Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, January 24
Muncie, Ind.
1 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
Ball State
No. 21 Eagles Travel to Muncie for Third Meet of the Season
1/21/2016 12:42:00 PM | Gymnastics
For the third consecutive week, the Green and White will compete on the road
MEET NOTES
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- With two weeks of competition in the books, the No. 21 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team continues their 2016 season on the road at Ball State, Jan. 24. In addition to the Cardinals, the Illinois State Redbirds will also be in attendance.
Follow the Meet: Fans can follow the meet through the ESPN 3 broadcast provided by Ball State. Click here to view the event.
Eagles Ranked No. 21 After Two Weeks of Competition: With two weeks in the books, the Green and White remain in the top-25, as the Eagles are now ranked No. 21 with an average team score of 194.963, according to Road to Nationals. This marks the first time in program history that the team has had consecutive weeks in the top-25. EMU also sits in the top-25 on two events, as the team is No. 15 on vault with an average event total of 48.900, and No. 11 on beam with an average of 48.925. In addition to being ranked nationally, the Eagles are the top ranked Mid-American Conference squad, as well as the conference leaders on vault and beam.
Scouting the Competition: After opening the season with a 191.650 at Kentucky, Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State improved to a 194.100 this past weekend in a dual with Towson. Through two meets, the Cardinals hold an average team score of 192.875, and are ranked in the top 40 on two events, No. 36 on vault and No. 35 on floor. As a team, the Cardinals struggled on bars in their previous meet, only finishing with a 48.050. Denasiha Christian had a particularly strong meet against Towson, finishing with a 9.8 on vault and a 9.825 on both beam and floor. Jordyn Penny also competed in three events, receiving a pair of 9.775's on vault and bars, as well as a 9.75 on beam.
Like Ball State, Illinois State improved upon its first week team score by a hefty margin. The Redbirds opened the year with a 188.275 at Air Force, after which they jumped to a 190.725 at Lindenwood. As a result, ISU has an average team score of 189.500 through two weeks of competition. Their best event is vault, where they average a score of 48.200, with their season-high being a 48.450. The team has a number of gymnasts capable of putting up big scores, however. Meredith LaRoche finished with a 9.825 on vault and a 9.9 on floor last week, while Danci Cha also had a 9.875 on floor. Sarah Fisher had a nice competition as well, posting a 9.8 on vault and a 9.725 on bars.
Last Time Against the Cardinals and the Redbirds: Last time the Eagles competed against the Cardinals in the regular season, the Green and White came out on top, 195.275-193.875 in a home dual, Feb. 22. In the senior night event, EMU was led by Anna Willette, who finished first on vault with a 9.825, beam with a 9.85, and in the all-around with a 39.050. The Eagles also took home the bars title, as Lacey Rubin finished atop the podium with a 9.825. On floor, Chantelle Loehner paced the team, finishing second and scoring a 9.80.
EMU also bested the Redbirds in their last regular season meeting, taking first in the Lindenwood Quad Meet, Feb. 28, with a team score of 195.125, while ISU finished second with a 194.125. The top Eagle performance came on floor, as Loehner set a career-high with a 9.9 to claim the event title. Rachel Slocum was just behind Loehner, scoring a 9.875, which was also a career high. Willette had a solid meet, finishing second on vault and in the all-around.
Ebeyer Connection: Sunday's competition will once again be a special one for the Ebeyer family, as Kimberly will be donning the Green and White, while younger sister Sarah will be competing for Ball State. Both compete on the same events, and Kimberly appears to have slightly edged Sarah so far this season. On vault, the older of the two holds a season high of 9.750, while the younger's season best is a 9.725. Additionally, Kimberly leads on beam with a 9.775 compared to Sarah's 9.650. On the other hand, the Ball State gymnast leads on floor, notching a 9.750, just ahead of Kimberly's 9.725.
Two Eagles Compete All-Around: In their second meet of the season, the Eagles had both Catie Conrad and Kendall Valentin compete in the all-around. This marks the second time Conrad has competed on all four events, while it was the first for Valentin. Valentin, with a 39.025, finished just ahead of Conrad, who had a 38.950.
Slocum Leading EMU on Floor: Sophomore Rachel Slocum has been rock-solid for the Eagles in the anchor position on floor through the first two meets. In the season opener, Slocum finished second with a 9.750, after which she claimed the event title at the WMU Tri Meet with a 9.825. For her efforts, Slocum was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week following the first meet of the year.
Green and White Sweep Weekly MAC Awards: Kendall Valentin and Rachel Slocum were honored as MAC Gymnast of the Week and MAC Specialist of the Week for their performances at the Pitt Quad meet. Valentin, who competed on three events for the team, set career highs on both vault and beam. Slocum competed on floor and vault, with this being the first time that she has vaulted for the Eagles. She debuted a beautiful handspring front pike half, and was rewarded with a 9.85. The honors are the first of both sophomores' careers.
Last Time Out: The Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team continued their 2016 season on the road, traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a tri-meet against Western Michigan and Bowling Green, Jan. 17. Although the team broke the 195 mark with a 195.050, the Eagles were bested by the Broncos, who finished with a 195.275. Bowling Green rounded out the trio, finishing third with a 193.575.
