March 23, 2018 CENTRAL MICHIGAN hosting
MACCHAMPIONSHIPS
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| Saturday, Mar. 24 | 2 p.m.
McGuirk Arena | Mount Pleasant, Mich. |
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Game Day Links
| TV: ESPN3 | Event Streams: CSN Digital | Live Stats: | Connect with CMU Women's Gymnastics
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Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - True, Central Michigan won the regular-season Mid-American Conference gymnastics title.
But nobody is going to hand the Chippewas the first-place trophy simply for showing up at the MAC Championships on Saturday (2 p.m.) at McGuirk Arena.
"We can't just be ourselves," longtime CMU coach Jerry Reighard said. "This is the real deal, this is conference play. We have to strive to win. With that being said, striving to win means putting yourself in the best position mentally that you can possibly be.
"A hungry horse always runs a faster race and if you don't have that hunger down deep inside, if you don't have the desire necessary …"
The Chippewas beat Ball State last week to wrap up their first MAC regular-season crown since 2015. They are looking to return to the winner's circle at the MAC Championships for the first time since 2014.
"We are anxious to compete at our home arena," Reighard said. "We've been best at home. ... I think we have everything going in our direction, everything is there, but each athlete, and I do mean each and every athlete, plays an intricate part."
CMU ranks 35th nationally with an average of 195.281. Kent State, at No. 32, is the lone MAC team that ranks ahead of the Chippewas. The Golden Flashes average 195.318.
The Chippewas are second in the seven-team conference in average score for uneven bars and for vault, are third on balance beam, and are fourth on floor exercise.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Chippewas are hosting the MAC Championships for the sixth time. They have won the title the last two times (2004 and 2011) that the championships were held in Mount Pleasant, and have won it in three of the five times it has been held on their home floor.
RANKINGS
The Chippewas have at least two gymnasts who rank in the top 10 in each of the four events for average score.
Three CMU gymnasts - Denelle Pedrick, Katy Clements and Bryttany Kaplan - are second, eighth and ninth, respectively, on vault; Gianna Plaksa is second and Kaplan is fourth on uneven bars; Clements is second and Miranda Wieczorek is ninth on balance beam; and Clements is fourth and Pedrick is ninth on floor exercise.
