Gymnastics Readies for NCAA Regional Competition

Gymnastics at NCAA Regionals
Date	Thursday-Saturday, April 1-3 \| 3 p.m. CT
Venue	Tuscaloosa, Ala. \| Coleman Coliseum
Preview Info	EMU Notes
Live Stats	Live Results
Watch	ESPN
Twitter	@EMUGym \| @EMUAthletics

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (EMUEagles.com) -- The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team qualified for postseason action for the first time since 2017, earning a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala. for NCAA Regionals. EMU will need to compete in a "play-in" meet against the University of Maryland in order to advance and take on No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 15 Auburn, and Missouri.
The Eagles (15-6; 3-3 MAC) closed out the 2021 season by winning the Mid-American Conference Championship Saturday, March 20, with a team score of 195.900. EMU finished the season ranked 31st nationally, and was selected to compete against Maryland (10-9; 2-5 BIG10) in the first round of the NCAA Regionals.

FOLLOWING THE MEET: The meet will be broadcast on ESPN, where Ashley Miles and Andy Bock will bring fans the action. Fans can also follow along on EMUEagles.com via live stats, or on Twitter, @EMUGym.

HARDWORK BRINGS YOU HARDWARE: The trophy came back to Ypsilanti as Eastern captured its fourth Mid-American Conference Championship, March 20, at Western Michigan's University Arena inside Read Fieldhouse. The Eagles totaled 195.900 to defeat the six other conference teams competing. This is the Green and White's first conference championship since 2017, and the first for Head Coach Katie Minasola.

BUILD YOUR BRACKET: The 2021 National Collegiate Gymnastics Championship will look different this season, with regionals consisting of three rounds, including a "play-in" first round for the lower seeds. The winner of the first round of each region will advance to round two, where they will compete in a quad meet. The top two teams from each session in round two will advance to the final round of regionals, with the top two teams moving on to Fort Worth, Texas for a shot at a national championship.

LAST TIME AT REGIONALS: The last time Eastern qualified for NCAA regionals as a team was 2017. The Green and White finished sixth, April 1, 2017, in Champaign, Ill., with a score of 195.400.
   Some former Eagle standouts in the meet were Lacey Rubin, Kendall Valentin, and Catie Conrad. Rubin earned a personal-best 9.900 on bars to tie for third, while Valentin tied for fourth on vault, scoring 9.825. Conrad also tied for fourth on bars, hitting a 9.850.

LAST TIME AGAINST MARYLAND: The last time Eastern Michigan and Maryland competed against one another was Feb. 8, 2016. EMU came out on top, 195.975-194.075, in Ann Arbor, Mich. as the University of Michigan hosted.
   The Green and White saw five career-high performances, including former Eagle Kendall Valentin scoring 9.925 on bars to tie for first. Former national qualifier Rachel Slocum placed second on vault with a score of 9.900, while former standout Catie Conrad claimed third in all-around with a personal-best 39.250.

APPARATUS APPRECIATION IN THE NATION: Eastern Michigan ended the regular season ranked 22nd on beam and 29th on bars in the NCAA. The beam squad holds a national qualifying score of 49.169, while the bars lineup has earned a 49.069 NQS this season.

ADDING ALL-AROUND: After not competing all-around for the majority of the season, sophomore Hadyn Crossen and senior Jada Rondeau showed out for the Mid-American Conference Championships, March 20, by finishing second and third, respectively.
   Crossen totaled a score of 39.225 to claim second place. The sophomore tied for fourth on vault, scoring 9.825, while her 9.875 on floor tied her for eighth. Rondeau compiled an all-around score of 39.125 to tie for third. The senior was clutch on beam, hitting 9.825, and tied for fifth on bars with a 9.850.
   The two Eagles had only competed all-around for three meets before entering the MAC championship.

MOLLY'S MOMENT: It was 32 years since an Eagle named Chris Deitrick won the Mid-American Conference Vault Championship for Eastern. Sophomore Molly Parris broke the long drought, March 20, with her 9.850 to tie for first at the MAC championships. Parris, returning to the team after missing most of her freshman season, is only the fifth Eagle to earn a conference vault championship.

SECOND-YEAR STUDS: The Eagles saw two gymnasts named to the MAC All-Tournament Team following the championship, March 20. Sophomores Molly Parris and Hadyn Crossen earned the honor in their first conference championship, as last year was canceled due to COVID-19.
   Parris tied for first on vault with a 9.850, while Crossen tied for second in all-around, compiling a score of 39.225.

THE SATLER SPECIAL[IST]: Junior Caitlin Satler was rewarded for her talents as a specialist for EMU by earning MAC Co-Specialist of the Year honors, announced March 20. Satler competed in six meets during the season, and never missed a podium on beam, securing five first-place finishes and one third-place. The junior finished the season ranked second in the conference on the apparatus with an NQS of 9.894. The specialist also earned a career-high in the event, earning a 9.925 in the EMU Quad, Feb. 6. Her score places her third all-time in program history on beam.

BEAMTOWN: EMU closed the regular season ranked first on beam in the Mid-American Conference, making a case for Ypsilanti to become Beamtown. The squad totaled an NQS of 49.169 on the apparatus after setting a program record 49.350 at Western Michigan, Feb. 21.
   Four Eagles rank in the top-10 in the league. Junior Caitlin Satler is second, with an NQS of 9.894 on the apparatus, while senior Jada Rondeau sits fourth (9.888). Sophomore Hadyn Crossen (9.863) and junior Shannon Gregory (9.863) are tied for fifth, respectively.

EASTERN MICHIGAN 49ERS?: The Green and White hit 49+ in three of the four events (floor, vault, and bars) March 20, at the MAC Championships, in order to take home first. The team has now hit 49+ 13 times this season.

SECOND TEAM, SECOND TIME: Eastern Michigan saw two Eagles earn All-MAC Second Team honors Friday, March 19, for the 2021 season. Senior Jada Rondeau and junior Caitlin Satler were named to the second team for the second-straight year, while it's the third consecutive season the Green and White have had two representatives on the All-MAC teams.

HELLO HADYN: Eastern Michigan sophomore Hadyn Crossen has burst onto the scene this season, and etched her name into the record book. Crossen tied for fourth all-time on beam after scoring 9.900 on beam at the Eagle Invitational, Feb. 6. The sophomore tied Eagle legends such as Natalie Hashimoto, Lacey Rubin, and Kendall Valentin. The Carmel, Ind. native also found herself ranked fourth on vault in the conference at the end of the 2021 regular season.

BEZOLD, THE BARS BALLAST: Senior Cortney Bezold, the only gymnast on the team to have competed in an NCAA regional competition, once again led the bars lineup for Eastern this season. Bezold averaged 9.875 on the apparatus this season and tied for third in the Mid-American Conference. The senior was tied for third in the conference when the 2020 season ended as well. Furthermore, the Maineville, Ohio native earned MAC Specialist of the Week honors, Jan. 26, for the fourth time in her career, and tied for third at the MAC Championships, March 20, to lead the lineup.

ON THE HORIZON: The Eagles will have to qualify for the NCAA national competition in order to extend their post season run. Nationals take place in Fort Worth, Texas, April 17.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Cortney Bezold

Hadyn Crossen

Shannon Gregory

Molly Parris

Jada Rondeau

Lacey Rubin

Caitlin Satler

Kendall Valentin

Eastern Michigan Athletics