Eastern to Close Out Season with Senior Night Against Western Michigan

Gymnastics vs Western Michigan
Date	Friday, March 16 \| 6 p.m. EST
Location	Ypsilanti, Mich. \| Convocation Center
Meet Notes	PDF Notes
Twitter	@EMU Gym
Results	Live Results \| L ive Stream

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team completes its regular season Friday, March 16, as they play host to in-state MAC rival, Western Michigan, inside the Convocation Center for Senior Night. Action is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

FOLLOWING THE MEET: Fans can follow the meet through live stats and a live stream offered by Eastern Michigan. Links for both can be found on the EMU gymnastics schedule page located on EMUEagles.com.

SENIOR NIGHT: Not only is Friday's meet the last of the 2018 regular season, but it also serves as the final time Eastern's five seniors will don the Green and White at home. Kirsten Gendron, Megan Marino, Lacey Rubin, Jules Schwartz, and Kendall Valentin will all be recognized for their outstanding achievements and accomplishments both in the gym and inside the classroom throughout their careers at EMU.

EMU VS. WMU IN RECENT HISTORY: The Eagles hold a considerable edge over the Broncos in regular season meetings within the last decade. EMU currently boasts a 10-4 record, having most recently defeated Western in Kalamazoo last season, coming away with the victory, 195.4-194.9, Jan. 29. This is also the third time since the 2010 season Eastern will face WMU during Senior Day, with EMU winning all three of the senior send-offs.

LAST TIME OUT: Eastern took third place with a season-high score of 195.725 in the quad meet hosted by Temple University, Sunday, March 11. The Eagles bested Rutgers University (184.5), but fell short of Lindenwood University (196.4), and Temple (196.05).
EMU's team score was the first time this season that the Green and White was able to break through the 195 threshold, and was in large part possible due to the bars squad marking a season-high score of 49.15. Senior Kendall Valentin led the event, tying her career-high of 9.95 to win the event title. Redshirt senior Lacey Rubin also had an incredible bars routine, earning a new career-best score of 9.925, the second-best score of the meet.

SUCCESS ON BARS: Kendall Valentin and Lacey Rubin have hit their stride on bars throughout the latter half of the season, with the two currently ranking within the top-10 in the conference for RQS. Currently, Valentin ranks sixth in the MAC with an RQS of 9.855, while Rubin is slotted ninth with an RQS of 9.83. Additionally, Valentin's 9.95 she notched in last week's meet ties Kent State's Rachel Stypinski and Northern Illinois' Ashley Potts for the highest score on the event in the conference this season, while Lacey's 9.925 has her tied with Western Michigan's Amelia Mohler for second.

IMPROVEMENTS ON FLOOR: The Eagles have seen a boost in production on floor over the past six meets, boasting an average team score of 48.916 through the contests, compared to their 48.517 they held through the first three weeks of the season. The spark came in the team's first quad of 2018, when EMU marked a then season-high 48.900 at MSU, Jan. 27. Eastern's best floor score of the season came in the form of a 49.125 against Kent State, Feb. 25. Additionally, the Green and White notched a 49.025 against Illinois State, Feb. 15, which was the first time the team surpassed a 49.000 in any event this season.

LOOKING AHEAD: Following its meet this Friday, EMU will turn its sights toward the MAC Championships, March 24, located in Mount Pleasant, Mich. The Eagles will have the opportunity to bring home their third consecutive and fourth overall conference title.

Eastern to Close Out Season with Senior Night Against Western Michigan

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Players Mentioned

Kirsten Gendron

Megan Marino

Lacey Rubin

Jules Schwartz

Kendall Valentin

Eastern Michigan Athletics