Gymnastics Ready to Open 2020 Campaign at Bowling Green

Gymnastics at Bowling Green
Date	Saturday, Jan. 11 \| 4 p.m.
Venue	Bowling Green, Ohio \| Anderson Arena
Preview Info	Meet Notes
Live Stats	Live Results
Twitter	@EMU Gym \| @EMUAthletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team will jump start the 2020 regular season with a trip south to Bowling Green State University Saturday, Jan. 11. The action will begin at 4 p.m. inside Anderson Arena. The Eagles will look to start the season strong, having added seven freshman to the lineup from a year ago.

FOLLOWING THE MEET: Fans can follow the meet through live stats. Links can be found on the EMU gymnastics schedule page located on EMUEagles.com.

MICHIGAN EXHIBITION: EMU competed in an exhibition at the University of Michigan for the sixth consecutive season Jan. 7, finishing fourth (192.400) behind host-Michigan (195.225), Central Michigan (194.500), and Western Michigan (193.400). The Green and White were led by senior Emili Dobronics on floor, scoring 9.85, and was followed by junior Jada Rondeau's 9.775. On vault, junior Cali Harden led the way with a score of 9.725, while on bars, it was Rondeau's 9.725 that paced the team and was good for eighth place on the apparatus. The Eagles closed the day on beam where Dobronics and sophomore Caitlin Satler both earned 9.775, for the team high. In the all-around competition, Rondeau finished with a score of 37.950, good for sixth, while sophomore Kara Roberts earned 37.225, giving her a ninth-place finish.

KEY RETURNERS: Eastern lost four senior at the end of the 2018-19 season, and added seven freshman. Key returners for the Eagles will be senior Emili Dobronics and juniors Jada Rondeau and Cortney Bezold. Dobronics will be a key contributor in her senior season as one of three Eagles to qualify for NCAA Regionals last season, and the only one to qualify for all-around, having finished the year with a RQS of 39.165 in all-around and ranking 13th in the central region. The senior tied her career-high of 9.900 three times and recorded a new career-high all-around score of 39.250 against Western Michigan, Feb. 2, 2019. The Orland Park, Ill. native was selected to the All-MAC Second Team last season, MAC All-Tournament Team and her score of 9.900 on floor at the MAC Championships made her the first EMU gymnast to take home gold on an event since Leah Hashimoto, Natalie Hashimoto, and Sarah Wasilenko split the floor title in 2002. Rondeau was a workhorse for Eastern Michigan in the 2019 season. The junior posted personal-bests in all four events including 9.875 on floor at the Northern Illinois Triangular, Jan. 18, and 9.850 on bars at the George Washington Quad, Feb. 22. The Savage, Minn. native also earned a career-high in all-around, hitting 39.275 against Kent State, March 15. Bezold was another NCAA Regional qualifier last season, qualifying for bars with a RQS of 9.850, and ranking 19th on the apparatus in the central region. The sophomore hit 9.900 for the first time in her career at the George Washington Quad, Feb. 22, for a new career-best. The Maineville, Ohio native was selected to the All-MAC First Team for her efforts on bars in the 2019 season.

NEW FACES IN THE GYM: EMU welcomes eight new gymnasts to its roster for the 2020 season, including seven freshman and a senior graduate transfer in Xarria Lewis. Lewis comes to EMU from Missouri where she hit a career-high 9.825 on vault three times, including the 2016 Southeastern Conference Championships. Dani Coyne, Hadyn Crossen, Arileyah Harris, Hannah Hartung, Corey Melcher, Molly Parris, and Mickayla Stuckey are all freshman brought in this year to help solidify an Eagles team in the hunt for a fourth Mid-American Conference Championship.

LAST TIME AGAINST BOWLING GREEN: Last seasons meeting between the Eagles and the Falcons took a detour in the way of a venue change, but a last minute trip from Ypsilanti, Mich. to Bowling Green, Ohio was not enough to derail EMU, who won 194.150-193.775. Starting the meet on bars, then-sophomore Cortney Bezold led with a score of 9.850, tying for first, and was followed by then-junior Emili Dobronics' 9.775, good for a third place finish. Moving over to vault, it was then-sophomore Cali Harden leading the way, scoring a career-high 9.800, tying for first and helping the Green and White to a score of 48.600 on the apparatus. On floor, EMU finished with a score of 47.825, led by Dobronics and then-sophomore Jada Rondeau, both scoring 9.800. Ending the meet on beam, then-freshman Caitlin Satler set a new career-high, scoring 9.875, tying for first, and was followed up with Dobronics' 9.825, which earned her fourth place on the event. The team beam score of 49.075 was a season-high for the Eagles and helped seal the victory over Bowling Green.

OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN: This season the Green and White named captains for the first time in Katie Minasola era. The two gymnasts selected to lead the Eagles in the gym this year are senior Emili Dobronics and junior Cali Harden. Both Dobronics and Harden were essential to the success of the team last season as both competed in every meet for the Green and White.

EMU SELECTED FOURTH IN MAC PRESEASON POLL: Eastern was picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference for the second consecutive season in the conference preseason poll. The Eagles lost four seniors from last year, and added seven freshman to the lineup. EMU finished third in the 2019 campaign and are looking to top that performance this year

EAGLES WELCOME RETURN OF ELLA DOVER: This will be the fifth year as a member of the Green and White for Ella, as the Eagles, in unison with Team IMPACT, announced Thursday, Dec. 8, 2016, that the team signed 10-year old Ella Dover to a ceremonial letter of commitment to join the team for the next few years. Ella suffers from chronic epilepsy and has multiple seizures daily. This, however, does not have an impact on her attitude, as she is always smiling and approaching life with a positive mentality. Ella will be a regular at practices and meets, and will also join the Green and White for team activities and events throughout the year. This season, the Eagles honor Ella with the hashtag "#EforElla" to show support for the admirable and brave team member.

EAGLES ON ESPN3: For the fourth consecutive season, the Eagles will have a pair of home meets broadcast on ESPN3. This season, fans will be able to watch their Eagles compete on ESPN3 against MAC-opponents Central Michigan, Jan. 19, Western Michigan, Jan. 24, and Northern Illinois, Feb. 7.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will return home to the Convocation Center where they will welcome in-state foe Central Michigan Sunday, Jan.19 at 1 p.m. The Green and White have dropped the last two meetings between Eastern and the Chippewas, as they look get back into the win column against the Mid-American Conference adversary.

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Players Mentioned

Cortney Bezold

Dani Coyne

Hadyn Crossen

Emili Dobronics

Ella Dover

Cali Harden

Arileyah Harris

Hannah Hartung

Xarria Lewis

Corey Melcher

Molly Parris

Kara Roberts

Jada Rondeau

Caitlin Satler

Mickayla Stuckey

Eastern Michigan Athletics