Friday, April 2
Athens, Ga.
7 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
NCAA Regional Championships
Gymnastics Ready for NCAA Regional Action
4/1/2021 9:08:00 AM | Gymnastics
The No. 25 Chippewas travel to Athens, Ga.
2021 NCAA Regional Notes
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan gymnastics coach Christine MacDonald is not concerned with things on the periphery.
It's what her squad does in the gym this weekend that really matters.
"We come in with the same focus as we would with any meet," said MacDonald, who is set to send her team into the NCAA Regional this weekend at Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum. "In our sport, it really is a nameless, faceless opponent.
"What we're going against is a perfect score, so if we keep focused on our gymnastics and our performances, it takes away those elements that are out of our control. I think it's a mindset of keeping to our bubble and focusing on each individual performance."
The No. 25 Chippewas will compete in a quad on Friday (7 p.m.) with No. 1 Florida, No. 16 Illinois, and either Western Michigan or North Carolina State. The 26th-ranked Wolfpack and 35th-ranked Broncos will square off on Thursday with the winner advancing to Friday's quad.
The other half of the nine-team regional features host Georgia, which is ranked 18th, No. 8 Minnesota, ninth-ranked Denver and No. 24 Oregon State. That quad is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Friday.
The top two teams from each of the two quads will meet on Saturday with a trip to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 16-17.
CMU's roster includes just five student-athletes who have regional experience though the program is an annual participant at the regional level. This appearance marks the 17th time in program history – and 12th consecutive -- that the Chippewas have reached the regional championships.
The Chippewas' season has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride. CMU struggled early, then made steady progress, posting back-to-back 196.425 scores – the program's best since 2018 – to close the regular season. CMU finished fourth at the Mid-American Conference Championships in its last outing.
"The regional is a great opportunity for our team to build off the success they've had throughout the season," MacDonald said. "I think that's really our approach: go in with a championship mind set and look for positive outcomes."
The Chippewas will start Friday's quad on floor exercise and then move to vault on the second rotation. Floor has been CMU's best event all season (49.153 national qualifying score) and vault has been its second best (49.003 NQS).
"I really do think that starting on our best event is something that will give us a boost of confidence starting off," MacDonald said.
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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Central Michigan gymnastics coach Christine MacDonald is not concerned with things on the periphery.
It's what her squad does in the gym this weekend that really matters.
"We come in with the same focus as we would with any meet," said MacDonald, who is set to send her team into the NCAA Regional this weekend at Georgia's Stegeman Coliseum. "In our sport, it really is a nameless, faceless opponent.
"What we're going against is a perfect score, so if we keep focused on our gymnastics and our performances, it takes away those elements that are out of our control. I think it's a mindset of keeping to our bubble and focusing on each individual performance."
The No. 25 Chippewas will compete in a quad on Friday (7 p.m.) with No. 1 Florida, No. 16 Illinois, and either Western Michigan or North Carolina State. The 26th-ranked Wolfpack and 35th-ranked Broncos will square off on Thursday with the winner advancing to Friday's quad.
The other half of the nine-team regional features host Georgia, which is ranked 18th, No. 8 Minnesota, ninth-ranked Denver and No. 24 Oregon State. That quad is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Friday.
The top two teams from each of the two quads will meet on Saturday with a trip to the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, on April 16-17.
CMU's roster includes just five student-athletes who have regional experience though the program is an annual participant at the regional level. This appearance marks the 17th time in program history – and 12th consecutive -- that the Chippewas have reached the regional championships.
The Chippewas' season has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride. CMU struggled early, then made steady progress, posting back-to-back 196.425 scores – the program's best since 2018 – to close the regular season. CMU finished fourth at the Mid-American Conference Championships in its last outing.
"The regional is a great opportunity for our team to build off the success they've had throughout the season," MacDonald said. "I think that's really our approach: go in with a championship mind set and look for positive outcomes."
The Chippewas will start Friday's quad on floor exercise and then move to vault on the second rotation. Floor has been CMU's best event all season (49.153 national qualifying score) and vault has been its second best (49.003 NQS).
"I really do think that starting on our best event is something that will give us a boost of confidence starting off," MacDonald said.
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MAC Championships Cinematic Melt
Monday, March 24
Lia Kmieciak Post Championship Interview
Saturday, March 22
Coach MacDonald Post Championship Interview
Saturday, March 22
Hannah Appleget Post Championship Interview
Saturday, March 22