Thursday, February 11
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
2 p.m.
Central Michigan University
196.300
vs
194.800
Northern Illinois
CMU sophomore Taylor Pitchell jumps for joy after her 9.950 floor exercise routine on Thursday at McGuirk Arena.
Photo by: Keara Chaperon '22
Simply Sensational!
2/11/2021 6:13:00 PM | Gymnastics
Chippewas explode to 196.300 score, roll to MAC dual win at McGuirk
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Take care of the details and the results will come.
They came in a rush on Thursday for the Central Michigan gymnastics team.
The Chippewas set season highs in three events as they exploded to 196.300 team score, the program's highest in three seasons. CMU, competing for the first time in 2021 at McGuirk Arena, downed a good Northern Illinois team (194.800), handing the Huskies their first Mid-American Conference loss.
It was the second-straight win for CMU, which is 2-2.
"We've been talking a lot about confidence and before the meet our captain (Sydney Williams) told us to go out there and show what we've been working for," CMU junior Sierra DeMarinis said. "The team really took that to heart, and it showed up today. People were very calm, confident and it's always nice to be at home."
The Chippewas set season highs on vault (49.125), balance beam (48.925) and floor exercise (49.275), besting the Huskies in all three events.
CMU's team score was its best since it posted a 196.375 on Jan. 6, 2018, and the score was 1.325 – a huge margin in gymnastics – better than their previous season best 195.050, which they posted last week in a win at Bowling Green.
CMU started the season with 192.375 and has improved by significant margins with each of its four meets.
"We talk about not looking at the outcome, but we are outcome driven," coach Christine MacDonald said. "When you can get better weekend after weekend and just really learn to trust your gymnastics and trust each other, we're finding that flow and when you can capitalize with scores like that, it makes the hard work worth it and maybe it makes you a little bit more willing to come in tomorrow and work even harder.
"It's just a great outcome for today. Super proud of every single person out there today. They really backed each other up when we needed it. It was a great team effort."
CMU freshman Katie Kowalski won the vault with a career-best 9.900 and sophomore Taylor Pitchell and DeMarinis shared the top spot on floor exercise, both posting a career-high 9.950 score in putting the icing on the cake in the final rotation.
Floor Exercise
Pitchell recorded her score as the second-to-last Chippewa on floor, sending a charge into her teammates. DeMarinis followed.
"I was super excited for (Pitchell)," said DeMarinis, who won the all-around with a career-best 39.225. "That floor routine was beautiful. I didn't want to get too excited; I just kept to my normal routine and just thought about what I do in practice and brought it to the meet floor."
Said MacDonald: "Those two are the one-two punch at the end. They both have dynamic routines and they really own their space out there and have fun. You saw that confidence and they're super excited for each other. They really did a great job."
CMU's Adriana Bustelo (9.875) tied for third and sophomore Ashley Veglucci (9.850) was fifth. It was a career best floor score for Bustelo, a freshman.
Vault
The Chippewas got off to a fast start in the first rotation, as veteran senior Kennedy Johnson led off with a career-high-tying 9.825.
"Kennedy, to hit her vault like she did, it just set the tone," MacDonald said. "We've really been looking for that leadoff person and she did a tremendous job."
CMU's Elizabeth Cesarone (9.850) was third, Johnson was fourth, sophomore Hannah DeMers (9.800) was fifth, and senior Nora Fettinger (9.750) was sixth. It was a career-best vault score for Cesarone, a freshman.
"We love starting on vault," DeMarinis said. "We're strong there. We're confident. Getting a good start was huge and it just keeps rolling, the energy keeps going, and I think we built off it really well today."
Balance Beam
The Chippewas improved their season best on balance beam by .500, a significant increase. Beam specialist Morgan Tong, a junior, delivered a clutch 9.875 as the final Chippewa in the rotation to negate an 8.575.
"For her to come in and knowing she had to hit because we really needed that score – she just did a tremendous job," MacDonald said. "It takes Morgan being Morgan and just trusting her gymnastics. The routine doesn't change; it doesn't matter the situation; it doesn't matter whether we're in the (practice) gym or in a meet, it's still the same routine and we talk a lot about that.
"She has her same mental routine, she has her same warmup routine, we're consistent with that. There's not additional pressure … She just knows to find her flow; she does a really good job of calming herself and really being in the moment and that's what great beam workers do."
CMU sophomore Ashley Veglucci posted a career-best 9.850 in placing third.
Uneven Parallel Bars
Sophomore Savana Kotas (9.850) and Johnson (9.825) finished second and third, respectively, to lead CMU on bars. It was a career high for Kotas and Johnson matched her career best in the event.
DeMarinis and DeMers tied for sixth (9.775), and DeMers' gritty performance turned out to be critical, MacDonald said, adding that it was a turning point in the meet.
"Hannah really made a great effort and save on a low-bar skill that could have turned into a fall, and she fought and when she did that, everybody just went, 'That was it,'" she said. "I mean it was a great moment."
It was also telling of how the day went for the Chippewas, MacDonald said.
"It was just each person never giving up, never wavering," she said. "They weren't perfect, but they fought through it."
Looking Ahead
The Chippewas' 196.300 is the highest score of the season by a MAC team and it comes midway through and eight-meet schedule leading to the March 20 MAC Championships. The Chippewas are scheduled to go to Kent State on Sunday, Feb. 21 (1 p.m.).
