Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 31
Normal, Ill.
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Illinois State
Photo by: Gregory Long
Eagles Partner with Chippewas for Michigan/Illinois Challenge
1/28/2015 5:59:00 PM | Gymnastics
EMU gymnastics and Central Michigan will face off against Illinois State and Illinois-Chicago, Jan. 31
Complete Notes
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- One week after recording the highest mark in school history over the past 11 seasons, the Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team returns to the road for the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Jan. 31. The annual quad meet pits Michigan institutions Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan University against Illinois schools Illinois State University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. While the two in-state schools will combine their scores together to measure up against the pair of Illinois universities, all four teams will compete against one another. Illinois State is this year's challenge host, with the meet beginning at 4 p.m. CT from Horton Field House.
Challenge History: The Michigan/Illinois Challenge will be contested for the fifth-straight season with the State of Michigan dominating the series. The Great Lakes State has won three of the previous four matchups over the Prairie State schools with Illinois' only victory coming in the 2012 campaign. In last season's quad meet, the Eagles and Chippewas combined for a score of 391.400 to top the Redbirds and Flames, who totaled a 384.450. Individually, CMU had the highest overall score with 196.600, while Eastern's 194.800 was second.
MAC Leaders: Through the first three meets of the season, Eastern Michigan leads the MAC in several statistical categories. With an average team score of 194.583, the Green and White ranks first in the MAC, while also sitting seventh in the Central regional rankings. Eastern also is at the top of the conference in team scores on the balance beam and floor exercise with averages of 48.467 and 48.883, respectively. In the other two events, the Eagles rank second with a 48.608 mark on vault and a 48.625 average on bars. Individually, senior Chantelle Loehner paces the MAC in the floor exercise, boasting an average of 9.867. Classmate Anna Willette is the conference leader in the all-around category with a 39.088 average.
Willette Earns MAC Gymnast of the Week Honor: After leading the Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team to its highest team score in 11 years, senior Anna Willette has been named the Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week, the league office announced, Jan. 27. Willette earns the weekly accolade for the first time in her career after a superb performance against Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 24. One week after completing her first all-around performance with a 39.000, Willette improved on the mark by using four new season bests to record an all-around score of 39.175, becoming just the fifth Eagle in program history to reach that mark. She finished runner-up on vault with a 9.825, tied for the bars title and took third on beam with scores of 9.775, while also earning a career-best 9.800 on floor to place second in the event.
Double Chip Dip: While the Eagles and Chippewas will team up with one another against the Illinois institutions, the two in-state rivals will still square off against one another for the second time in 14 days. CMU won the previous matchup in Mount Pleasant, 195.875-194.575, to pick up a victory in MAC play, Jan. 17. Central is second behind Eastern in the conference with an average mark of 194.519. The Chippewas are also closely trailing the Eagles on floor average, while they stand atop the MAC beam standings. CMU is 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference action with its only loss of the season coming at the hands of No. 15 Illinois, Jan. 11.
Eyes on UIC: The Flames are 2-3 on the season after picking up a home victory over Illinois State on Sunday, Jan. 25. UIC recorded a season-high 191.375 in the win as senior Gabrielle May tallied a 38.925 all-around mark to pace the Flames. May, the 2014 UIC Co-Female Student-Athlete of the Year, has been a leader for her team in every meet alongside teammate Kimberly Randall. The senior is coming off a 9.875 on vault that tied her career high and also earned a share of the bars title with a 9.725.
Redbird Report: As hosts of the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Illinois State will partner with UIC after falling to the Flames in its latest meet. ISU is 1-2 in three duals, dropping both road matchups while winning a home contest versus Centenary. In the lone victory, the Redbirds notched a season-high 188.750. Amanda Mohler is one Redbird who will look to make an impact in the challenge as she claimed the beam crown with the 9.775 against the Flames. Senior Sami King joined her teammate as the second half of a 1-2 punch in the event, tallying a 9.750.
Breaking the Barrier: EMU recorded its highest team score in 11 years, tallying season highs in every rotation en route to a 195.250-192.425 victory over Bowling Green State University in a Mid-American Conference dual, Jan. 24, at the Convocation Center. The Green and White broke its previous season bests with marks of 48.800 on the vault and uneven parallel bars, while also adding a 48.650 on the balance beam and a 49.000 on the floor exercise. It marked the first time that Eastern scored over 195.000 in 111 previous meets. The last time EMU broke the 195-point barrier was at the end of the 2004 campaign; the Eagles earned a 195.550 at the MAC Championship, March 19, 2004.
