Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, December 6
Ann Arbor, Mich.
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Michigan (Exhibition)
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
EMU Gymnastics Set to Open Season with Exhibition at Michigan
12/4/2015 11:25:00 AM | Gymnastics
The Eagles will head to Ann Arbor for a tune-up meet for the second consecutive season
LIVE RESULTS
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — After a semester of training, the Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team is set to begin their 2016 season with an exhibition meet at Michigan, Dec. 6. The event is free and the doors are slated to open at 12:30 p.m., with the competition beginning at 2 p.m.
As the regular season inches closer, this meet will serve as an opportunity for the team to compete in a different environment with a large crowd, as well as in front of judges that the Eagles may see throughout the season. Last season, the squad was bested by the Wolverines, 196.150-192.400, in the preseason exhibition, which also served as Head Coach Jay Santos' first meet at the helm. Despite that, the Green and White walked away with true competition experience and a number of very good performances to build off of.
The meet will not be live streamed, but there will be live stats. The live stats link will be available Sunday morning, and is located above this release, and will also will be shared on social media.
With the exhibition only a few days away and the regular season slated to begin in just over a month, it is time to preview the upcoming season for the team.
Key Returners: Despite the loss of Eagle veterans Anna Willette, Carrina Lo Bello, Chantelle Loehner, Paulina Miller, and Nikki Paterson, the Eagles return a squad full of talent. The Eagles' top returner will be sophomore Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. - Holmdel), who was a Second Team All-MAC selection following her freshman year. She provides with Green and White with high scoring on bars, beam, and vault. Junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Kelvin) and sophomore Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. - Brighton) also look to contribute on multiple events for the Eagles this season.
Additionally, senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. - Whiteland Community) provides a veteran presence, as she has competition experience on vault, beam, and floor throughout her three seasons as an Eagle. Junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. - Plainview Old Bethpage John F Kennedy) provides a big score on bars and beam as well, while junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Sturgeon Heights) and sophomore Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. - Holly Springs) are high scoring returners on beam and floor, respectively. Both Valentin and Conrad may be seen in the all-around this season, as both have been working to imrpove their floor routines.
New Faces in the Gym: The Eagles welcome five new faces to the 2016 squad: Sydney Audet (Sylvania, Ohio - Sylvania Northview), Carly Clark (White Lake, Mich. - Walled Lake Northern), Kaitlyn Ford (Bartlett, Ill. - Bartlett), Ciara Gresham (Shiloh, Ill. - Belleville), and Megan Hultgren (Rockford, Ill. - Sacred Heart Classical Center).
Vault: The Eagles will miss vault anchor Anna Willette, but also bring back experienced vaulters from last season. Both Valentin and sophomore Julia Schwartz (Gilbert, Ariz. - Mesquite) scored above 9.8 last season. McEachern proved to be a consistent vaulter last season as well, as she competed in every meet with an average vault score of 9.7. Slocum, who looks to debut a new 10.0 value vault this season, will be in the mix as well. Gresham finished tenth on vault at JO Nationals this past season, and will give the Green and White another powerful vaulter capable of putting up a solid score. Other potential contributors on the event include Conrad and junior Kelsie Brooks (Winston, Ga. - Alexander), who is returning from an injury this past season.
Bars: The Green and White return a host of gymnasts with experience on bars, highlighted by Valentin, Conrad, and Rubin. Both Conrad and Gervais have been working upgraded skills that will make a big impact on the bar lineup as a whole. McEachern and Brooks will look to make an impact as well, with both gymnasts having competition experience on the event. Hultgren was a three-time level 10 state bars champion and will make an immediate impact on the Eagle lineup. Fellow freshman Carly Clark looks to be fighting for a lineup spot as well.
Beam: The team will once again miss the consistency of beam anchor Anna Willette. However, the Eagles have built up depth on beam, as five returners from last year all have competition experience on what is considered to be the toughest event in gymnastics. The Green and White will look to Conrad, who posted six scores of 9.7 or higher in the 2015 season, as well as Ebeyer, who notched a season-high of 9.8. Additionally, Gervais scored above a 9.8 in four separate meets within the span of a month. Rubin is also capable of putting up big scores on the event, as she went on a streak lasting from Jan. 17 until the end of the season in which she scored above a 9.725 in nine meets. Finally, Valentin competed on beam in multiple meets as well, scoring a season-high 9.75 against Kent State, Feb. 7. Hultgren looks to be in the mix for lineup immediately, as she is very strong on beam. Junior Taylor Young (Westerville, Ohio - Westerville Central) was a solid alternate last season for the Green and White, while Ford will provide additional depth as well.
Floor: On floor, EMU will miss the big scores provided by anchor Chantelle Loehner. This season, the squad will look to McEachern and Slocum to lead the floor lineup. McEachern, who was in the floor lineup for every meet, averaged a 9.73 on the year and had a season-high of 9.8 twice. Slocum, who was also regularly in the lineup, earned six scores throughout the season above 9.8. Young came on strong in the second half of last season, and will be another solid returner for the Eagles. Gresham will look to make a big impact on the floor lineup with her powerful tumbling as well. Sophomore Kirsten Gendron (Birch Run, Mich. - Frankenmuth) has had a strong preseason and is expected to appear in the Eagle lineup. While Gervais and Schwartz did not see any action on floor this past season, both look to contribute this year.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — After a semester of training, the Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team is set to begin their 2016 season with an exhibition meet at Michigan, Dec. 6. The event is free and the doors are slated to open at 12:30 p.m., with the competition beginning at 2 p.m.
