Gymnasts Head To Western For MAC Opener

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -- The Central Michigan gymnastics team goes to Kalamazoo on Sunday (1 p.m.) for its Mid-American Conference-opening dual with Western Michigan.

CMU swept the MAC titles last season, winning the regular-season crown and placing first at the MAC Championships.

WHERE THEY STAND
Central Michigan is 6-1 and ranked 29^th in the nation, averaging 194.467. Western Michigan is 1-2 and ranked 43^rd at 193.538.

LAST TIME OUT
Central Michigan placed second in a quad meet last weekend at Denver. The Chippewas finished ahead of Texas Women's and Sacramento State and behind Denver, which entered the meet ranked eighth.

The Chippewas finished with a 193.250, their lowest in three competitions this season.

CMU coach Jerry Reighard said there were many good takeaways from Denver, including the fact that the Chippewas met a goal that they set in every competition of not having to count a score that includes a fall.

"There was a lot of fight on our team's part," he said. "The team handled adversity very well, especially for the first road trip. This was a big thing with getting on a bus, time zone difference, and an overall big first away meet."

Western Michigan is coming off a third-place finish in a quad with Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan.

RIVALRY
Not only is Sunday's meet the MAC opener – always a red-letter date for the Chippewas – but it is on the road against CMU's archrival.

"This is a very big meet," Reighard said. "This is now getting serious. There's a championship on the line and I want my team not just prepared, but very prepared. I want to make this group competitors, not just participants.

"I don't expect (Western Michigan) to have a bad meet. I expect them to have their best score of the season against us. Most teams do; they rally against us, they get up for us, they know that they can take down a defending champion. And we have to be prepared for that. They're going to go in and have some great routines and put up some great numbers, and if we let that in our heads, we start doing things we normally don't do."

PREPARATION
Sunday's meet is just the second dual of the season for CMU. The Chippewas' other two competitions have been quads, one at home, and one on the road.

"We've done some games and some gimmicks that I'm hoping puts a fire under (our gymnasts) -- basically understand what it means to go head to head and compete against someone," Reighard said of the preparation leading up to Sunday's meet. "They have to go in there and get ready to not just take on the challenge, but make sure you take care of business."

NEXT
The Chippewas remain on the road as they travel to Normal, Ill., to take on Illinois State on Friday, Feb. 1 in a nonconference dual. CMU defeated the Redbirds, 195.275-190.050, earlier this season at McGuirk Arena.

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