Friday, February 9
Mount Pleasant, Mich.
6 p.m.
Central Michigan University
195.325
vs
196.000
Ball State
Photo by: Lauren Verellen '26 - @laurenverellen_photography
Gymnastics topped by Ball State in first conference loss of season
2/9/2024 9:42:00 PM | Gymnastics
CMU scores 195.325 in home-opening meet; pair of Chippewas set career marks
MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. -Â Competing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season, Central Michigan Gymnastics fell to Ball State 195.325-196.000 for the Chippewas' first Mid-American Conference loss of the season on Friday.
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CMU trailed early in the meet, but coach Christine MacDonald praised her team's resilience despite losing to a Ball State team that remains undefeated in MAC competition.
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"Our biggest takeaway is that our team has a lot of fight," MacDonald said. "Today we worked and there were some things that were really consistent and some things that we really had to fight for. I'm really proud of their energy that they brought from start to finish."
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Coming into the meet, CMU was among the only teams without a loss in the MAC. Following Friday's meet, that list includes just Ball State and Western Michigan.
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MacDonald knows that the MAC will not be a cake walk. She was complimentary of both Ball State and the overall level of competition within the conference.
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"(The MAC) is definitely really strong," MacDonald said. "Ball State's been a great team all year long and they came in and did very consistent gymnastics tonight. We expect that in every team that we face in our conference. They've been consistently putting it together. We're very impressed with all the athletes in our conference. I think it's really just raising the level of gymnastics."
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Starting off on vault, the Chippewas scored 48.975. Their rotation was highlighted by a 9.850 and a second-place finish from senior Elizabeth Cesarone. Sophomore Luciana Alvarado-Reid placed fourth with a 9.800.
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Alvarado-Reid's best score of the day came in the next rotation, placing second on the uneven parallel bars with a career-high score of 9.875 in the event. Junior Quinn Skrupa also set a career high, tying for third place with a 9.800. CMU scored 48.925 for the rotation.
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A third second-place finish from a Chippewa came in the third rotation via senior Amber Mueller, who scored 9.825. Skrupa also tallied another placement, this time a fourth-place finish with 9.750 as CMU scored 48.425 for the event.
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The Chippewas' best rotation came in their final event, scoring 49.000 on the floor routine. CMU had a pair of second-place finishes (Cesarone and senior Hallie Hornbacher) with a score of 9.825 each. Behind them, two Chippewas (Alvarado-Reid and graduate Ashley Veglucci) also tied for third.
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Looking ahead, CMU returns to McGuirk Arena next Friday (Feb. 16) to host Bowling Green. The meet is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
Â
"It's going to be nice because we're going to have a full week of practice," MacDonald said of their upcoming meet. "We had a very short turnaround from last Sunday to today's meet, so we're definitely looking forward to having a normal week of practice (to prepare)."
Â
CMU trailed early in the meet, but coach Christine MacDonald praised her team's resilience despite losing to a Ball State team that remains undefeated in MAC competition.
Â
"Our biggest takeaway is that our team has a lot of fight," MacDonald said. "Today we worked and there were some things that were really consistent and some things that we really had to fight for. I'm really proud of their energy that they brought from start to finish."
Â
Coming into the meet, CMU was among the only teams without a loss in the MAC. Following Friday's meet, that list includes just Ball State and Western Michigan.
Â
MacDonald knows that the MAC will not be a cake walk. She was complimentary of both Ball State and the overall level of competition within the conference.
Â
"(The MAC) is definitely really strong," MacDonald said. "Ball State's been a great team all year long and they came in and did very consistent gymnastics tonight. We expect that in every team that we face in our conference. They've been consistently putting it together. We're very impressed with all the athletes in our conference. I think it's really just raising the level of gymnastics."
Â
Starting off on vault, the Chippewas scored 48.975. Their rotation was highlighted by a 9.850 and a second-place finish from senior Elizabeth Cesarone. Sophomore Luciana Alvarado-Reid placed fourth with a 9.800.
Â
Alvarado-Reid's best score of the day came in the next rotation, placing second on the uneven parallel bars with a career-high score of 9.875 in the event. Junior Quinn Skrupa also set a career high, tying for third place with a 9.800. CMU scored 48.925 for the rotation.
Â
A third second-place finish from a Chippewa came in the third rotation via senior Amber Mueller, who scored 9.825. Skrupa also tallied another placement, this time a fourth-place finish with 9.750 as CMU scored 48.425 for the event.
Â
The Chippewas' best rotation came in their final event, scoring 49.000 on the floor routine. CMU had a pair of second-place finishes (Cesarone and senior Hallie Hornbacher) with a score of 9.825 each. Behind them, two Chippewas (Alvarado-Reid and graduate Ashley Veglucci) also tied for third.
Â
Looking ahead, CMU returns to McGuirk Arena next Friday (Feb. 16) to host Bowling Green. The meet is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
Â
"It's going to be nice because we're going to have a full week of practice," MacDonald said of their upcoming meet. "We had a very short turnaround from last Sunday to today's meet, so we're definitely looking forward to having a normal week of practice (to prepare)."
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