Looking Ahead: After beginning the season on the road for three straight weekends, the Eagles will return home for the 'Beauty and the Beast' dual meet against Northern Illinois, Jan. 30. This event, held in conjunction with the EMU wrestling team, involves a wrestling match and a gymnastics meet taking place simultaneously on the Convocation Center floor.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- With two weeks of competition in the books, the No. 21 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team continues their 2016 season on the road at Ball State, Jan. 24. In addition to the Cardinals, the Illinois State Redbirds will also be in attendance.
Follow the Meet: Fans can follow the meet through the ESPN 3 broadcast provided by Ball State. Click here to view the event.
Eagles Ranked No. 21 After Two Weeks of Competition: With two weeks in the books, the Green and White remain in the top-25, as the Eagles are now ranked No. 21 with an average team score of 194.963, according to Road to Nationals. This marks the first time in program history that the team has had consecutive weeks in the top-25. EMU also sits in the top-25 on two events, as the team is No. 15 on vault with an average event total of 48.900, and No. 11 on beam with an average of 48.925. In addition to being ranked nationally, the Eagles are the top ranked Mid-American Conference squad, as well as the conference leaders on vault and beam.
Scouting the Competition: After opening the season with a 191.650 at Kentucky, Mid-American Conference opponent Ball State improved to a 194.100 this past weekend in a dual with Towson. Through two meets, the Cardinals hold an average team score of 192.875, and are ranked in the top 40 on two events, No. 36 on vault and No. 35 on floor. As a team, the Cardinals struggled on bars in their previous meet, only finishing with a 48.050. Denasiha Christian had a particularly strong meet against Towson, finishing with a 9.8 on vault and a 9.825 on both beam and floor. Jordyn Penny also competed in three events, receiving a pair of 9.775's on vault and bars, as well as a 9.75 on beam.
Like Ball State, Illinois State improved upon its first week team score by a hefty margin. The Redbirds opened the year with a 188.275 at Air Force, after which they jumped to a 190.725 at Lindenwood. As a result, ISU has an average team score of 189.500 through two weeks of competition. Their best event is vault, where they average a score of 48.200, with their season-high being a 48.450. The team has a number of gymnasts capable of putting up big scores, however. Meredith LaRoche finished with a 9.825 on vault and a 9.9 on floor last week, while Danci Cha also had a 9.875 on floor. Sarah Fisher had a nice competition as well, posting a 9.8 on vault and a 9.725 on bars.
Last Time Against the Cardinals and the Redbirds: Last time the Eagles competed against the Cardinals in the regular season, the Green and White came out on top, 195.275-193.875 in a home dual, Feb. 22. In the senior night event, EMU was led by Anna Willette, who finished first on vault with a 9.825, beam with a 9.85, and in the all-around with a 39.050. The Eagles also took home the bars title, as Lacey Rubin finished atop the podium with a 9.825. On floor, Chantelle Loehner paced the team, finishing second and scoring a 9.80.
EMU also bested the Redbirds in their last regular season meeting, taking first in the Lindenwood Quad Meet, Feb. 28, with a team score of 195.125, while ISU finished second with a 194.125. The top Eagle performance came on floor, as Loehner set a career-high with a 9.9 to claim the event title. Rachel Slocum was just behind Loehner, scoring a 9.875, which was also a career high. Willette had a solid meet, finishing second on vault and in the all-around.
Ebeyer Connection: Sunday's competition will once again be a special one for the Ebeyer family, as Kimberly will be donning the Green and White, while younger sister Sarah will be competing for Ball State. Both compete on the same events, and Kimberly appears to have slightly edged Sarah so far this season. On vault, the older of the two holds a season high of 9.750, while the younger's season best is a 9.725. Additionally, Kimberly leads on beam with a 9.775 compared to Sarah's 9.650. On the other hand, the Ball State gymnast leads on floor, notching a 9.750, just ahead of Kimberly's 9.725.
Two Eagles Compete All-Around: In their second meet of the season, the Eagles had both Catie Conrad and Kendall Valentin compete in the all-around. This marks the second time Conrad has competed on all four events, while it was the first for Valentin. Valentin, with a 39.025, finished just ahead of Conrad, who had a 38.950.
Slocum Leading EMU on Floor: Sophomore Rachel Slocum has been rock-solid for the Eagles in the anchor position on floor through the first two meets. In the season opener, Slocum finished second with a 9.750, after which she claimed the event title at the WMU Tri Meet with a 9.825. For her efforts, Slocum was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week following the first meet of the year.
Green and White Sweep Weekly MAC Awards: Kendall Valentin and Rachel Slocum were honored as MAC Gymnast of the Week and MAC Specialist of the Week for their performances at the Pitt Quad meet. Valentin, who competed on three events for the team, set career highs on both vault and beam. Slocum competed on floor and vault, with this being the first time that she has vaulted for the Eagles. She debuted a beautiful handspring front pike half, and was rewarded with a 9.85. The honors are the first of both sophomores' careers.
Last Time Out: The Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team continued their 2016 season on the road, traveling to Kalamazoo, Mich. for a tri-meet against Western Michigan and Bowling Green, Jan. 17. Although the team broke the 195 mark with a 195.050, the Eagles were bested by the Broncos, who finished with a 195.275. Bowling Green rounded out the trio, finishing third with a 193.575.
Looking Ahead: After beginning the season on the road for three straight weekends, the Eagles will return home for the 'Beauty and the Beast' dual meet against Northern Illinois, Jan. 30. This event, held in conjunction with the EMU wrestling team, involves a wrestling match and a gymnastics meet taking place simultaneously on the Convocation Center floor.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Gymnastics
UB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
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