Eagles Look to Continue Winning Streak, Hosting Kent State

Complete Notes Live Stats Live Video

YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- Looking to continue the hot start to the 2015 season, the Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team returns to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center for another Mid-American Conference dual, Feb. 7. EMU will put its undefeated home record on the line against the Golden Flashes of Kent State University Saturday afternoon. The dual between the soaring MAC teams will begin at 4 p.m. and can be watched live on Eagle All-Access.

Challenge Victory: Last weekend, Eastern Michigan claimed first place in the annual Michigan/Illinois Challenge hosted by Illinois State Saturday evening, Jan. 31. Eastern won the quad meet with a team score of 194.650. Central Michigan University's 194.000 followed closely behind, while the University of Illinois-Chicago and Illinois State University rounded out the scoring with marks of 189.925 and 189.650, respectively. EMU outscored the Flames and Redbirds in every event, splitting rotation victories with the Chippewas. With the victory, the Eagles improve to 6-1 in their first season under Head Coach Jay Santos.
The deciding event for EMU proved to be on the uneven parallel bars as the Green and White outscored CMU, 48.925-47.875. Freshman Kendall Valentin shone on the apparatus, earning the highest individual score of the night for her team with a 9.850 to finish runner-up. Carrina Lo Bello performed a routine that gave her a new personal-best mark of 9.825. Catie Conrad improved on her career high as well for a 9.775, and Anna Willette contributed with a 9.750. Completing the event with all scores over the 9.700 threshold, Nikki Paterson had a 9.725, and Sydney McEachern tallied a new best on bars with a score of 9.700.

MAC Leaders: Through the first four meets of the season, Eastern Michigan leads the MAC in several statistical categories. With an average team score of 194.600, the Green and White ranks first in the MAC, while also sitting seventh in the Central regional rankings. Eastern is also at the top of the conference in team scores on the uneven parallel bars with a 48.700. In two other events, the Eagles rank second with a 48.650 mark on vault and a 48.469 average on the balance beam. Individually, senior Anna Willette is the conference leader in the all-around category with a 39.042 average.

Birds of Prey: The Eagles have been blowing away the competition at home meets this season, winning both battles of the birds. EMU soared past the Owls of Temple, 193.925-187.200, to kick off the 2015 season, Jan. 9. Two weeks later, Jan. 24, Eastern scored its highest mark in 11 years after a 195.250-192.425 victory over the Bowling Green Falcons. In the friendly confines of the Convocation Center, the Green and White averages a team total of 194.588. Meanwhile, visitors are scoring at a rate of only 189.813. The Eagles will be looking for that trend to continue on Saturday, Feb. 7, when the Kent State Golden Flashes come to town.

A Look at the Opposition: Kent State enters the conference dual with the Golden Flashes sporting a 2-3 record, including 1-1 in MAC play. The Golden Flashes started off losing its first three matchups, but have been on a hot streak, stringing a pair of victories together to go along with an average of 195.352 over the last two meets. KSU picked up its first MAC win of the season in a 194.900-193.325 home decision versus Western Michigan, Jan. 23. Last week, Jan. 30, the Golden Flashes recorded 10 career highs en route to a 195.750-191.175 victory over Pittsburgh. Kent State leads the MAC on beam with a team average of 48.506. Senior Chelsea Drooger's 9.775 average in the event is good enough for third in the conference's individual ranks. Junior Nicole Eastman is closely behind in fifth with a 9.750.

Welcome to Bar School: Although just a freshman, Kendall Valentin has emerged as one of the most-relied upon Eagles this season, especially on the uneven parallel bars. The young Eagle averages 9.794, leading all EMU gymnasts on the apparatus and sitting fifth in the MAC event standings. All four of her bar routines have been scored at 9.725 or above, including two that have broken the 9.825 threshold. In EMU's victorious Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Valentin tallied a pair of career highs to help the Eagles soar above the competition. The Holmdel, N.J. native earned EMU's highest individual score of the night with a personal-best 9.850 on bars to finish runner up. Ending the meet on beam, Valentin put together a solid routine for a career-high 9.725 on the apparatus to place fourth.

Snapping A Skid: While EMU and Central Michigan University teamed up to soar past the two Illinois institutions, the University of Illinois-Chicago and Illinois State, to win the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, the Eagles beat the Chippewas head-to-head for the first time since the 2008 season. The victory snapped a skid of 20-straight defeats against their in-state rivals. The last time the Green and White triumphed over Central Michigan, the Eagles finished second at the 2008 Mid-American Conference Championship with a score of 193.800; Central's 193.675 was enough for third place at the conference meet. That performance marked the third consecutive time EMU defeated the Chippewas as the Eagles won the MAC dual in 2008 along with capturing the only conference championship in school history at the end of the 2007 campaign.

Anna's All-Around: With an average score of 39.042, Anna Willette remains the all-around leader in the MAC, while also ranking 37th in the nation. In the only three all-around competitions of her career, she has won each one of them, including scoring 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. The Pylesville native continued the winning trend at the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, Jan. 31, by earning an all-around total of 38.950. The mark led the Eagles to the quad meet victory with a team score of 194.650. Willette also ranks third in the MAC in vault average (9.794).

The Floor Queen: Senior Chantelle Loehner has proven why she is a specialist on the floor exercise, leading the Eagles through the first four weeks of the 2015 campaign. Loehner has two victories and a pair of runner-up finishes in her four floor routines, earning an average score of 9.856 that places her second in the MAC and 27th 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. She followed the MAC victory for a second-place score of 9.825 to pace Eastern in the exercise as the Green and White won the Michigan/Illinois Challenge.

Facing the Flames Again: For the first time this season, the Eagles will follow a home meet by remaining in Ypsilanti instead of hitting the road for their next competition. Eastern Michigan will square off against the University of Illinois-Chicago for the second time in three weeks. After extinguishing the Flames at the Michigan/Illinois Challenge, EMU will look for a similar outcome in the non-conference dual Sunday afternoon, Feb. 15. The meet will begin inside the Convocation Center at 1 p.m. For those who cannot make the meet, it can be viewed on the EMU's subscription-based streaming service, Eagle All-Access.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Catie Conrad

Carrina Lo Bello

Chantelle Loehner

Sydney McEachern

Nikki Paterson

Kendall Valentin

Anna Willette

Eastern Michigan Athletics