Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 30
Convocation Center
4 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
vs
Northern Illinois
No. 24 Eagles Ready for First Home Meet
1/28/2016 11:50:00 AM | Gymnastics
The Green and White will host NIU as part of the Beauty and the Beast event
Meet Notes
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After amassing a 6-1 record on the road to open the season, the No. 24 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team begins the home portion of their slate with a Mid-American Conference dual against Northern Illinois, Jan. 30. The meet will be part of the Beauty and the Beast event, which features both the gymnastics team and the wrestling team competing simultaneously on the floor of the Convo.
Eagles Ranked in the Top-25 for Third Consecutive Week: With three meets in the books, the Eagles remain ranked in the top-25, coming in at No. 24 overall. Additionally, the Green and White are ranked in the top-25 in three events, highlighted by a No. 8 ranking on beam. EMU also comes in at No. 23 on vault and No. 24 on bars. On the conference level, Eastern paces the MAC with a No. 1 team ranking overall, as well as on vault and beam.
Green and White Set New Beam Record: At last weekend's victory over Ball State and Illinois State, the Green and White broke a 14-year old record, setting a new program-best on the beam with a total score of 49.150. The old record was set in 2001 at the Mid-American Conference Championships, in which the Eagles finished with a 49.075. Lacey Rubin led the Eagles in breaking the record, as she scored a career-best 9.875 on the day. The No. 21 ranked Catie Conrad posted a 9.85, while Kendall Valentin and Megan Hultgren notched a pair of 9.825's. Rounding out the top-five for EMU was Rachel Slocum, who in her first beam routine as an Eagle, scored a solid 9.775.
Scouting the Competition: Northern Illinois comes into the meet following a home loss to Central Michigan, 195.275 - 194.675. After posting two consecutive team scores near 193, the Huskies put together a solid meet and improved by nearly two points. NIU improved on every event, with their strong events appearing to be bars and floor. As a team, the Huskies scored a 48.975 on bars, and a 48.90 on floor last week. On the other hand, the team struggled on beam, only notching a 48.025 in their loss to Central.
The Huskies come with a balanced lineup, as the team gets contributions from many gymnasts. Individually, Lauren Africano has been solid on bars this season, posting two scores above 9.825. Megan Greenfield is a key contributor as well, as she has competed in three events in every meet so far this year.
Last Time Against the Huskies: Last season, the Eagles and the Huskies squared off one week before the Mid-American Conference Championships, March 15, with NIU taking home the victory, 195.800-195.525. The meet marked the fifth-straight time that the Eagles scored over 195 in a meet, and the sixth time last season in which they broke the 195-point barrier. Furthermore, the final score ranked as the third-highest score in EMU school history at the time. Kendall Valentin had a great meet, finishing first on bars and second on vault with scores of 9.875 and 9.80, respectively. Anna Willette took home the all-around title with a score of 39.0, while Natalie Gervais won the beam by scoring a 9.875.
Two Eagles Competing All-Around: The Green and White have continued utilizing both Kendall Valentin and Catie Conrad in the all-around, as both competed in all four events for the second consecutive meet. After graduating all-around mainstays Anna Willette and Carrina Lo Bello, the Eagles have found very capable replacements.
Hultgren Off to a Great Start: With three meets in the books, Megan Hultgren has notched three hit routines for the Eagles on beam. The freshman has been rock-solid so far this season, earning a pair of 9.7's before scoring a career-high 9.825 in last weekend's meet at Ball State, Jan. 24.
Slocum Leading EMU on Two Events: Sophomore Rachel Slocum has gotten off to a great start following the first three meets of the year. Last weekend, she took home two event titles, scoring a 9.9 on vault and a 9.85 on floor. So far this season, she has a total of four event titles on floor and vault, as well as two runner-up finishes. For her efforts, Slocum was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week following the first meet of the year.
Last Time Out: Behind a new program record on the beam, the No. 21 ranked Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team walked away with a pair of victories in a tri meet hosted by Ball State, Jan. 24. The Eagles, finishing with a team total of 195.050 for the second straight week, totaled a 49.15 on beam, besting the previous team record set at the 2001 Mid-American Conference Championships. Rachel Slocum had an excellent meet, taking home two event titles after receiving a 9.9 on vault for her unique handspring front pike 1/2, as well as a 9.85 on floor. Lacey Rubin also had a career day, besting her previous beam record by scoring a 9.875.
