Ball State University
MAC Gymnastics Championships
Cardinals Finish Second Among Seven Teams
March 19, 2016 | Gymnastics
MUNCIE, Ind.-- The Ball State Cardinals finished second place out of seven teams with a season high of 195.650 at the 2016 Mid-American Conference Championships held in Worthen Arena Saturday evening.
Eastern Michigan won the championships with team total of 196.425. Bowling Green came in third with a 195.625. Central Michigan stood fourth with a score of 195.600. Kent State earned fifth with a 195.325. Northern Illinois and Western Michigan took sixth and seventh with scores of 194.975 and 194.900.
"I'm thrilled that we finished in the top three at MAC this year," head coach Joanna Saleem said. "We stayed consistently focused on making sure that every routine was improved throughout the season. We never waivered from our goals and were able to compete with confidence and competitiveness."
The Cardinals finished out their season scoring season highs on vault (48.975), beam (48.850) and floor (49.275). The team managed a score of 48.550 on bars.
Denasiha Christian was named the Mid-American Conference vault champion scoring a 9.900. Jala Washington stood fourth on the MAC podium with a score of 9.800.
Jordyn Penny swung into fourth place on bars with a score of 9.850.
On beam Baylee Bell earned fourteenth place with a score of 9.825 matching her career high.
The Cardinals finished on floor. Denasiha Christian was honored as the 2016 Mid-American Conference floor champion for the third consecutive year scoring a 9.950, matching her career high.
"I'm proud of this team," Saleem said. "They have worked hard and stayed hungry throughout the season. Today's result is an affirmation of their hard work and a great step forward for our program."
Gymnast Of The Year: Rachel Stypinski, Kent State
Specialist Of The Year:
Senior Gymnast Of The Year:
Freshman Of The Year:
Coach Of The Year: Brice Biggin, Kent State
2016 All-Tournament Team
Denasiha Christian, Ball State
Lauren Feely, Bowling Green
Laura Mitchell, Bowling Green
Catie Conrad, Eastern Michigan
Natalie Gervais, Eastern Michigan
Rachel Slocum, Eastern Michigan
Kendall Valentin, Eastern Michigan
Taylor Bolender, Central Michigan
Megan Lamphere, Central Michigan
Bryttany Kaplan, Central Michigan
Jordan Hardison, Kent State
For more news on Ball State gymnastics, follow @BallStateSports, @BallStateGym and @CoachSaleem on Twitter.
