Gymnastics Competing at NIU Sunday

Gymnastics at Northern Illinois
Date	Sunday, Feb. 2 \| 1 p.m. CT
Venue	DeKalb, Ill. \| Convocation Center
Preview Info	EMU Notes (PDF)
Live Stats	Live Results
Watch	ESPN+
Twitter	@EMUGym \| @EMUAthletics

DeKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) - The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team hits the road this week and looks to get back on its winning track after suffering its first loss of the season to Kent State, Jan. 26, against Mid-American Conference opponent Northern Illinois (1-7) Saturday, Feb. 2, at Convocation Center at 1 p.m. CT.

FOLLOWING THE MEET: The meet can be watched on ESPN+. Fans can also follow the meet through live results. Links can be found on the EMU gymnastics schedule page located on EMUEagles.com.

LAST TIME OUT: EAGLES AGAINST KENT STATE: Eastern suffered its first loss of the 2025 season against Kent State, Jan. 26, as the Eagles put together a season-best 48.925 on beam while Raisa Boris earned her third all-around win of the season.

RAISA BORIS MAC GYMNAST + SCHOLAR-ATHLETE: Raisa Boris was named MAC Gymnast of the Week, Jan. 21, and MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week, Jan. 22. Boris finished in the top 10 in all four events as her day was highlighted by a second-place mark in beam with a 9.825. Boris also had at least a 9.8 in bars (9.825) and floor (9.800).

KNOCKED OFF THE PRESEASON FAVORITES: In addition to topping Northern Illinois and Winona State, Eastern Michigan narrowly edged MAC preseason favorite Ball State, 195.125-195.000, Jan. 17, at the Golden Girls Classic.

4-0 FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE...?: After topping Bowling Green, Jan. 12, and earning three wins at the Golden Girls Classic, Eastern Michigan started 4-0 for the first time since at least 2001.

IN THE RECORD BOOK: EMU earned a team top-10 record book score seven times last season. Most recently, the team's 196.450 score at Kent State, March 3, ranked third-best in EMU program history, while the team's 49.250 bars score tied for second best all-time, and the 49.250 beam score ranked fifth all-time. Below is a list of all top-10 scores from the 2024 season.

                    TOP 10 PROGRAM SCORES LAST season
                                rank     SCORE               EVENT MEET (DATE)
                t-2.        49.250 Bars                     at Kent State (March 3)
                3.           196.450            Overall                at Kent State (March 3)
                3.           49.125 Vault                    at Northern Illinois (Jan. 28)
                5.           49.250 Beam at Kent State (March 3)
                6.           49.175 Beam vs. Northern Illinois (Feb. 18)
                t-7.        196.100            Overall                at Bowling Green (Feb. 11)
                t-10.     49.125 Beam at Bowling Green (Feb. 11)

PICKED FIFTH IN THE MAC: The Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the MAC, as revealed by the conference office, Jan. 3.

2025 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches' Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ball State – 33 points (4)
2. Kent State – 29 points (1)
3. Central Michigan – 28 points (2)
4. Western Michigan – 24 points
5. Eastern Michigan – 14 points
6. Bowling Green – 12 points
7. Northern Illinois – 7 points

MAC Tournament Champion: Central Michigan (3), Ball State (2), Kent State (2)

PARTY LIKE IT'S 2021...?: After being picked fifth in the 2021 MAC preseason poll, Eastern Michigan won the 2021 MAC Championship. The Eagles were also picked fifth in 2025 and are currently the top-ranked team in the MAC at 30th nationally.

PRIYA KARLE ON FLOOR: Junior Priya Karle helped the EMU gymnastics team to a quad win in the Golden Girls Classic, Jan. 17, by posting a career-high 9.850 on floor, tied for second in the event. Officially competing for the fifth time in her three-year career, the Canton, Mass. native helped Eastern to a 195.125, good enough to top MAC foes Ball State and Northern Illinois as the Eagles improved to 4-0 for the first time since at least the 2001 season. Karle's score helped Eastern tally a 48.975 team score on floor, its top mark of any event this season.

MAC GYMNASTS TO WATCH: Alana Fisher and Keeley Kohler were named MAC Gymnasts to Watch for the 2025 season. Fisher and Kohler were two of the 14 student-athletes selected as each squad had two gymnasts picked.

Against Kent State, Jan. 26, Fisher posted a season high on floor with a score of 9.800 which tied her for third in the overall event and Kohler posted a career high in bars with a score of 9.725 which tied her for sixth place in the event with fellow teammate Raisa Boris.

BEST SEASON-OPENING SCORE SINCE...?: Against Bowling Green, Jan. 12, Eastern Michigan posted a 194.925 in the season opener, marking its best score in a season-opening competition since at least the 2002 season.

