Gymnastics Opens 2022 Season Friday at No. 16 Missouri

Friday, January 7

Columbia, MO

8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT

Ball State University

Missouri

Gymnastics Opens 2022 Season Friday at No. 16 Missouri

January 06, 2022 | Gymnastics

When the Ball State gymnastics program opens the 2022 campaign Friday at No. 16 Missouri (along with Illinois State which received votes in the Preseason WCGA National Poll), it will face one of the nation's top programs knowing it was tantalizingly close to joining them in the NCAA Regionals a year ago.

Friday's meet at the Hearnes Center begins at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT and will be broadcast live on the SEC Network/ESPN+. Live results will also be available for those unable to attend, while those planning on join the team in person can secure tickets here.

The Cardinals produced a national qualifying score of 195.725 during the 2021 regular season to rank 37th nationally and fall .044 shy of the program's second-ever NCAA regional team berth, as the top 36 teams earn automatic bids.

"Being that close to a regional berth pushes this team," ninth-year head coach and 2021 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year Joanna Saleem said. "It motivates us to know we were right there. When you break down .044, that's a step or a bobble on beam. We are using that number as a motivational tool and rallying point this season. When our student-athletes hear that number, they instantly refocus and reenergize."

Two. more. sleeps.#WeFly l #ChirpChirp pic.twitter.com/R7NAYmB92N
— BallState Gymnastics (@BallStateGYM) January 5, 2022

While the entire squad just missed out on a regional appearance, Ball State was able to send a program record four individual gymnasts to the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Guess who was there to cheer BSU along; the Mizzou Tigers were the Cardinals' rotation partners throughout the meet.

Three of those individuals return this season (Grace Evans – Bars / Megan Teter – Bars / Victoria Henry – Vault) and will look to lead a talented and focused group of Cardinals to even greater heights 2022.

"This is a group that's been very focused from the beginning," Saleem said. "Coming in, setting goals, and going after what makes us better as a team. They are looking for the competitive edge and focusing on the little details, which is the thing that's really exciting about this group."

Greater heights because, despite narrowly missing a regional appearance, the 2021 campaign was one of the best in program history. The Cardinals topped every MAC foe in head-to-head competition and set the program record with a team score of 195.975 at Eastern Michigan (Feb. 6). Ball State also finished the year with a 14-3 ledger for a program-record .824 winning percentage.

In hopes of building on that success, this year's squad has been locked in from day one and is taking advantage of every opportunity to improve.

"The goal for this group is to take advantage of every day," Saleem added. "To make sure that each day we focus on things just a little more intently. Try to get one more rep of sticking, the perfect full turn, or making those landing drills just a little bit better."

Luckily, Ball State returns a large portion of last season's squad which captured that success. Along with the three NCAA individualists, the Cardinals top two scorers from last season are back in senior Marissa Nychyk (338.825 points) and sophomore Hannah Ruthberg (307.800 points). Overall, BSU returns 12 student-athletes who scored a combined 1,885.050 points in 2021.

Statistically, Ball State's best event a year ago was bars, with the team ranking 25th nationally. However, BSU was not far behind on floor and vault, ranking 32nd and 34th, respectively, on the national stage.

Along with the returning talent, the Cardinals have four newcomers who will look to make an impact and drive everyone to be the best versions of themselves on a daily basis.

"If we can continue to stay focused on what we need to do each day, we'll be able to reach the end goals of winning a MAC Championship and qualifying for regionals," Saleem concluded. "That happens based on what you are doing today, and our team is focused on those little details and that's important and exciting."