Anna's All-Around: With an average score of 39.088, Anna Willette remains the all-around leader in the MAC, while also ranking 34th in the nation. In the only two all-around competitions of her career, she has won both, including a 39.000 in her first performance at Central Michigan, Jan. 17. The senior gymnast followed with a 39.175 versus Bowling Green, Jan. 24, to earn MAC Gymnast of the Week honors and become the fifth Eagle in EMU history to reach the mark. Willette is also third in the MAC in vault average (9.792) and cracks the conference's top-10 on beam and floor, sitting in eighth-place for both events.
Controlling the Floor: The strongest event for the Green and White is clear in the first three meets of the year; the floor exercise has seen the Eagles score their highest marks, and those scores have only increased after each contest. EMU started the year off with a floor score of 48.800 in the win over Temple, before improving to a 48.850 in the tri-meet at Central Michigan. Hosting Bowling Green in the Convocation Center, EMU continued the trend of an improvement in the event by tallying an even 49.000. Pacing the MAC with a team average of 48.883 in the exercise, the Eagles also rank 17th in the nation.
The Floor Queen: Senior Chantelle Loehner has proved why she is a specialist on the floor exercise, leading the Eagles in their best event through the first three weeks of the 2015 campaign. Loehner has two victories and one runner-up finish in her three floor routines, earning an average score of 9.867 that leads the MAC and ranks 19th in the nation. Coming off a victory on floor versus the Owls with a 9.850, Loehner led the Green and White once again by tallying a new career-high 9.875 at the Central Michigan tri-meet, Jan. 17. The Cary, Ill. native tied for second in the exercise, becoming just the 17th Eagle in program history to record a floor score of at least 9.875. Against Bowling Green, Loehner led Eastern on floor for the third straight week and captured her second win of the year with another stellar 9.875 match her career high.
More #MACtion at the Convo: The Eagles will continue to alternate between home and away meets, returning to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for another Mid-American Conference dual, Feb. 7. EMU will puts its undefeated home record on the line against the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. The dual between the soaring MAC teams will begin at 4 p.m. and can be watched live on Eagle All-Access.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- One week after recording the highest mark in school history over the past 11 seasons, the Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team returns to the road for the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Jan. 31. The annual quad meet pits Michigan institutions Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan University against Illinois schools Illinois State University and the University of Illinois-Chicago. While the two in-state schools will combine their scores together to measure up against the pair of Illinois universities, all four teams will compete against one another. Illinois State is this year's challenge host, with the meet beginning at 4 p.m. CT from Horton Field House.
Challenge History: The Michigan/Illinois Challenge will be contested for the fifth-straight season with the State of Michigan dominating the series. The Great Lakes State has won three of the previous four matchups over the Prairie State schools with Illinois' only victory coming in the 2012 campaign. In last season's quad meet, the Eagles and Chippewas combined for a score of 391.400 to top the Redbirds and Flames, who totaled a 384.450. Individually, CMU had the highest overall score with 196.600, while Eastern's 194.800 was second.
MAC Leaders: Through the first three meets of the season, Eastern Michigan leads the MAC in several statistical categories. With an average team score of 194.583, the Green and White ranks first in the MAC, while also sitting seventh in the Central regional rankings. Eastern also is at the top of the conference in team scores on the balance beam and floor exercise with averages of 48.467 and 48.883, respectively. In the other two events, the Eagles rank second with a 48.608 mark on vault and a 48.625 average on bars. Individually, senior Chantelle Loehner paces the MAC in the floor exercise, boasting an average of 9.867. Classmate Anna Willette is the conference leader in the all-around category with a 39.088 average.
Willette Earns MAC Gymnast of the Week Honor: After leading the Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team to its highest team score in 11 years, senior Anna Willette has been named the Mid-American Conference Gymnast of the Week, the league office announced, Jan. 27. Willette earns the weekly accolade for the first time in her career after a superb performance against Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 24. One week after completing her first all-around performance with a 39.000, Willette improved on the mark by using four new season bests to record an all-around score of 39.175, becoming just the fifth Eagle in program history to reach that mark. She finished runner-up on vault with a 9.825, tied for the bars title and took third on beam with scores of 9.775, while also earning a career-best 9.800 on floor to place second in the event.
