Eastern Michigan Athletics
Lo Bello and Willette Ready for NCAA Regionals
4/2/2015 2:51:00 PM | Gymnastics
The two senior all-around competitors will compete in Columbus, Ohio Saturday, April 4
EAGLES SEND TWO TO COLUMBUS: First year Head Coach Jay Santos will send two gymnasts to the NCAA Regionals Saturday, April 4. Seniors Carrina Lo Bello and Anna Willette have both qualified as individuals to compete in the all-around competition in the Columbus Regional, taking place on the campus of the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The meet is set to start at 6 p.m.
REGIONAL QUALIFICATIONS: Six teams, five all-around competitors (who are not on a qualifying team) and one individual event specialist per event [who has a minimum Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 9.4] were named to each of the six predetermined host sites.
Both Lo Bello and Willette qualified as two of the five all-around competitors at the Columbus Regional in their first season as all-around gymnasts for the Green and White. Lo Bello qualifies with a regional qualifying score of 38.700 in the all-around competition, while Willette carries an RQS of 39.060.
LO BELLO MAKES FIRST REGIONAL APPEARANCE FOR THE GREEN AND WHITE: Carrina Lo Bello was an all-around competitor in seven meets for the Eagles in her senior season. The Oshawa, Ontario native placed second on four separate occasions with her best score coming against Western Michigan. Lo Bello nabbed a 39.150 in the all-around, including a second-place finish on the beam and a third-place finish on the bars. The senior was the top all-around finisher for the Green and White against the Broncos, helping EMU break the school record with a team score of 195.575, Feb. 20.
Lo Bello scored a team-best 38.925 at the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championships in the all-around competition, while placing in the top three for individual rotations eight times during the 2015 season. Finally, Lo Bello notched one title in her final season as an Eagle, tying for first on the uneven bars with Kendall Valentin as both recorded identical 9.775s against Bowling Green, Jan. 24.
WILLETTE MAKES HER RETURN TO THE BIG STAGE: Senior Anna Willette earned All-MAC accolades for the third-straight season after being second team in the 2013 campaign and taking first team honors in 2014 and 2015. The senior all-around gymnast was the first Eagle to earn first team honors twice since the regular season All-MAC teams began in 2013. Willete has had a standout career for the Green and White, stepping up in her senior season to compete as an all-around competitor. The senior gymnast captured six all-around titles in 10 meets and tied for first in the Mid-American Conference with a RQS of 39.06. Furthermore, the Pylesville, Md. native's career-high 39.175 in the all-around ties for third overall in EMU gymnastics history. Willette placed in the top-three 17 times in the 2015 campaign, including six top-three finishes on the vault, three top-three finishes on the bars, four on the beam and two on the floor.
Willette earned a total of 13 titles in her senior season as an Eagle, including six all-around titles, four vault titles, two bar titles and one beam title, while ranking in a tie for sixth in the conference on the vault. In the 2015 campaign, Willette surpassed her personal bests on the vault and floor earning career-high scores of 9.875 and 9.800, respectively, while tying her personal-best on the beam with a 9.850. Moreover, the senior gymnast notched her career-best 9.800 on the floor on three separate occasions for the Green and White. Willette etched her name in the EMU record book two other times when she grabbed a 9.875 on the vault against Michigan State to tie for fifth all-time in EMU laurels, while her career-best 9.850 on the beam ties for ninth all-time in school history.
EAGLE HISTORY AT REGIONALS: Carrina Lo Bello and Anna Willette are the third and fourth Eagles to qualify for the NCAA Regionals as individuals in the past three seasons. Last year, Willette qualified on beam, while then-freshman Khadijah Hudson earned a spot at the regional competition in the floor exercise in 2013. The two are also the eighth and ninth EMU gymnasts to qualify for regionals in the past seven seasons.
REGIONAL QUALIFICATIONS: Six teams, five all-around competitors (who are not on a qualifying team) and one individual event specialist per event [who has a minimum Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 9.4] were named to each of the six predetermined host sites.
Both Lo Bello and Willette qualified as two of the five all-around competitors at the Columbus Regional in their first season as all-around gymnasts for the Green and White. Lo Bello qualifies with a regional qualifying score of 38.700 in the all-around competition, while Willette carries an RQS of 39.060.
LO BELLO MAKES FIRST REGIONAL APPEARANCE FOR THE GREEN AND WHITE: Carrina Lo Bello was an all-around competitor in seven meets for the Eagles in her senior season. The Oshawa, Ontario native placed second on four separate occasions with her best score coming against Western Michigan. Lo Bello nabbed a 39.150 in the all-around, including a second-place finish on the beam and a third-place finish on the bars. The senior was the top all-around finisher for the Green and White against the Broncos, helping EMU break the school record with a team score of 195.575, Feb. 20.
Lo Bello scored a team-best 38.925 at the 2015 Mid-American Conference Championships in the all-around competition, while placing in the top three for individual rotations eight times during the 2015 season. Finally, Lo Bello notched one title in her final season as an Eagle, tying for first on the uneven bars with Kendall Valentin as both recorded identical 9.775s against Bowling Green, Jan. 24.
WILLETTE MAKES HER RETURN TO THE BIG STAGE: Senior Anna Willette earned All-MAC accolades for the third-straight season after being second team in the 2013 campaign and taking first team honors in 2014 and 2015. The senior all-around gymnast was the first Eagle to earn first team honors twice since the regular season All-MAC teams began in 2013. Willete has had a standout career for the Green and White, stepping up in her senior season to compete as an all-around competitor. The senior gymnast captured six all-around titles in 10 meets and tied for first in the Mid-American Conference with a RQS of 39.06. Furthermore, the Pylesville, Md. native's career-high 39.175 in the all-around ties for third overall in EMU gymnastics history. Willette placed in the top-three 17 times in the 2015 campaign, including six top-three finishes on the vault, three top-three finishes on the bars, four on the beam and two on the floor.
Willette earned a total of 13 titles in her senior season as an Eagle, including six all-around titles, four vault titles, two bar titles and one beam title, while ranking in a tie for sixth in the conference on the vault. In the 2015 campaign, Willette surpassed her personal bests on the vault and floor earning career-high scores of 9.875 and 9.800, respectively, while tying her personal-best on the beam with a 9.850. Moreover, the senior gymnast notched her career-best 9.800 on the floor on three separate occasions for the Green and White. Willette etched her name in the EMU record book two other times when she grabbed a 9.875 on the vault against Michigan State to tie for fifth all-time in EMU laurels, while her career-best 9.850 on the beam ties for ninth all-time in school history.
EAGLE HISTORY AT REGIONALS: Carrina Lo Bello and Anna Willette are the third and fourth Eagles to qualify for the NCAA Regionals as individuals in the past three seasons. Last year, Willette qualified on beam, while then-freshman Khadijah Hudson earned a spot at the regional competition in the floor exercise in 2013. The two are also the eighth and ninth EMU gymnasts to qualify for regionals in the past seven seasons.
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