Gymnastics Heads to Kent State for Second Consecutive MAC Matchup

Gymnastics at Kent State
Date	Sunday, Jan. 31 \| 1 p.m. ET
Venue	Kent, Ohio \| Memorial Athletic and Convocation (MAC) Center
Preview Info	Meet Notes
Live Stats	Live Results
Watch	Boxcast
Twitter	@EMUGym \| @EMUAthletics

KENT, Ohio (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team travels to Kent, Ohio to take on Kent State University Sunday, Jan. 31. Action gets underway inside the MAC Center at 1 p.m.
   The Eagles (3-0; 1-0 MAC) will look to remain undefeated in the young season, as do the Golden Flashes (2-0; 1-0 MAC).
   EMU most recently defeated Bowling Green State University, Jan. 24, 194.775-142.075. The Falcons were unable to fill their lineups but competed for qualifying scores. KSU is coming off a win at the University of Pittsburgh, on the same day, 194.600-191.600.

FOLLOW THE MEET: Fans can follow the meet through live results or watch on Boxcast. Links can be found on the EMU gymnastics schedule page located on EMUEagles.com.

DOMINION OF DEPTH: It has been said this season that head coach Katie Minasola has plenty of depth to her lineups. That is most evident in the individual event standings within the MAC. Minasola's squad has six gymnasts amongst the leaders.
   Senior Cortney Bezold is first on bars, averaging 9.838, and junior Shannon Gregory leads the conference on beam with an average score of 9.850. Classmate Caitlin Satler is tied for third on the same event (9.813 avg). Also cracking the top-10 on beam is senior Jada Rondeau, tied for seventh (9.750 avg). Junior Kara Roberts and sophomore Molly Parris are also tied for ninth on vault (9.762 avg).

BELIEVE IN BEZOLD: Senior Cortney Bezold, the only gymnast on the team to have competed in an NCAA regional competition, once again leads the MAC on bars. Bezold is averaging 9.838 on the apparatus in the young season. The senior was tied for third in the conference when the 2020 season ended, but has already collected a first and second-place finish in Eastern's first two meets, helping to push them to an early 3-0 record. Furthermore, the Maineville, Ohio native earned MAC Specialist of the week honors, Jan. 26, for the fourth time in her career.

LAST TIME AGAINST KENT STATE: The Green and White have not competed against Kent State since the 2019 season, as the 2020 season was cancelled just before the Kent State Triangular that was set to take place on March 13, 2020.
   Going back to 2019, EMU defeated KSU with a season-high score of 196.025-193.900 on senior night. Then sophomores Cortney Bezold and Jada Rondeau claimed first and second on bars, scoring 9.875 and 9.850, respectively. Shannon Gregory, a freshman at the time, and Rondeau tied for first on beam with scores of 9.850. Rondeau finished with a career-day in all-around, scoring 39.275.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN FLASHES: Kent State is welcoming Eastern to Kent, Ohio after a dominating win at the University of Pittsburgh, Jan. 24, 194.600-191.600. The Golden Flashes have started the 2021 season with two consecutive 194.500+ performances to place them atop the Mid-American Conference, averaging 194.638. EMU follows closely behind in second, averaging 194.538.
   KSU is led by sophomore Rachel DeCavitch, the lone all-arounder. In Pittsburgh, she posted a 39.050 in the four events. The sophomore's biggest score of the contest came on bars, hitting 9.850 to tie for second place. Junior Cami Klein earned a 9.850 of her own, taking first place on beam. The biggest score of the night came from senior Abby Fletcher on floor, hitting 9.900, the highest score on the event in the MAC this season.

EASTERN MICHIGAN 49ERS?: The Eagles hit their first event score of 49.000+ against Bowling Green, Jan. 24. The Green and White tallied 49.050 on beam, and swept the podium with junior Shannon Gregory leading the charge and tying her career-high of 9.850 to claim first place.
   Beam was EMU's best event last season, finishing the year ranked 28th in the nation and second in the MAC, averaging 48.775. In fact, the beam lineup hit above 49.000 four times during the 2020 season, a feat they only duplicated on floor twice.

DON'T INSULT THE VAULT: The Green and White averaged a 48.350 from their vault squad during the 2020 season, the team's lowest average of the four events. After two meets in 2021, the vault lineup is averaging 48.575 and sits in second in the MAC. The Eagles' best event in their first meet of the 2021 season, scoring 48.850, was vault. The score assisted in completing the comeback for first place in Philadelphia.

STAND UP SHANNON: Junior Shannon Gregory only needed one opportunity, one routine, to crack the Mid-American Conference beam rankings. The junior competed on beam for the first time this season against Bowling Green, Jan. 24, and scored 9.850 to stamp her name as first in the meet and the league. Gregory's score tied her career-high and was the first time she hit it since setting the personal-best in 2019 against Kent State, March 15.

EAGLES ON ESPN3: For the fourth consecutive season, the Eagles will have their home meets broadcast on ESPN3. This season, fans will be able to watch their Eagles competes against MAC-opponent Bowling Green, Jan. 24, Western Michigan and Ball State for the Eagle Invitational, Feb. 6, followed by Kent State, Feb. 14, and close out the season with Senior Night against Bowling Green and Air Force in the Eastern Michigan Triangular, March 7.

ON THE HORIZON: The Green and White return home to host the Eagle Invitational, as Western Michigan, Kent State, and Ball State come to Ypsilanti for a quad meet, Feb. 6, at 4 p.m.

Gymnastics Heads to Kent State for Second Consecutive MAC Matchup

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Players Mentioned

Cortney Bezold

Shannon Gregory

Molly Parris

Kara Roberts

Jada Rondeau

Caitlin Satler

Eastern Michigan Athletics