Eastern Michigan Athletics
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Gymnastics Concludes Memorable 2016 Season
4/27/2016 3:15:00 PM | Gymnastics
The team had a historic season, highlighted by a conference title and NCAA Regionals berth
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – For the Eastern Michigan University women's gymnastics team, 2016 was a season for the record books. The Eagles, who won their second ever Mid-American Conference Championship and qualified to NCAA Regionals for the first time as a team, were wildly successful from start to finish. There was certainly no shortage of accomplishments to discuss, including broken records, high team rankings, and event and team titles.
The Eagles finished the season ranked as the No. 17 team in the country, marking the highest that the team has ever been ranked. Overall, the team spent a whopping 10 weeks ranked within the top-25. Specifically, Eastern held the No. 21 and No. 24 spots for four weeks apiece, in addition to a week at No. 20, and finally ending the season at No. 17.
As a team, the Green and White set numerous records throughout the year. Beginning with floor, the 2016 squad owns two of the top-10 team totals in program history, in addition to having three on vault. More impressively, the team posted six of the top-10 on bars, and an incredible seven on beam. To cap it off, the 2016 Eagles now own eight of the top-10 team scores in program history, including the team record at a 196.6.
Individually, EMU was equally as successful. On vault, sophomores Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. – Holly Springs) and Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. – Holmdel) nabbed spots within the top-25 all-time. Slocum currently holds three spots, highlighted by a 9.925 to put her in a tie for fourth, while Valentin holds one, sitting in a tie for fifth with a 9.9. Moving to bars, the team had four competitors from this season etch their names into EMU laurels. Valentin led the way with a total of 12 appearances, making her arguably the top bar worker in program history. Specifically, she also owns the second highest score in the EMU record books at a 9.925. Similarly, the beam squad was also very impressive. Sophomore Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. – Brighton) paced the team with six rankings, while junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Sturgeon Heights) was just behind her with five, also posting the team's second highest score ever with a 9.925 The floor squad found their groove throughout the season, as Slocum posted a pair of 9.9's to lead the way with two appearances. In the all-around, Conrad was the workhorse for the team this season, posting four all-around scores within the top-25, highlighted by a 39.35.
Throughout the season, the Eagles took home four weekly MAC awards. Slocum earned Specialist of the Week honors twice, while junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. – Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) earned the same honor once. Additionally, Valentin was named Gymnast of the Week following the season opener as well. Due to their success in the classroom, the Green and White also earned three Scholar Athlete of the Week awards. Slocum was named twice, while Valentin earned the honor on one occasion. Just prior to the MAC Championships, Slocum and Valentin were named First Team All-MAC, while Conrad earned Second Team All-MAC honors as well. In addition, postseason awards were also kind to the Eagles. For her consistency throughout the year, Slocum was named MAC Specialist of the Year. The team also had four named to the 2016 All-Tournament Team, as Conrad, Gervais, Slocum, and Valentin all earned the honor. On the coaching side, Jay Santos was named Regional Coach of the Year and Jess Santos was named Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Eagles also posted a regular season record of 15-3-1 overall, and 5-1 in the MAC, marking the most wins in school history. The team also finished runner-up in the MAC regular season standings, with their five conference wins tying the most since 1997. Specifically, the team defeated Ball State, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan throughout the regular season.
Heading into the postseason, the Eagles looked primed for a run at the conference title. At the MAC Championship, the team certainly did make a run, taking home their second MAC title in program history, the first being in 2007. Eastern finished with a 196.425, in large part due to fantastic beam and floor rotations. Specifically, the team set a program record on beam with a 49.325, while the squad also posted three 9.9's on floor.
From there, the Eagles were selected to take part in the Ann Arbor Regional, allowing for fans and families to make the quick trip west down Washtenaw Avenue. In the Crisler Center, the Green and White more than held their own against some of the top teams in the nation, as the squad finished fourth, but was just .275 away from tying first-place Stanford and Auburn. In fact, after two rotations, the Eagles were tied for first-place in the talented field. In addition to scoring a 196.250, Slocum also notched a 9.9 on floor to earn a share of the event title. Due to her placing, she was selected as the team's second ever NCAA Championship qualifier. Competing against the top gymnasts in the nation, Slocum was her usual, consistent self, notching a 9.8. Being the only Mid-American Conference gymnast in attendance, Slocum did a fantastic job not only representing the Eagles, but also the conference.
The season concluded with the team's banquet, which featured a slew of awards presented to members of the team. The Outstanding Leadership Award was presented to junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Kelvin), who displayed tremendous growth in the leadership department throughout the year. Most Improved Gymnast went to senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. – Whiteland Community), who concluded her time at EMU with the best gymnastics of her career. The Most Valuable Gymnast Award was shared between Conrad and Valentin, as the team voted the sophomore duo to a tie. Finally, Conrad was also presented with the Swoop Spirit Award due to her support of other EMU Athletics programs, and the University as a whole.
Although the season has come to an end, the future looks bright for the Eagles. The team returns a number of experienced gymnasts next season, in addition to bolstering the roster with four talented freshmen. It will be tough to top the 2016 season, but it looks like the 2017 squad will be more than up to the task.
