Ball State University Athletics
Gymnastics Hosts Towson University in Worthen Arena
January 15, 2016 | Gymnastics
FREE LIVE VIDEO | LIVE RESULTS
HIGHLIGHTS FROM KENTUCKY
- Bell's 9.750 Beam Routine At Kentucky
- Christian's 9.850 Floor Routine at Kentucky
- Patchey's 9.775 Floor Routine at Kentucky
- Patchey's 9.800 Vault at Kentucky
- Penny's 9.800 Vault at Kentucky
- Menzione's 9.800 Beam Routine at Kentucky
PHOTOS FROM KENTUCKY
- Photo Gallery
MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Ball State gymnastics team will open the home portion of its 2016 season Sunday, when it host Towson in a 1 p.m. start at Worthen Arena.
The Cardinals opened the season last weekend at 24th-ranked Kentucky, suffering a 194.825 to 191.650 setback at the Wildcats' Excite Night.
“The team is looking forward to competing on Sunday,” head coach Joanna Saleem said. “We opened last week at Kentucky, and fell short of our team goals. I think we had a lot of first meet jitters and forgot that once we walk in the doors to compete we have a job to do. We have been very determined and focused since returning to practice this week. We need to go out and show our fans the product of all the sweat and tears we have put into these routines. This is just the start of a long competitive season, and the goal is to build and improve week to week.”
The Cardinals will look to build upon several strong routines from last weekend's meet including a strong performance on floor from two-time defending Mid-American Conference event champion Denasiha Christian. Christian finished second on the floor at last weekend's meet with a score of 9.850 which currently ranks second on the MAC performance list.
Ball State also received a pair of strong vault performances from Erin Patchey and Jordyn Penny who are tied for fifth in the league rankings with scored of 9.800.
As a team, the Cardinals vault (48.375) and floor (48.525) scores are currently fourth among the league's seven programs.
This Sunday's opponent, Towson University, hails from Baltimore County, MD. Towson is currently ranked No. 42 while the Cardinals are ranked at No. 50.
“We are really excited to get out in front of a home crowd in Worthen Arena.” Saleem said. “We had a taste of competing in the arena during our Red vs. White intra-squad in December, and this team ready to perform for our Cardinal fans and make Worthen sparkle with some exciting gymnastics.”
The Cardinals are promoting Kid's Day and Community Service Day to honor those who serve the Muncie community. Fans can look forward to promotions like post-meet autograph signing, on floor contests, a bounce house and community recognitions.
For fans unable to attend the competition, live video and live results can be found on BallStateSports.com. Links for both can be found at the top of this article.
Following Sunday's competition, the Cardinals travel to Illinois State for a Friday, Jan. 24 tri-meet with Western Michigan with action beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT.
For more news on Ball State gymnastics, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateGym, and @CoachSaleem.
