Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Gymnastics Preview: CMU Returns Plenty As Optimism Runs High
1/8/2022 12:48:00 PM | Gymnastics
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – Certainly, everything evolves from year to year.
But what remains constant are the expectations for the Central Michigan gymnastics team. The Chippewas are set to open the 2022 season on Sunday (1 p.m.) with a nonconference dual meet with Illinois at McGuirk Arena.
"Any time you start a new year you re-set, but with this group, it's really just a continuation of the experiences that we had last year," said third-year coach Christine MacDonald, who has been in the program since 1988, first as a student-athlete and then an assistant coach. "We had a lot of strong individuals on the team last year and collectively a solid whole. We're very excited about where this team is going to go this year."
The Chippewas finished second in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll behind Ball State. CMU was fourth in the conference meet a season ago and posted the 25th-best national qualifying score in the country, earning its 12th consecutive NCAA Regional berth.
The Chippewas finished 26th nationally and fourth in their regional in Athens, Ga.
"Last year, although the conference championship didn't end up the way we had wanted it to," MacDonald said, "our national finish really solidified that we are a championship-caliber team and that we are a national contender. That's something that we work for year in and year out."
The CMU gymnasts, like their counterparts across the nation and in every sport, dealt with so much more a year ago than they would in a typical season. At times, striving to make the incremental improvements so critical in the sport and posting good scores took a back seat to issues raised by COVID.
The silver lining, MacDonald said, is that her student-athletes have grown from the experiences of coping and adapting on the fly.
"I really think it spurred a renewed passion and commitment," she said. "This group is very focused, and they have a great team chemistry. We were able to train all summer together which we haven't been able to do in the last two summers.
"It's been a great building block for this season. They are driven and committed and it's really going to be a fun group to watch."
The Chippewas return a number of talented and experienced gymnasts with proven track records of success.
Among them are 2021 All-MAC First Teamers Hannah DeMers and Katie Kowalski. Three other returnees, Morgan Tong, Adriana Bustelo and Sierra DeMarinis were named, along with DeMers, to the All-MAC Tournament Team a year ago.
Tong is the reigning MAC balance beam champion while DeMers captured the league crown on uneven parallel bars in 2021. Both qualified for the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, in those events last spring.
Among the other expected leaders who return are the likes of Annie Hammond, Ashley Veglucci, Amber Mueller, Taylor Pitchell, Elizabeth Cesarone, Brenna Hauser and Savana Kotas.
But what remains constant are the expectations for the Central Michigan gymnastics team. The Chippewas are set to open the 2022 season on Sunday (1 p.m.) with a nonconference dual meet with Illinois at McGuirk Arena.
"Any time you start a new year you re-set, but with this group, it's really just a continuation of the experiences that we had last year," said third-year coach Christine MacDonald, who has been in the program since 1988, first as a student-athlete and then an assistant coach. "We had a lot of strong individuals on the team last year and collectively a solid whole. We're very excited about where this team is going to go this year."
The Chippewas finished second in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll behind Ball State. CMU was fourth in the conference meet a season ago and posted the 25th-best national qualifying score in the country, earning its 12th consecutive NCAA Regional berth.
The Chippewas finished 26th nationally and fourth in their regional in Athens, Ga.
"Last year, although the conference championship didn't end up the way we had wanted it to," MacDonald said, "our national finish really solidified that we are a championship-caliber team and that we are a national contender. That's something that we work for year in and year out."
The CMU gymnasts, like their counterparts across the nation and in every sport, dealt with so much more a year ago than they would in a typical season. At times, striving to make the incremental improvements so critical in the sport and posting good scores took a back seat to issues raised by COVID.
The silver lining, MacDonald said, is that her student-athletes have grown from the experiences of coping and adapting on the fly.
"I really think it spurred a renewed passion and commitment," she said. "This group is very focused, and they have a great team chemistry. We were able to train all summer together which we haven't been able to do in the last two summers.
"It's been a great building block for this season. They are driven and committed and it's really going to be a fun group to watch."
The Chippewas return a number of talented and experienced gymnasts with proven track records of success.
Among them are 2021 All-MAC First Teamers Hannah DeMers and Katie Kowalski. Three other returnees, Morgan Tong, Adriana Bustelo and Sierra DeMarinis were named, along with DeMers, to the All-MAC Tournament Team a year ago.
Tong is the reigning MAC balance beam champion while DeMers captured the league crown on uneven parallel bars in 2021. Both qualified for the NCAA Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, in those events last spring.
Among the other expected leaders who return are the likes of Annie Hammond, Ashley Veglucci, Amber Mueller, Taylor Pitchell, Elizabeth Cesarone, Brenna Hauser and Savana Kotas.
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