As the regular season inches closer, this meet will serve as an opportunity for the team to compete in a different environment with a large crowd, as well as in front of judges that the Eagles may see throughout the season. Last season, the squad was bested by the Wolverines, 196.150-192.400, in the preseason exhibition, which also served as Head Coach Jay Santos' first meet at the helm. Despite that, the Green and White walked away with true competition experience and a number of very good performances to build off of.
The meet will not be live streamed, but there will be live stats. The live stats link will be available Sunday morning, and is located above this release, and will also will be shared on social media.
With the exhibition only a few days away and the regular season slated to begin in just over a month, it is time to preview the upcoming season for the team.
Key Returners: Despite the loss of Eagle veterans Anna Willette, Carrina Lo Bello, Chantelle Loehner, Paulina Miller, and Nikki Paterson, the Eagles return a squad full of talent. The Eagles' top returner will be sophomore Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. - Holmdel), who was a Second Team All-MAC selection following her freshman year. She provides with Green and White with high scoring on bars, beam, and vault. Junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Kelvin) and sophomore Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. - Brighton) also look to contribute on multiple events for the Eagles this season.
Additionally, senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. - Whiteland Community) provides a veteran presence, as she has competition experience on vault, beam, and floor throughout her three seasons as an Eagle. Junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. - Plainview Old Bethpage John F Kennedy) provides a big score on bars and beam as well, while junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Sturgeon Heights) and sophomore Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. - Holly Springs) are high scoring returners on beam and floor, respectively. Both Valentin and Conrad may be seen in the all-around this season, as both have been working to imrpove their floor routines.
New Faces in the Gym: The Eagles welcome five new faces to the 2016 squad: Sydney Audet (Sylvania, Ohio - Sylvania Northview), Carly Clark (White Lake, Mich. - Walled Lake Northern), Kaitlyn Ford (Bartlett, Ill. - Bartlett), Ciara Gresham (Shiloh, Ill. - Belleville), and Megan Hultgren (Rockford, Ill. - Sacred Heart Classical Center).
Vault: The Eagles will miss vault anchor Anna Willette, but also bring back experienced vaulters from last season. Both Valentin and sophomore Julia Schwartz (Gilbert, Ariz. - Mesquite) scored above 9.8 last season. McEachern proved to be a consistent vaulter last season as well, as she competed in every meet with an average vault score of 9.7. Slocum, who looks to debut a new 10.0 value vault this season, will be in the mix as well. Gresham finished tenth on vault at JO Nationals this past season, and will give the Green and White another powerful vaulter capable of putting up a solid score. Other potential contributors on the event include Conrad and junior Kelsie Brooks (Winston, Ga. - Alexander), who is returning from an injury this past season.
Bars: The Green and White return a host of gymnasts with experience on bars, highlighted by Valentin, Conrad, and Rubin. Both Conrad and Gervais have been working upgraded skills that will make a big impact on the bar lineup as a whole. McEachern and Brooks will look to make an impact as well, with both gymnasts having competition experience on the event. Hultgren was a three-time level 10 state bars champion and will make an immediate impact on the Eagle lineup. Fellow freshman Carly Clark looks to be fighting for a lineup spot as well.
Beam: The team will once again miss the consistency of beam anchor Anna Willette. However, the Eagles have built up depth on beam, as five returners from last year all have competition experience on what is considered to be the toughest event in gymnastics. The Green and White will look to Conrad, who posted six scores of 9.7 or higher in the 2015 season, as well as Ebeyer, who notched a season-high of 9.8. Additionally, Gervais scored above a 9.8 in four separate meets within the span of a month. Rubin is also capable of putting up big scores on the event, as she went on a streak lasting from Jan. 17 until the end of the season in which she scored above a 9.725 in nine meets. Finally, Valentin competed on beam in multiple meets as well, scoring a season-high 9.75 against Kent State, Feb. 7. Hultgren looks to be in the mix for lineup immediately, as she is very strong on beam. Junior Taylor Young (Westerville, Ohio - Westerville Central) was a solid alternate last season for the Green and White, while Ford will provide additional depth as well.
Floor: On floor, EMU will miss the big scores provided by anchor Chantelle Loehner. This season, the squad will look to McEachern and Slocum to lead the floor lineup. McEachern, who was in the floor lineup for every meet, averaged a 9.73 on the year and had a season-high of 9.8 twice. Slocum, who was also regularly in the lineup, earned six scores throughout the season above 9.8. Young came on strong in the second half of last season, and will be another solid returner for the Eagles. Gresham will look to make a big impact on the floor lineup with her powerful tumbling as well. Sophomore Kirsten Gendron (Birch Run, Mich. - Frankenmuth) has had a strong preseason and is expected to appear in the Eagle lineup. While Gervais and Schwartz did not see any action on floor this past season, both look to contribute this year.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V, BB, FX
/ Gymnastics
V, BB, FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
UB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
UB,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ GymnasticsCinematic Highlights: MAC Gymnastics Championships
Sunday, March 23
Cinematic Highlights: Gymnastics vs WMU + Wilberforce
Friday, February 28
Cinematic Highlights: Gymnastics vs. Kent State
Tuesday, January 28
Cinematics Highlights: Gymnastics Golden Girls Classic
Saturday, January 18