Saturday, March 20
Kalamazoo, Mich.
2 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
MAC Championships
Tong & DeMers Win MAC Individual Titles
3/20/2021 10:01:00 PM | Gymnastics
Chippewas finish fourth as a team.
Final Results
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Central Michigan gymnastics team finished fourth on Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Championships at Western Michigan's University Arena.
The Chippewas posted a 194.900 team score. Eastern Michigan won the title with a 195.900.
Two Chippewas, Morgan Tong and Hannah DeMers, captured event crowns. Tong, a junior, was first on the balance beam with a 9.900 score; DeMers, a sophomore, tied for first on the uneven bars with a 9.900.
DeMers and Tong, along with teammates Adriana Bustelo and Sierra DeMarinis, were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
"The MAC Championships has always been about performing your best because it is such a competitive conference," CMU coach Christine MacDonald said. "Although we did not have our best team performance today, there were a lot of highlights individually and as a team. There are learning moments in that that we can take forward.
"I was very proud of how we finished the meet. We ended strong and we never stopped competing."
The Chippewas will watch the NCAA Championships Selection Show on Monday, March 22, when they find out their regional destination. They are ranked 25th nationally.
"With having such a young group and without having experience at the (league) championship meet, we had to live it and take our experiences for our next step which is going to be in the postseason," MacDonald said. "It'll bring new life and it'll be another opportunity for them to shine.
"We have another opportunity. We're going to find out Monday with the selection show and that's two more weeks to continue to represent CMU and compete in the sport that they love. This journey this year has had lots of learning moments and I think the focus for us is to continue to grow and get better and we're really just thankful for those opportunities."
DeMarinis tied for second on floor (9.900), tied for eighth on beam, and tied for fifth in the all-around (39.035); Bustelo (9.875) tied for second on beam; Katie Kowalski tied for fourth on vault (9.825); and Ashley Veglucci tied for eighth on floor (9.875).
DeMers is the second-consecutive Chippewa to win the conference title on bars after Denelle Pedrick accomplished the feat in 2019. Tong is the first Chippewa to place first on balance beam at the league championships since 2018, when Katy Clements won the event.
"The meet itself was very close from start to finish and I think to be the standout individual on an event really speaks volumes to their performances in a pressure situation," MacDonald said of Tong and DeMers. "Hannah came in as the anchor (on bars) and really sold her routine; Morgan, the same thing on beam. They're both in that position for that reason and they did a great job as anchors."
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Central Michigan gymnastics team finished fourth on Saturday at the Mid-American Conference Championships at Western Michigan's University Arena.
The Chippewas posted a 194.900 team score. Eastern Michigan won the title with a 195.900.
Two Chippewas, Morgan Tong and Hannah DeMers, captured event crowns. Tong, a junior, was first on the balance beam with a 9.900 score; DeMers, a sophomore, tied for first on the uneven bars with a 9.900.
DeMers and Tong, along with teammates Adriana Bustelo and Sierra DeMarinis, were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
"The MAC Championships has always been about performing your best because it is such a competitive conference," CMU coach Christine MacDonald said. "Although we did not have our best team performance today, there were a lot of highlights individually and as a team. There are learning moments in that that we can take forward.
"I was very proud of how we finished the meet. We ended strong and we never stopped competing."
The Chippewas will watch the NCAA Championships Selection Show on Monday, March 22, when they find out their regional destination. They are ranked 25th nationally.
"With having such a young group and without having experience at the (league) championship meet, we had to live it and take our experiences for our next step which is going to be in the postseason," MacDonald said. "It'll bring new life and it'll be another opportunity for them to shine.
"We have another opportunity. We're going to find out Monday with the selection show and that's two more weeks to continue to represent CMU and compete in the sport that they love. This journey this year has had lots of learning moments and I think the focus for us is to continue to grow and get better and we're really just thankful for those opportunities."
DeMarinis tied for second on floor (9.900), tied for eighth on beam, and tied for fifth in the all-around (39.035); Bustelo (9.875) tied for second on beam; Katie Kowalski tied for fourth on vault (9.825); and Ashley Veglucci tied for eighth on floor (9.875).
DeMers is the second-consecutive Chippewa to win the conference title on bars after Denelle Pedrick accomplished the feat in 2019. Tong is the first Chippewa to place first on balance beam at the league championships since 2018, when Katy Clements won the event.
"The meet itself was very close from start to finish and I think to be the standout individual on an event really speaks volumes to their performances in a pressure situation," MacDonald said of Tong and DeMers. "Hannah came in as the anchor (on bars) and really sold her routine; Morgan, the same thing on beam. They're both in that position for that reason and they did a great job as anchors."
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Players Mentioned
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