The Eagles finished the season ranked as the No. 17 team in the country, marking the highest that the team has ever been ranked. Overall, the team spent a whopping 10 weeks ranked within the top-25. Specifically, Eastern held the No. 21 and No. 24 spots for four weeks apiece, in addition to a week at No. 20, and finally ending the season at No. 17.
As a team, the Green and White set numerous records throughout the year. Beginning with floor, the 2016 squad owns two of the top-10 team totals in program history, in addition to having three on vault. More impressively, the team posted six of the top-10 on bars, and an incredible seven on beam. To cap it off, the 2016 Eagles now own eight of the top-10 team scores in program history, including the team record at a 196.6.
Individually, EMU was equally as successful. On vault, sophomores Rachel Slocum (Holly Springs, N.C. – Holly Springs) and Kendall Valentin (Holmdel, N.J. – Holmdel) nabbed spots within the top-25 all-time. Slocum currently holds three spots, highlighted by a 9.925 to put her in a tie for fourth, while Valentin holds one, sitting in a tie for fifth with a 9.9. Moving to bars, the team had four competitors from this season etch their names into EMU laurels. Valentin led the way with a total of 12 appearances, making her arguably the top bar worker in program history. Specifically, she also owns the second highest score in the EMU record books at a 9.925. Similarly, the beam squad was also very impressive. Sophomore Catie Conrad (Brighton, Mich. – Brighton) paced the team with six rankings, while junior Natalie Gervais (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Sturgeon Heights) was just behind her with five, also posting the team's second highest score ever with a 9.925 The floor squad found their groove throughout the season, as Slocum posted a pair of 9.9's to lead the way with two appearances. In the all-around, Conrad was the workhorse for the team this season, posting four all-around scores within the top-25, highlighted by a 39.35.
Throughout the season, the Eagles took home four weekly MAC awards. Slocum earned Specialist of the Week honors twice, while junior Lacey Rubin (Plainview, N.Y. – Plainview Old Bethpage John F. Kennedy) earned the same honor once. Additionally, Valentin was named Gymnast of the Week following the season opener as well. Due to their success in the classroom, the Green and White also earned three Scholar Athlete of the Week awards. Slocum was named twice, while Valentin earned the honor on one occasion. Just prior to the MAC Championships, Slocum and Valentin were named First Team All-MAC, while Conrad earned Second Team All-MAC honors as well. In addition, postseason awards were also kind to the Eagles. For her consistency throughout the year, Slocum was named MAC Specialist of the Year. The team also had four named to the 2016 All-Tournament Team, as Conrad, Gervais, Slocum, and Valentin all earned the honor. On the coaching side, Jay Santos was named Regional Coach of the Year and Jess Santos was named Regional Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Eagles also posted a regular season record of 15-3-1 overall, and 5-1 in the MAC, marking the most wins in school history. The team also finished runner-up in the MAC regular season standings, with their five conference wins tying the most since 1997. Specifically, the team defeated Ball State, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, and Western Michigan throughout the regular season.
Heading into the postseason, the Eagles looked primed for a run at the conference title. At the MAC Championship, the team certainly did make a run, taking home their second MAC title in program history, the first being in 2007. Eastern finished with a 196.425, in large part due to fantastic beam and floor rotations. Specifically, the team set a program record on beam with a 49.325, while the squad also posted three 9.9's on floor.
From there, the Eagles were selected to take part in the Ann Arbor Regional, allowing for fans and families to make the quick trip west down Washtenaw Avenue. In the Crisler Center, the Green and White more than held their own against some of the top teams in the nation, as the squad finished fourth, but was just .275 away from tying first-place Stanford and Auburn. In fact, after two rotations, the Eagles were tied for first-place in the talented field. In addition to scoring a 196.250, Slocum also notched a 9.9 on floor to earn a share of the event title. Due to her placing, she was selected as the team's second ever NCAA Championship qualifier. Competing against the top gymnasts in the nation, Slocum was her usual, consistent self, notching a 9.8. Being the only Mid-American Conference gymnast in attendance, Slocum did a fantastic job not only representing the Eagles, but also the conference.
The season concluded with the team's banquet, which featured a slew of awards presented to members of the team. The Outstanding Leadership Award was presented to junior Sydney McEachern (Winnipeg, Manitoba – Kelvin), who displayed tremendous growth in the leadership department throughout the year. Most Improved Gymnast went to senior Kimberly Ebeyer (Greenwood, Ind. – Whiteland Community), who concluded her time at EMU with the best gymnastics of her career. The Most Valuable Gymnast Award was shared between Conrad and Valentin, as the team voted the sophomore duo to a tie. Finally, Conrad was also presented with the Swoop Spirit Award due to her support of other EMU Athletics programs, and the University as a whole.
Although the season has come to an end, the future looks bright for the Eagles. The team returns a number of experienced gymnasts next season, in addition to bolstering the roster with four talented freshmen. It will be tough to top the 2016 season, but it looks like the 2017 squad will be more than up to the task.
Players Mentioned
AA
/ Gymnastics
V, BB, FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
AA
/ Gymnastics
V,BB,FX
/ Gymnastics
AA
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