Gymnastics Begins 2015 Regular Season at Home Friday Night

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team will kick off the 2015 regular season in front of their home fans, Jan. 9, at the Convocation Center. EMU hosts Temple in a Friday night matchup set to begin at 7 p.m. The season-opening meet will be the first-of-five inside the Convocation Center, the new home of EMU gymnastics.

Catch the Meet on Eagle All-Access: For those who prefer to watch the meet, it will be broadcast on Eastern's live webstreaming service Eagle All-Access. Subscriptions for Eagle All-Access start at just $6.95 and can be purchased at EMUEagles.com/watch.

Santos Era Begins: Following the retirement of longtime Head Coach Steve Wilce, a new era of EMU gymnastics begins under new Head Coach Jay Santos. He arrived in Ypsilanti after spending three seasons as the associate head coach at the University of Illinois. Santos, who owns 15 years experience of coaching and competing at the Division I level, completed his third season as the associate head coach and fourth year overall in Champaign, Ill. The Bridgewater, Mass. native arrived at Illinois in 2010 following stints at Iowa State University and Ohio State University. At UI, he served as the head bars coach while assisting and spotting on the other events. He also had an integral role in recruiting, along with overseeing all equipment-related matters.

Observing the Owls: Temple will begin its 2015 campaign in Ypsilanti, the ninth season under head coach Aaron Murphy. The Owls have a large veteran core of gymnasts consisting of eight seniors. The squad also added four newcomers for the upcoming season who look to crack the lineup right from the start of their collegiate careers. Last season, Temple finished with a record of 16-13, including 10-straight wins in three invitationals during the middle portion of the year. At the season-ending Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, the Owls placed third with a score of 191.775.

Fresh Faces: EMU also welcomes six new Eagles looking to make immediate impacts as freshmen: Catie Conrad, Kirsten Gendron, Megan Marino, Julia Schwartz, Rachel Slocum and Kendall Valentin.

Last Time We Met: The last time EMU and Temple squared off was at last season's Eagle Invitational in Bowen Field House, March 8, 2014. Going head-to-head in the quad meet, the Eagles soared past the Owls, 194.900-191.575, with their highest score of the season. EMU recorded another season best in the third rotation with a 49.025 on beam for the best mark of the meet and just 0.050 away from tying a school record. Anna Willette placed third with a career-high 9.850 while Kimberly Ebeyer and Kaylee Meyers also reached personal bests as both earned 9.825 from the judges. Shawna Ciaramella kept the trend going with a career-mark of 9.800 while Carrina Lo Bello rounded out the scoring with a 9.725.

EMU Selected Fifth in MAC Preseason Poll: Eastern Michigan was predicted to finish fifth in the Mid-American Conference, as the conference office released the 2015 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches' Poll, Saturday, Jan. 3. The seven conference teams will test the predictions, March 21, as Kent State University hosts the 2015 MAC Gymnastics Championship.
   Eastern Michigan was tabbed by the conference coaches to finish fifth for the second-straight season. The Eagles placed in that same spot during the 2014 campaign, and the Green and White will look to improve upon its conference mark this season under first year Head Coach Jay Santos. EMU returns 13 letterwinners along with the addition of six freshmen to the squad.
   The league's head coaches picked Central Michigan to claim the regular season title after winning its record fifth consecutive MAC team title last spring. The Chippewas came within a whisker of earning the program's first team berth in the NCAA Championships when they posted a third-place finish in the regional, .775 behind second-place Georgia.
   Bowling Green and Kent State were knotted in a tie for second in the standings, while Northern Illinois was picked fourth followed by EMU, Ball State and Western Michigan, respectively.