Looking Ahead: Eastern will continue its season with another meet at home, taking on Central Michigan, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Following their back-to-back home meets, the Eagles will have a quick turn around and head to Ann Arbor for a meet with Michigan and Maryland, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) -- After amassing a 6-1 record on the road to open the season, the No. 24 Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team begins the home portion of their slate with a Mid-American Conference dual against Northern Illinois, Jan. 30. The meet will be part of the Beauty and the Beast event, which features both the gymnastics team and the wrestling team competing simultaneously on the floor of the Convo.
Eagles Ranked in the Top-25 for Third Consecutive Week: With three meets in the books, the Eagles remain ranked in the top-25, coming in at No. 24 overall. Additionally, the Green and White are ranked in the top-25 in three events, highlighted by a No. 8 ranking on beam. EMU also comes in at No. 23 on vault and No. 24 on bars. On the conference level, Eastern paces the MAC with a No. 1 team ranking overall, as well as on vault and beam.
Green and White Set New Beam Record: At last weekend's victory over Ball State and Illinois State, the Green and White broke a 14-year old record, setting a new program-best on the beam with a total score of 49.150. The old record was set in 2001 at the Mid-American Conference Championships, in which the Eagles finished with a 49.075. Lacey Rubin led the Eagles in breaking the record, as she scored a career-best 9.875 on the day. The No. 21 ranked Catie Conrad posted a 9.85, while Kendall Valentin and Megan Hultgren notched a pair of 9.825's. Rounding out the top-five for EMU was Rachel Slocum, who in her first beam routine as an Eagle, scored a solid 9.775.
Scouting the Competition: Northern Illinois comes into the meet following a home loss to Central Michigan, 195.275 - 194.675. After posting two consecutive team scores near 193, the Huskies put together a solid meet and improved by nearly two points. NIU improved on every event, with their strong events appearing to be bars and floor. As a team, the Huskies scored a 48.975 on bars, and a 48.90 on floor last week. On the other hand, the team struggled on beam, only notching a 48.025 in their loss to Central.
The Huskies come with a balanced lineup, as the team gets contributions from many gymnasts. Individually, Lauren Africano has been solid on bars this season, posting two scores above 9.825. Megan Greenfield is a key contributor as well, as she has competed in three events in every meet so far this year.
Last Time Against the Huskies: Last season, the Eagles and the Huskies squared off one week before the Mid-American Conference Championships, March 15, with NIU taking home the victory, 195.800-195.525. The meet marked the fifth-straight time that the Eagles scored over 195 in a meet, and the sixth time last season in which they broke the 195-point barrier. Furthermore, the final score ranked as the third-highest score in EMU school history at the time. Kendall Valentin had a great meet, finishing first on bars and second on vault with scores of 9.875 and 9.80, respectively. Anna Willette took home the all-around title with a score of 39.0, while Natalie Gervais won the beam by scoring a 9.875.
Two Eagles Competing All-Around: The Green and White have continued utilizing both Kendall Valentin and Catie Conrad in the all-around, as both competed in all four events for the second consecutive meet. After graduating all-around mainstays Anna Willette and Carrina Lo Bello, the Eagles have found very capable replacements.
Hultgren Off to a Great Start: With three meets in the books, Megan Hultgren has notched three hit routines for the Eagles on beam. The freshman has been rock-solid so far this season, earning a pair of 9.7's before scoring a career-high 9.825 in last weekend's meet at Ball State, Jan. 24.
Slocum Leading EMU on Two Events: Sophomore Rachel Slocum has gotten off to a great start following the first three meets of the year. Last weekend, she took home two event titles, scoring a 9.9 on vault and a 9.85 on floor. So far this season, she has a total of four event titles on floor and vault, as well as two runner-up finishes. For her efforts, Slocum was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week following the first meet of the year.
Last Time Out: Behind a new program record on the beam, the No. 21 ranked Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team walked away with a pair of victories in a tri meet hosted by Ball State, Jan. 24. The Eagles, finishing with a team total of 195.050 for the second straight week, totaled a 49.15 on beam, besting the previous team record set at the 2001 Mid-American Conference Championships. Rachel Slocum had an excellent meet, taking home two event titles after receiving a 9.9 on vault for her unique handspring front pike 1/2, as well as a 9.85 on floor. Lacey Rubin also had a career day, besting her previous beam record by scoring a 9.875.
Looking Ahead: Eastern will continue its season with another meet at home, taking on Central Michigan, Feb. 5, at 6:30 p.m. Following their back-to-back home meets, the Eagles will have a quick turn around and head to Ann Arbor for a meet with Michigan and Maryland, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.
Players Mentioned
AA
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V,BB,FX
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AA
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