"I think just doing what we do every day in practice (is the key)," DeMarinis said. "Every week we go into the gym and we work on those details. Every week we see the scores increasing and that's where it's coming from. Just to have that confidence today is where that big score came from."
They came in a rush on Thursday for the Central Michigan gymnastics team.
The Chippewas set season highs in three events as they exploded to 196.300 team score, the program's highest in three seasons. CMU, competing for the first time in 2021 at McGuirk Arena, downed a good Northern Illinois team (194.800), handing the Huskies their first Mid-American Conference loss.
It was the second-straight win for CMU, which is 2-2.
"We've been talking a lot about confidence and before the meet our captain (Sydney Williams) told us to go out there and show what we've been working for," CMU junior Sierra DeMarinis said. "The team really took that to heart, and it showed up today. People were very calm, confident and it's always nice to be at home."
The Chippewas set season highs on vault (49.125), balance beam (48.925) and floor exercise (49.275), besting the Huskies in all three events.
CMU's team score was its best since it posted a 196.375 on Jan. 6, 2018, and the score was 1.325 – a huge margin in gymnastics – better than their previous season best 195.050, which they posted last week in a win at Bowling Green.
CMU started the season with 192.375 and has improved by significant margins with each of its four meets.
"We talk about not looking at the outcome, but we are outcome driven," coach Christine MacDonald said. "When you can get better weekend after weekend and just really learn to trust your gymnastics and trust each other, we're finding that flow and when you can capitalize with scores like that, it makes the hard work worth it and maybe it makes you a little bit more willing to come in tomorrow and work even harder.
"It's just a great outcome for today. Super proud of every single person out there today. They really backed each other up when we needed it. It was a great team effort."
CMU freshman Katie Kowalski won the vault with a career-best 9.900 and sophomore Taylor Pitchell and DeMarinis shared the top spot on floor exercise, both posting a career-high 9.950 score in putting the icing on the cake in the final rotation.
Floor Exercise
Pitchell recorded her score as the second-to-last Chippewa on floor, sending a charge into her teammates. DeMarinis followed.
"I was super excited for (Pitchell)," said DeMarinis, who won the all-around with a career-best 39.225. "That floor routine was beautiful. I didn't want to get too excited; I just kept to my normal routine and just thought about what I do in practice and brought it to the meet floor."
Said MacDonald: "Those two are the one-two punch at the end. They both have dynamic routines and they really own their space out there and have fun. You saw that confidence and they're super excited for each other. They really did a great job."
CMU's Adriana Bustelo (9.875) tied for third and sophomore Ashley Veglucci (9.850) was fifth. It was a career best floor score for Bustelo, a freshman.
Vault
The Chippewas got off to a fast start in the first rotation, as veteran senior Kennedy Johnson led off with a career-high-tying 9.825.
"Kennedy, to hit her vault like she did, it just set the tone," MacDonald said. "We've really been looking for that leadoff person and she did a tremendous job."
CMU's Elizabeth Cesarone (9.850) was third, Johnson was fourth, sophomore Hannah DeMers (9.800) was fifth, and senior Nora Fettinger (9.750) was sixth. It was a career-best vault score for Cesarone, a freshman.
"We love starting on vault," DeMarinis said. "We're strong there. We're confident. Getting a good start was huge and it just keeps rolling, the energy keeps going, and I think we built off it really well today."
Balance Beam
The Chippewas improved their season best on balance beam by .500, a significant increase. Beam specialist Morgan Tong, a junior, delivered a clutch 9.875 as the final Chippewa in the rotation to negate an 8.575.
"For her to come in and knowing she had to hit because we really needed that score – she just did a tremendous job," MacDonald said. "It takes Morgan being Morgan and just trusting her gymnastics. The routine doesn't change; it doesn't matter the situation; it doesn't matter whether we're in the (practice) gym or in a meet, it's still the same routine and we talk a lot about that.
"She has her same mental routine, she has her same warmup routine, we're consistent with that. There's not additional pressure … She just knows to find her flow; she does a really good job of calming herself and really being in the moment and that's what great beam workers do."
CMU sophomore Ashley Veglucci posted a career-best 9.850 in placing third.
Uneven Parallel Bars
Sophomore Savana Kotas (9.850) and Johnson (9.825) finished second and third, respectively, to lead CMU on bars. It was a career high for Kotas and Johnson matched her career best in the event.
DeMarinis and DeMers tied for sixth (9.775), and DeMers' gritty performance turned out to be critical, MacDonald said, adding that it was a turning point in the meet.
"Hannah really made a great effort and save on a low-bar skill that could have turned into a fall, and she fought and when she did that, everybody just went, 'That was it,'" she said. "I mean it was a great moment."
It was also telling of how the day went for the Chippewas, MacDonald said.
"It was just each person never giving up, never wavering," she said. "They weren't perfect, but they fought through it."
Looking Ahead
The Chippewas' 196.300 is the highest score of the season by a MAC team and it comes midway through and eight-meet schedule leading to the March 20 MAC Championships. The Chippewas are scheduled to go to Kent State on Sunday, Feb. 21 (1 p.m.).
"I think just doing what we do every day in practice (is the key)," DeMarinis said. "Every week we go into the gym and we work on those details. Every week we see the scores increasing and that's where it's coming from. Just to have that confidence today is where that big score came from."
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