Thursday, March 31
Auburn, Ala.
8 p.m. ET
Central Michigan University
vs
NCAA Regional Championships - Individuals
Photo by: Jack Reeber '23,M'25 - @jackreeber.raw
Gymnasts Shine On Regional Stage
3/31/2022 11:09:00 PM | Gymnastics
AUBURN, Ala. – Something to build upon, no regrets, fantastic memories.
Hannah DeMers, Katie Kowalski and Sierra DeMarinis represented Central Michigan on the big stage at the NCAA Gymnastics Regional at Auburn's Neville Arena on Thursday.
All three performed extraordinarily well, CMU coach Christine MacDonald said, but in the end came up short in their quest to advance to the NCAA Championships.
The three qualified for the regional as individuals after the Chippewas fell one spot shy of qualifying for the regional as a team after winning the Mid-American Conference Championships two weeks ago.
"They did an exceptional job tonight," MacDonald said. "Each individual competed as if their teammates were there with them. From start to finish, they were calm, they were confident, and their gymnastics were beautiful.
"To have the night that they had in that setting as an individual, without your entire team, is really tough. We were super proud of them. They lit up the arena. We had multiple compliments and they just solidified what our program is about, which is great gymnastics, and they represented the program and the conference very well."
DeMers tied for seventh in the all around with a 39.475 score; Kowalski tied for fourth on vault with a 9.900, and DeMarinis tied for 20th on floor exercise with a 9.875.
DeMers joined Kowalski in tying for fourth on vault at 9.900. DeMers tied for 19th on balance beam (9.850), tied for 20th on floor (9.875), and tied for 26th on uneven parallel bars (9.850).
Kowalski is a sophomore, DeMers a junior, and DeMarinis a senior competing for the final time in maroon and gold. She competed in every CMU meet over the past four years.
"Sierra has been a rock for us this year and really the last four years," MacDonald said. "She's been a consistent competitor and she has excelled throughout the entire year and especially at the big meets. She's a great role model for everybody on our team. Tonight was a great way for her to cap off a great career."
The experience that DeMers and Kowalski gained is invaluable, MacDonald said, as the Chippewas look ahead to the 2023 season and beyond.
"It's something we talk about from day one as a team – everything that we're doing in the gym pays off and it's rewarded at the end of the year and I think their gymnastics spoke to that," MacDonald said. "I think they take back the confidence in that; doing the little things, staying committed, working the details and to do it on the stage that they did tonight just continues to reinforce all the little things that we talk about every day and will continue to fuel that fire that we can do this, and we are doing it.
"They're a representation of our whole program and it's something that I know they're excited about and the whole team supports them. Today was about our team and they just really shined in the moment.
"We had a lot of compliments from a lot of coaches about how good their gymnastics were and just how fun they are to watch, and I think that's a great representation of our program."
Hannah DeMers, Katie Kowalski and Sierra DeMarinis represented Central Michigan on the big stage at the NCAA Gymnastics Regional at Auburn's Neville Arena on Thursday.
All three performed extraordinarily well, CMU coach Christine MacDonald said, but in the end came up short in their quest to advance to the NCAA Championships.
The three qualified for the regional as individuals after the Chippewas fell one spot shy of qualifying for the regional as a team after winning the Mid-American Conference Championships two weeks ago.
"They did an exceptional job tonight," MacDonald said. "Each individual competed as if their teammates were there with them. From start to finish, they were calm, they were confident, and their gymnastics were beautiful.
"To have the night that they had in that setting as an individual, without your entire team, is really tough. We were super proud of them. They lit up the arena. We had multiple compliments and they just solidified what our program is about, which is great gymnastics, and they represented the program and the conference very well."
DeMers tied for seventh in the all around with a 39.475 score; Kowalski tied for fourth on vault with a 9.900, and DeMarinis tied for 20th on floor exercise with a 9.875.
DeMers joined Kowalski in tying for fourth on vault at 9.900. DeMers tied for 19th on balance beam (9.850), tied for 20th on floor (9.875), and tied for 26th on uneven parallel bars (9.850).
Kowalski is a sophomore, DeMers a junior, and DeMarinis a senior competing for the final time in maroon and gold. She competed in every CMU meet over the past four years.
"Sierra has been a rock for us this year and really the last four years," MacDonald said. "She's been a consistent competitor and she has excelled throughout the entire year and especially at the big meets. She's a great role model for everybody on our team. Tonight was a great way for her to cap off a great career."
The experience that DeMers and Kowalski gained is invaluable, MacDonald said, as the Chippewas look ahead to the 2023 season and beyond.
"It's something we talk about from day one as a team – everything that we're doing in the gym pays off and it's rewarded at the end of the year and I think their gymnastics spoke to that," MacDonald said. "I think they take back the confidence in that; doing the little things, staying committed, working the details and to do it on the stage that they did tonight just continues to reinforce all the little things that we talk about every day and will continue to fuel that fire that we can do this, and we are doing it.
"They're a representation of our whole program and it's something that I know they're excited about and the whole team supports them. Today was about our team and they just really shined in the moment.
"We had a lot of compliments from a lot of coaches about how good their gymnastics were and just how fun they are to watch, and I think that's a great representation of our program."
Players Mentioned
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