, but she had enough composure to come back and finish as though she hadn't fallen and she stuck the dismount," Reighard said. "I said after the meet, `Anybody that stuck a dismount, I don't care where it happened, won the meet for us.'
"I think Shaila, in my estimation, gets the game ball."
Players Mentioned
