Ball State University Athletics
Gymnastics Enters Season As MAC Preseason Favorites
January 07, 2022 | Gymnastics
CLEVELAND, Ohio - - The Ball State gymnastics program has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2022 Mid-American Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championship as voted on by the league's seven head coach.
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The Cardinals garnered 38 total votes to win the regular season, just ahead of Central Michigan (36) and Eastern Michigan (35). Ball State also received three of the seven votes to capture the Mid-American Conference Championship. No other program received more than one vote to win the championship.
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Ball State, which open the season later this evening at No. 16 Missouri, returns 12 student-athletes who helped the program rank 37th in the country with a national qualifying score of 195.725 last season. BSU just missed out on an NCAA regional berth, as the top 36 teams earned automatic bids.
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Led by ninth-year head coach and 2021 MAC Coach of the Year Joanna Saleem, the Cardinals return the program's top two individual scorers from a year ago in senior Marissa Nychyk (338.825 points) and sophomore Hannah Ruthberg (307.800). In addition, NCAA individual qualifiers junior Grace Evans (bars), sophomore Victoria Henry (vault) and junior Megan Teter (bars) will be back in action.
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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.
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2022 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Poll
1. Ball State - 38
2. Central Michigan - 36
3. Eastern Michigan - 35
4. Northern Illinois - 28
5. Kent State - 26
6. Western Michigan - 22
7. Bowling Green - 11
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MAC Champion: Ball State (3), Central Michigan (1), Eastern Michigan (1), Kent State (1), Northern Illinois (1)
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The Cardinals garnered 38 total votes to win the regular season, just ahead of Central Michigan (36) and Eastern Michigan (35). Ball State also received three of the seven votes to capture the Mid-American Conference Championship. No other program received more than one vote to win the championship.
Â
Ball State, which open the season later this evening at No. 16 Missouri, returns 12 student-athletes who helped the program rank 37th in the country with a national qualifying score of 195.725 last season. BSU just missed out on an NCAA regional berth, as the top 36 teams earned automatic bids.
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Led by ninth-year head coach and 2021 MAC Coach of the Year Joanna Saleem, the Cardinals return the program's top two individual scorers from a year ago in senior Marissa Nychyk (338.825 points) and sophomore Hannah Ruthberg (307.800). In addition, NCAA individual qualifiers junior Grace Evans (bars), sophomore Victoria Henry (vault) and junior Megan Teter (bars) will be back in action.
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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.
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2022 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Poll
1. Ball State - 38
2. Central Michigan - 36
3. Eastern Michigan - 35
4. Northern Illinois - 28
5. Kent State - 26
6. Western Michigan - 22
7. Bowling Green - 11
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MAC Champion: Ball State (3), Central Michigan (1), Eastern Michigan (1), Kent State (1), Northern Illinois (1)
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Players Mentioned
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