Eastern Michigan Athletics
Friday, February 5
Convocation Center
6:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
195.600
vs
195.400
Central Michigan
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Program Record Propels Eagles to Victory Over Chips
2/5/2016 9:07:00 PM | Gymnastics
The Green and White notched a 195.600 in its home victory
| Complete Results | Highlights | Photo Gallery |
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Behind a new program record, the Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team took home a huge victory over in-state rival Central Michigan University Friday, Feb. 5. The Eagles finished with a 195.600 on the night behind a number of career-highs, besting the Chips' final score of 195.400.
Finishing with a team score of 195.600, the Eagles set a new program record for total team score. The previous record was set last season against Western Michigan, Feb. 20, where the Green and White notched a 195.575. EMU accomplished this feat through consistency, as every event score was between a 48.825 and 48.975.
"Great meet today," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "It was exciting, and it was close the entire way. You look at the scoreboard, we're tied after two events, and I think up one tenth going into the last event. Both teams were hitting and both looked great. I was excited, and had a good time."
As the home team, the Eagles began the meet on vault with a strong rotation. Sophomore Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. - Holmdel) led the way with a 9.825 while fellow sophomores Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. - Holly Springs) and Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. - Brighton) scored a pair of 9.775's. Senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. - Whiteland Community) also pitched in a 9.75 on her yurchenko half. After one event, the Green and White trailed the Chippewas, 48.875-48.825.
The Green and White then moved to bars, where junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. - Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) paced the team with a solid 9.875 after sticking her dismount. In addition to Rubin, three other Eagles stuck their dismounts to cap off their respective routines. Finishing one tenth behind Rubin was Valentin with a 9.775, while Conrad and sophomore Kirsten Gendron (Birch Run, Mich. - Frankenmuth) notched a pair of 9.75's. With two rotations in the books, the teams were tied up at 97.675.
Like they have much of this season, the Eagles continued to dominate on beam, finishing with three scores of 9.8. Rubin, as well as freshman Megan Hultgren (Rockford, Ill. - Sacred Heart Classical Center) and junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Sturgeon Heights), all scored a 9.8 to pace the team, while Conrad and Valentin contributed two 9.775's. With their beam total of 48.950, Eastern jumped ahead of Central by a slim, 146.625-146.500, margin.
"Beam has been doing fantastic for us all year long," explained Santos. "I don't know how much more we can say about them. Every week, they show up and they don't give anything away and they fight for every little bit up there. They look so strong, and it is great to see."
With the meet still up for grabs, EMU needed to come up clutch on the final event. The Eagles turned in their best floor total of the season with a 48.975, beating their previous best by nearly two tenths. Conrad turned in the best floor performance of her career, notching a 9.8. Just ahead of her was Ebeyer and junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Kelvin) with a pair of 9.825's. Like Conrad, McEachern's mark was a career-best as well. As the meet came down to the final routine, Slocum came up clutch with a huge 9.85 to seal the deal for the Eagles. Slocum's floor performances lifted the Eagles past the Chippewas, 195.600-195.400.
The Eagles have a quick turnaround this week, as the team will travel to Ann Arbor for a tri meet with Michigan and Maryland, Monday, Feb. 8. The meet is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the Crisler Center.
Finishing with a team score of 195.600, the Eagles set a new program record for total team score. The previous record was set last season against Western Michigan, Feb. 20, where the Green and White notched a 195.575. EMU accomplished this feat through consistency, as every event score was between a 48.825 and 48.975.
"Great meet today," remarked Head Coach Jay Santos. "It was exciting, and it was close the entire way. You look at the scoreboard, we're tied after two events, and I think up one tenth going into the last event. Both teams were hitting and both looked great. I was excited, and had a good time."
As the home team, the Eagles began the meet on vault with a strong rotation. Sophomore Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. - Holmdel) led the way with a 9.825 while fellow sophomores Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. - Holly Springs) and Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. - Brighton) scored a pair of 9.775's. Senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. - Whiteland Community) also pitched in a 9.75 on her yurchenko half. After one event, the Green and White trailed the Chippewas, 48.875-48.825.
The Green and White then moved to bars, where junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. - Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) paced the team with a solid 9.875 after sticking her dismount. In addition to Rubin, three other Eagles stuck their dismounts to cap off their respective routines. Finishing one tenth behind Rubin was Valentin with a 9.775, while Conrad and sophomore Kirsten Gendron (Birch Run, Mich. - Frankenmuth) notched a pair of 9.75's. With two rotations in the books, the teams were tied up at 97.675.
Like they have much of this season, the Eagles continued to dominate on beam, finishing with three scores of 9.8. Rubin, as well as freshman Megan Hultgren (Rockford, Ill. - Sacred Heart Classical Center) and junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Sturgeon Heights), all scored a 9.8 to pace the team, while Conrad and Valentin contributed two 9.775's. With their beam total of 48.950, Eastern jumped ahead of Central by a slim, 146.625-146.500, margin.
"Beam has been doing fantastic for us all year long," explained Santos. "I don't know how much more we can say about them. Every week, they show up and they don't give anything away and they fight for every little bit up there. They look so strong, and it is great to see."
With the meet still up for grabs, EMU needed to come up clutch on the final event. The Eagles turned in their best floor total of the season with a 48.975, beating their previous best by nearly two tenths. Conrad turned in the best floor performance of her career, notching a 9.8. Just ahead of her was Ebeyer and junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba - Kelvin) with a pair of 9.825's. Like Conrad, McEachern's mark was a career-best as well. As the meet came down to the final routine, Slocum came up clutch with a huge 9.85 to seal the deal for the Eagles. Slocum's floor performances lifted the Eagles past the Chippewas, 195.600-195.400.
The Eagles have a quick turnaround this week, as the team will travel to Ann Arbor for a tri meet with Michigan and Maryland, Monday, Feb. 8. The meet is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the Crisler Center.
Eagles Results (*denotes career high, # denotes program record)
Team 195.600#
Vault 48.825
Kendall Valentin 9.825
Rachel Slocum 9.775
Catie Conrad 9.775
Kimberly Ebeyer 9.75
Julia Schwartz 9.7
Sydney McEachern 9.625
Bars 48.850
Lacey Rubin 9.875*
Kendall Valentin 9.775
Catie Conrad 9.75
Kirsten Gendron 9.75*
Natalie Gervais 9.70
Sydney McEachern 9.65
Beam 48.95
Lacey Rubin 9.8
Megan Hultgren 9.8
Natalie Gervais 9.8
Catie Conrad 9.775
Kendall Valentin 9.775
Kimberly Ebeyer 9.725
Floor 48.975
Rachel Slocum 9.85
Kimberly Ebeyer 9.825
Sydney McEachern 9.825*
Catie Conrad 9.8*
Megan Marino 9.675
Natalie Gervais 9.55
All-Around
Catie Conrad, 39.1*
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