Saturday, March 20
Kalamazoo, MI
2 p.m.
Ball State University
vs
MAC Championship
Saleem Earns Coach Of The Year, Nychyk Co-Champ On Vault
March 20, 2021 | Gymnastics
KALAMAZOO, Michigan - The Ball State gymnastics team garnered some recognition and put itself in position for the postseason on Saturday, scoring 194.800 at the MAC Gymnastics Championships. The Cardinals now await their NCAA championships assignment, either team or individual.
After the meet, Ball State head coach Joanna Saleem was announced as MAC Coach of the Year after leading the Cardinals to head-to-head wins over every MAC team. Victoria Henry was named second team All-MAC and Marissa Nychyk and Hannah Ruthberg were named to the MAC All-Tournament team after standout routines. Nychyk tied for the title in vault with a 9.850 and Ruthberg was second overall on floor with a 9.900.
"I was definitely surprised. All of the coaches in the MAC have worked hard and have done a great job," Saleem said. "I'm humbled by it and it means a lot to me. It isn't just me, a lot of people contribute to the success we've had. It was great for Marissa to be co-champion and for Victoria and Hannah to get recognition was really exciting."
BSU placed fifth in the meet, which was a really close and competitive championship environment.
"Overall, it was a solid meet and there were some great things that happened today. It wasn't the perfect meet, but we never gave up," Saleem said. "We didn't let mistakes get under our skin. It's a really competitive conference and we're all neck-and-neck with each other. Our mindset was really gritty and it's something we can build on."
Nychyk was fifth in all-around and scored 9.800 or better on vault and floor. Megan Teter led the Cardinals in bars (9.850) and Taylor Waldo was BSU's best on beam (9.850).
Eastern Michigan (195.900) won the meet, followed by Northern Illinois (195.525). Kent State also broke 195 with a 195.425 mark.
Joanna Saleem, Ball State
Freshman of the Year
Sarah Moravansky, Western Michigan
Gymnast of the Year
Payton Murphy, Western Michigan
Co-Specialist of The Year
Caitlin Satler, Eastern Michigan
Natalie Hamp, Northern Illinois
Senior Gymnast of the Year
Abby Fletcher, Kent State
1st Team All-MAC
Hannah Demers, Central Michigan
Payton Murphy, Western Michigan
Katie Kowalski, Central Michigan
2nd Team All-MAC
Victoria Henry, Ball State
Natalie Hamp, Northern Illinois
Rachel Decavitch, Kent State
Caitlin Satler, Eastern Michigan
Jada Rondeau, Eastern Michigan
Sierra Demarinis, Central Michigan
Abby Fletcher, Kent State
All-Tournament Team
Tara Kofmehl, NIU
Molly Parris, EMU
Marissa Nychyk, Ball State
Hannah Demers, CMU
Natalie Hamp, NIU
Morgan Tong, CMU
Adriana Bustelo, CMU
Abby Fletcher, Kent State
Dani Petrousek, WMU
Sarah Moravansky, WMU
Hadyn Crossen EMU
Ronni Binstock, WMU
Hannah Ruthberg, Ball State
Sierra Demarinis, CMU
Toshi Richard, Kent State
Zoie Schroeder, NIU
After the meet, Ball State head coach Joanna Saleem was announced as MAC Coach of the Year after leading the Cardinals to head-to-head wins over every MAC team. Victoria Henry was named second team All-MAC and Marissa Nychyk and Hannah Ruthberg were named to the MAC All-Tournament team after standout routines. Nychyk tied for the title in vault with a 9.850 and Ruthberg was second overall on floor with a 9.900.
"I was definitely surprised. All of the coaches in the MAC have worked hard and have done a great job," Saleem said. "I'm humbled by it and it means a lot to me. It isn't just me, a lot of people contribute to the success we've had. It was great for Marissa to be co-champion and for Victoria and Hannah to get recognition was really exciting."
BSU placed fifth in the meet, which was a really close and competitive championship environment.
"Overall, it was a solid meet and there were some great things that happened today. It wasn't the perfect meet, but we never gave up," Saleem said. "We didn't let mistakes get under our skin. It's a really competitive conference and we're all neck-and-neck with each other. Our mindset was really gritty and it's something we can build on."
Nychyk was fifth in all-around and scored 9.800 or better on vault and floor. Megan Teter led the Cardinals in bars (9.850) and Taylor Waldo was BSU's best on beam (9.850).
Eastern Michigan (195.900) won the meet, followed by Northern Illinois (195.525). Kent State also broke 195 with a 195.425 mark.
2021 MAC Gymnastics Championships Awards
Coach of the YearJoanna Saleem, Ball State
Freshman of the Year
Sarah Moravansky, Western Michigan
Gymnast of the Year
Payton Murphy, Western Michigan
Co-Specialist of The Year
Caitlin Satler, Eastern Michigan
Natalie Hamp, Northern Illinois
Senior Gymnast of the Year
Abby Fletcher, Kent State
1st Team All-MAC
Hannah Demers, Central Michigan
Payton Murphy, Western Michigan
Katie Kowalski, Central Michigan
2nd Team All-MAC
Victoria Henry, Ball State
Natalie Hamp, Northern Illinois
Rachel Decavitch, Kent State
Caitlin Satler, Eastern Michigan
Jada Rondeau, Eastern Michigan
Sierra Demarinis, Central Michigan
Abby Fletcher, Kent State
All-Tournament Team
Tara Kofmehl, NIU
Molly Parris, EMU
Marissa Nychyk, Ball State
Hannah Demers, CMU
Natalie Hamp, NIU
Morgan Tong, CMU
Adriana Bustelo, CMU
Abby Fletcher, Kent State
Dani Petrousek, WMU
Sarah Moravansky, WMU
Hadyn Crossen EMU
Ronni Binstock, WMU
Hannah Ruthberg, Ball State
Sierra Demarinis, CMU
Toshi Richard, Kent State
Zoie Schroeder, NIU
Players Mentioned
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