Preseason at Michigan: The Eagles prepared for the upcoming 2015 regular season with an exhibition meet against the University of Michigan on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 7, at Crisler Center. With a relatively young lineup, the Eagles fell to the Wolverines by a 196.150-192.400 tally.
   EMU's best event of the day came on beam as the Green and White earned a 48.300. Sophomore Natalie Gervais led the Eagles by putting together a routine that received a 9.700. Freshman Kendall Valentin and redshirt-freshman Lacey Rubin each added scores of 9.675, and 2014 NCAA Regional qualifier Anna Willette contributed with a 9.650. The Eagles recorded a team score of 48.200 on bars. Rubin paced the lineup with a 9.725 for fifth place, while Valentin's score of 9.700 followed closely behind her teammate. Willette once again added her second 9.650 of the day, taking seventh.
    Willette earned the highest individual score of the day for the Green and White, soaring through the air for a 9.800 on vault. Vault also was the best event for Valentin, with the Eastern freshman placing fifth for her 9.775. Sophomore Sydney McEachern and senior Paulina Miller tallied marks of 9.600 and 9.550, respectively. The young Eastern Michigan lineup continued to the floor exercise, where freshman Kirsten Gendron led the team with a 9.700. McEachern and Miller followed with scores of 9.675 apiece.

Rise of the Underclassmen: In the Eagles' only preseason meet of the season, an exhibition at Michigan, Dec. 7, the lineups sent out by Head Coach Jay Santos were relatively young ones. Against the Wolverines, each rotation consisted of at least three gymnasts with freshman or sophomore eligibility. On the balance beam, five of the six Eastern gymnasts were underclassmen, while four competed on the uneven parallel bars and floor exercise. Three seniors, two freshmen and one sophomore made up the vault rotation in the exhibition meet versus the Maize and Blue.

On The MAC Road Next: After opening the season with a non-conference dual, the Eagles will hit the road to begin Mid-American Conference play. The start of conference action will be difficult for EMU as the Green and White travel north to face defending MAC champion and preseason favorite Central Michigan University. The conference lid lifter will take place Saturday evening, Jan. 17, at 7 p.m. from Mount Pleasant, Mich.

Key Veteran Returners: Despite losing five seniors (Shawna Ciaramella, Miranda Jarvis, Kaylee Meyers, Taylor Patterson and Ashley Quinton) from last year's squad, the 2015 Eagles return 13 letterwinners, led by First Team All-Mid-American Conference honoree Anna Willette. Willette had a stellar junior campaign in which she represented the Green and White on beam at the NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge, La. In 2014, the Pylesville, Md. native led the Eagles in three of the four events by completing 24 of her 30 routines at 9.700 or higher. Along with her impressive scores all season long, four of those scores led to individual titles with two on vault and two on beam. She finished the year ranked fifth in the conference on beam with an average score of 9.767.
   Aside from Willette, Eastern will also be led by four other seniors in Carrina Lo Bello, Chantelle Loehner, Paulina Miller and Nikki Paterson. Lo Bello appeared in the beam and bars lineups during every meet last season, while also starting on vault towards the end of the year. Loehner was relied on throughout the year on the floor exercise as she claimed three individual titles. Miller returns after being a team captain in 2014, when she competed in all 10 meets on vault and floor. As a junior during last year's campaign, Paterson was in every bars lineup and added a routine to the EMU floor squad in the final three meets of the season.

Vault: On vault, another core group of Eagles led by Paulina Miller and Anna Willette, who come back as veterans in the event. Miller and Willette were mainstays in the lineup. Willette recorded a season-best 9.800, while Miller added a best of 9.750. In the starting six last season, Kimberly Ebeyer will compete for a spot as well, recording the highest EMU vault score of the 2014 campaign, a 9.825. Watch for Sydney McEachern, Julia Schwartz and Kendall Valentin to bring depth to the event for the Green and White, challenging to crack the lineup with dynamic vaults.

Bars: The Eagles welcome back a few gymnasts that found significant time in the bars lineup a season ago. Anna Willette recorded the highest score of any bars returner with a 9.800 at the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Feb. 1. Nikki Paterson also received a career-best 9.750 at that quad meet, while Carrina Lo Bello added scores of 9.725 three times throughout 2014. Both Eagles tallied 9.750 bar routines at one point during their freshmen seasons. Fellow teammate Sydney McEachern could provide a consistent routine, and Lacey Rubin will also compete for a spot in the lineup after sitting out last season due to injury. Rubin and Kendall Valentin have put together strong preseasons with solid handstands and clean execution. Look for Catie Conrad and Julia Schwartz to be in the mix as well.

