"Most Talented" Gym Cards Team Opens At Iowa This Saturday

BALL STATE GYMNASTICS

Ball State at Iowa / vs. Air Force
Saturday, Jan. 11 - 5 p.m. ET (4 CT)
Carver-Hawkeye Arena - Iowa City, Iowa

MEET COVERAGE

Video: BallStateSports.com Gymnastics Schedule Page
Live Scoring: BallStateSports.com Gymnastics Schedule Page
Social Media: @BallStateGym | @IowaGymnastics

The 2019 gymnastics season at Ball State was one of the most successful years for the program in recent years:

Three Cards qualified for NCAA Regional competition
Ball State recorded 10 dual meet victories (most since 2002)
BSU set a school record on vault

So what's in store for Ball State gymnastics as it opens the 2020 season this Saturday at Iowa?

"I think this team has more talent and physicality than the teams we've had in the past," head coach Joanna Saleem said. "We have a strong group of young women and it'll be exciting to see what level they can reach."

Saleem is excited about her seventh Ball State team. The team has developed new skills and rised to the challenges that Saleem says the coaches have set for them. She stressed everyone has come together and is contributing as a team, whether or not someone is registering points in the team total. Saleem said there's a strong group of gymnasts and teammates pushing those in the lineup to get better.

"That's just as important, the closeness of the group," Saleem said. "We've come in every day through a 13-week preseason and gotten something out of it every day. There are some people you'll see on the scoreboard and some you won't, but everyone is doing important work to help us be successful. Everyone is equally as important."

Ball State fans will definitely see sophomore Marissa Nychyk on the scoreboard. A regional qualifier on vault last year and possible all-arounder this year, the head coach is high on last year's team points leader.

"I'm anticipating great things from Marissa. She's better now than she was last year," Saleem said. "She looks stronger, more focused and more experienced. She's going after it."

Stefanie Schweikert was a regional qualifier and All-MAC vaulter as a freshman last year and will be a key contributor again on vault and in other events. Maddie MacDonald was second on the team in points last year and returns along with fellow senior Rachel Benoit. Team captains Arden Hudson and Lauren Volpe return as do Sandra Elsadek and Claudia Goyco. Senior Bri Slonim, a starter in 2018, returns after missing the 2019 year due to injuries. Slonim is expected to be a contributor on vault and beam.

Returning starters from last year A new face to look out for is Alivia Ostendorf, a freshman from Minnesota who Saleem says has the potential to reach all-around status quickly.

Saturday's meet will be pink for breast cancer awareness for Iowa, which competed at a quad meet in Orlando last weekend. Iowa scored 192.700 in the meet and was ranked 29th in the WCGA preseason poll. Many teams across the nation will also be wearing blue ribbons in remembrance of Southern Connecticut State gymnast Melanie Coleman, who passed away over the summer while training.

"We're trying to set ourselves up to be more competitive in the MAC and beat some Big Ten teams, some SEC teams," Saleem said. "As long as we know we can get out and be competitive and do what we do in the gym every day, everything will fall into place. We're going to do what we do, stay together and make sure we're comfortable and having fun."

Ball State's first home meet will be Sunday, Jan. 26 at Worthen Arena.