Double Chip Dip: While the Eagles and Chippewas will team up with one another against the Illinois institutions, the two in-state rivals will still square off against one another for the second time in 14 days. CMU won the previous matchup in Mount Pleasant, 195.875-194.575, to pick up a victory in MAC play, Jan. 17. Central is second behind Eastern in the conference with an average mark of 194.519. The Chippewas are also closely trailing the Eagles on floor average, while they stand atop the MAC beam standings. CMU is 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in conference action with its only loss of the season coming at the hands of No. 15 Illinois, Jan. 11.
Eyes on UIC: The Flames are 2-3 on the season after picking up a home victory over Illinois State on Sunday, Jan. 25. UIC recorded a season-high 191.375 in the win as senior Gabrielle May tallied a 38.925 all-around mark to pace the Flames. May, the 2014 UIC Co-Female Student-Athlete of the Year, has been a leader for her team in every meet alongside teammate Kimberly Randall. The senior is coming off a 9.875 on vault that tied her career high and also earned a share of the bars title with a 9.725.
Redbird Report: As hosts of the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Illinois State will partner with UIC after falling to the Flames in its latest meet. ISU is 1-2 in three duals, dropping both road matchups while winning a home contest versus Centenary. In the lone victory, the Redbirds notched a season-high 188.750. Amanda Mohler is one Redbird who will look to make an impact in the challenge as she claimed the beam crown with the 9.775 against the Flames. Senior Sami King joined her teammate as the second half of a 1-2 punch in the event, tallying a 9.750.
Breaking the Barrier: EMU recorded its highest team score in 11 years, tallying season highs in every rotation en route to a 195.250-192.425 victory over Bowling Green State University in a Mid-American Conference dual, Jan. 24, at the Convocation Center. The Green and White broke its previous season bests with marks of 48.800 on the vault and uneven parallel bars, while also adding a 48.650 on the balance beam and a 49.000 on the floor exercise. It marked the first time that Eastern scored over 195.000 in 111 previous meets. The last time EMU broke the 195-point barrier was at the end of the 2004 campaign; the Eagles earned a 195.550 at the MAC Championship, March 19, 2004.
Anna's All-Around: With an average score of 39.088, Anna Willette remains the all-around leader in the MAC, while also ranking 34th in the nation. In the only two all-around competitions of her career, she has won both, including a 39.000 in her first performance at Central Michigan, Jan. 17. The senior gymnast followed with a 39.175 versus Bowling Green, Jan. 24, to earn MAC Gymnast of the Week honors and become the fifth Eagle in EMU history to reach the mark. Willette is also third in the MAC in vault average (9.792) and cracks the conference's top-10 on beam and floor, sitting in eighth-place for both events.
Controlling the Floor: The strongest event for the Green and White is clear in the first three meets of the year; the floor exercise has seen the Eagles score their highest marks, and those scores have only increased after each contest. EMU started the year off with a floor score of 48.800 in the win over Temple, before improving to a 48.850 in the tri-meet at Central Michigan. Hosting Bowling Green in the Convocation Center, EMU continued the trend of an improvement in the event by tallying an even 49.000. Pacing the MAC with a team average of 48.883 in the exercise, the Eagles also rank 17th in the nation.
The Floor Queen: Senior Chantelle Loehner has proved why she is a specialist on the floor exercise, leading the Eagles in their best event through the first three weeks of the 2015 campaign. Loehner has two victories and one runner-up finish in her three floor routines, earning an average score of 9.867 that leads the MAC and ranks 19th in the nation. Coming off a victory on floor versus the Owls with a 9.850, Loehner led the Green and White once again by tallying a new career-high 9.875 at the Central Michigan tri-meet, Jan. 17. The Cary, Ill. native tied for second in the exercise, becoming just the 17th Eagle in program history to record a floor score of at least 9.875. Against Bowling Green, Loehner led Eastern on floor for the third straight week and captured her second win of the year with another stellar 9.875 match her career high.
More #MACtion at the Convo: The Eagles will continue to alternate between home and away meets, returning to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for another Mid-American Conference dual, Feb. 7. EMU will puts its undefeated home record on the line against the Golden Flashes of Kent State University. The dual between the soaring MAC teams will begin at 4 p.m. and can be watched live on Eagle All-Access.
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