Beam: Expect Carrina Lo Bello and Anna Willette to start in the beam rotation as the duo found spots in the lineup last season. As an NCAA Regional qualifier on beam, Willette will be the leader of the rotation as she looks to earn another regional berth in her final season as an Eagle. In 2014, four of her 10 beam routines were scored 9.800 or better. Willette earned a career-high 9.850 on beam to finish third at the Eagle Invitational, March 8, a quad meet hosted at EMU. Lo Bello brought her best to help Eastern defeat rival Western Michigan, Feb. 15, receiving a 9.750 from the judges. Sophomore Natalie Gervais also will look to build upon her freshman year. In her first season as a collegiate gymnast, Gervais competed on beam in every meet, including posting a career-high 9.800 at the Michigan/Illinois Challenge. The remaining three spots in the lineup will most likely be filled by either Catie Conrad, Kimberly Ebeyer, Lacey Rubin, and Kendall Valentin. Much like on bars, Rubin and Valentin have emerged as rising newcomers on beam with successful preseason training.

Floor: Chantelle Loehner and Paulina Miller return to pace EMU in the floor exercise. Loehner was one of the most consistent scorers a season ago and is expected to continue her success. She won three floor titles throughout the season, including a personal-best 9.850 in the team's victory at Ball State, March 14. Miller also tallied the same score, performing her routine at the Michigan/Illinois Challenge. Towards the end of the season, Sydney McEachern and Nikki Paterson competed for the Eagles, and the pair will attempt to earn primary spots in 2015. While floor was the only event that Carrina Lo Bello did not appear in last season, the senior could possibly find herself in the rotation to complete her all-around schedule. Kirsten Gendron, Rachel Slocum and Julia Schwartz are three freshmen who could make noise in the exercise as well along with sophomore Taylor Young.

2015 Schedule: Following the season opener versus Temple, MAC play begins with a trek to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to face Central Michigan, Jan. 17. One week later, Jan. 24, the Green and White returns home to host Bowling Green for a 4 p.m. start time. Ending the month, Coach Santos and his squad will head to Normal, Ill. for the annual Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Jan. 31. The unique quad meet features rivals Eastern and Central Michigan partnering up to square off against Prairie State institutions Illinois-Chicago and Illinois State.
   The Eagles will start the month of February with a pair of home duals. First, conference foe Kent State arrives in Ypsilanti, Feb. 7, before Eastern faces Illinois-Chicago for the second time of the season, Feb. 15. The matchup with the Flames will be the first of three in a seven-day span. On Friday, Feb. 20, EMU will take on rival Western Michigan away from the friendly confines of the Convocation Center. However, the Green and White come back to Ypsilanti two days later, Feb. 22, for the final home meet of the 2015 season. In a battle of the birds, the Eagles face the Cardinals of Ball State for a Sunday matinee set to begin at 1 p.m.
   Prior to the ending the season in Kent, Ohio for the 2015 MAC Championships, March 21, Eastern Michigan will have three road meets to prepare for the conference championships. The Eagles will make their furthest road trip of the year, Feb. 28, to St. Charles, Mo. to compete against Lindenwood. Following the lengthy road test, EMU returns to the home state for a tri-meet in East Lansing as Michigan State hosts the Eagles and Arizona, March 6. In the final action before the MAC Championships, the Eagles soar into DeKalb for a conference dual against Northern Illinois, March 15. Six days later, EMU and NIU will join up with Ball State, Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Western Michigan in heading to the biggest meet of the year to decide the conference champion, hosted by Kent State, March. 21

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Players Mentioned

Shawna Ciaramella

Catie Conrad

Kimberly Ebeyer

Kirsten Gendron

Natalie Gervais

Miranda Jarvis

Carrina Lo Bello

Chantelle Loehner

Megan Marino

Sydney McEachern

Kaylee Meyers

Paulina Miller

Nikki Paterson

Taylor Patterson

Ashley Quinton

Lacey Rubin

Jules Schwartz

Rachel Slocum

Kendall Valentin

Anna Willette

Taylor Young

Eastern Michigan Athletics