The Eagles' 194.925 narrowly edged their season-opening 194.875 score against Bowling Green, Jan. 11, 2020, and at Pittsburgh, Jan. 10, 2016.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: Northern Illinois ranks sixth in MAC and 55th nationally with a 192.500 average. The Huskies' best event this season has been vault, which they rank fourth in the MAC with a 48.625 average.

In the first quad meet of the 2025 season Jan. 17, Eastern Michigan Eagles posted a season high 195.125 against conference rivals Northern Illinois, Ball State, and Winona State from NCGA. Eastern Michigan gymnastics looks to go 2-0 against Northern Illinois in conference play Feb. 2 at Convocation Center at 1 p.m. CT.

2024 AT THE MACS: Eastern finished sixth at the 2024 MAC Championships, March 23, with a 194.000 team score.

                                rank     SCORE               EVENT STUDENT-ATHLETE
                t-1.        9.900 Beam Ella Chemotti
                3.           39.200 All-Around        Raisa Boris
                t-3.        9.900 Vault                    Alana Fisher

RAI'S AWARD COLLECTION: Senior gymnast Raisa Boris earned MAC Gymnast of the Week honors four times last season. Against Kent State, March 3, she contributed to the Eagles' 196.450 team score (good for third all-time). Additionally, the senior was honored with the MAC Scholar-Athlete title twice in 2024 for her efforts both in the gym and the classroom.

Boris was named both the MAC Gymnast of the Year as well as the Senior Gymnast of the Year after an incredible senior season (electing to use her COVID season of eligibility for 2025). The last time an Eagle was named the Gymnast of the Year and Senior Gymnast of the Year was when Jolene Worley won both titles in the 2008 campaign. Additionally, Boris is just the fourth different Eagle to win the overall honor and the seventh to earn the Senior Gymnast title.

TRUE ALL-AROUNDER: Senior Raisa Boris earned a career-high 39.525 all-around score at KSU, March 3. Her score is good for second in EMU program history, behind Natalie Hashimoto's 39.725 (2000). The Eagles had yet to see a gymnast hit anything close to Boris' score since the 2021 season when Jada Rondeau scored a 39.475.

ELLA CHEMOTTI, BEAM CHAMP: As just the fifth MAC beam champion in school history, senior Ella Chemotti is the first to earn the title on the apparatus since 1998 when former Eagle JJ Cullom took the top spot with a 9.850. During the regular season, Chemotti continued to hold the top spot in the beam event as she led the MAC in the category for three consecutive years. Additionally, with her three straight first team honors, the 2022 MAC Freshman of the Year became the first EMU gymnast in program history (regular season All-MAC selections started in 2013) to secure the first team three-peat.

FRESH FACES: Eastern Michigan has seven new faces ahead of the 2025 season. All seven of the newcomers are freshmen and include Sanai Evans (Norcross, Ga.), Keeley Kohler (Davison, Mich.), Brianna Lucas (Marietta, Ga.), Elise Ritzenthaler (Quinlan, Texas), Analiah Solorio (Littleton, Colo.), and Jaelyn Stetz (Moorhead, Minn.).

NEW ASSISTANT COACH LAUREN VOLPE: Eastern added Lauren Volpe to the coaching staff ahead of the 2025 season. After a decorated five-year run as a student-athlete at Ball State University, Volpe stayed in Muncie as a graduate assistant and helped the Cardinals reach their second-straight NCAA Regional behind back-to-back MAC championships before coming to Ypsilanti.

In addition to being a three-time WGCA Scholastic All-American and three-time Academic All-Mid-American Conference honoree, Volpe is tied for the Ball State individual record after tallying a 9.925 in the balance beam against Northern Illinois University, Feb. 12, 2023.

A multi-year captain at Ball State, Volpe earned MAC Specialist of the Week honors, Jan. 16, 2023, after posting 9.875 on beam against Western Michigan University.

Volpe had two other wins as a Cardinal, both of which came against EMU. Her first career event win was Feb. 16, 2020, in which she recorded a season-best score of 9.825 on beam. Volpe's other event win against the Eagles, Feb. 20, 2020, was a result of her 9.850 beam score.

2025 MACs: The 2025 MAC Championships will be held at Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., Saturday, March 22. If the Eagles qualify, the team could compete at the NCAA Regionals, April 2-6, at one of four possible locations including Salt Lake City, Utah, Seattle, Wash., Tuscaloosa, Ala., and University Park, Pa. This season's NCAA Championships is set to be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, April 17-19.

ON THE HORIZON: EMU travels to Western Michigan Sunday, Feb. 9, for a 1 p.m. meet.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Raisa Boris

Ella Chemotti

Sanai Evans

Alana Fisher

Priya Karle

Keeley Kohler

Brianna Lucas

Elise Ritzenthaler

Analiah Solorio

Jaelyn Stetz

Eastern Michigan Athletics