April 6, 2018 CENTRAL MICHIGAN at
NCAA TUSCALOOSA REGIONAL
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| Saturday, Apr. 7 | 5 p.m.
Coleman Coliseum | Tuscaloosa, Ala. |
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Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - It's a different feel, certainly, for the Central Michigan gymnastics team.
But it isn't one of awe, that's for sure.
The Chippewas will partake on Saturday in the NCAA Regional at Alabama's Coleman Coliseum. Joining CMU in the field are No. 4 Alabama, No. 7 Michigan, No. 18 Georgia, No. 22 Missouri, and No. 23 Illinois.
The top two teams advance to the NCAA Championships in St. Louis on April 20. CMU is the only team in the Tuscaloosa from a non-Power 5 conference.
Two weeks ago the Chippewas won their record 16th Mid-American Conference Championships title, returning to what many in maroon and gold believe to be their rightful spot atop the league.
At the regional, CMU goes from being the hunted - the Chippewas almost always are when it comes to regular-season competition - to the hunter as it goes toe-to-toe with some of the sport's heavyweights.
"As far as thinking about other external things, we're not," CMU coach Jerry Reighard said. "Were not worrying about anything. That's a really comforting thing to the athletes and the coaches.
"We know we can contend with these teams. I've watched them all several times. I know my athletes have done that too so they know what's there. And the nice part about watching is we're not going to be gawking. We're not going in to see what they're doing, what they look like and I think that's a good strategy. We'll stay within our bubble."
That has worked for the Chippewas in an up-and-down season that saw its high points at the very beginning and then two weeks ago at the MAC Championships. CMU opened the season with a 196.375 score, its highest of the season until the 197.025 the Chippewas posted at the MAC Championships in their home gym, McGuirk Arena.
The 197.025 was the third-best in program history, and it marked just the third time a Chippewa team had met or exceeded the 197 benchmark.
"Huge confidence with that being accomplished," Reighard said. "They feel that that's a goal that's been met and it's not something they have to achieve. So that's going to be a monkey off our back.
"I like everything about this weekend. I like the attitude, the confidence that our team has."
