Gymnastics Preps For Pair Of Weekend Meets

MUNCIE, Ind. - - It will be a busy road weekend for the Ball State gymnastics program which will compete in the Tennessee Collegiate Classic Friday before opening Mid-American Conference dual action at Eastern Michigan Sunday.

Friday's meet will take place at the Farm Bureau Expo Center in Lebanon, Tennessee, and feature league rival Kent State, along with Fisk, Lindenwood, and Southeast Missouri. Action is set to being at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.

The Cardinals will have a quick turnaround from there, traveling to Eastern Michigan for a 1 p.m. league showdown Sunday. The Gervin GameAbove Center will be a welcome sight for Ball State, which has registered two of the top three scores in program history in the arena.

In fact, competing against the Eagles seems to bring out the best in Ball State, with the top three scores in the BSU record book coming against EMU, including a program record team score of 196.325 in Worthen Arena on Feb. 20, 2022.

STRONG START:
- The Cardinals have opened the year with two impressive performances, starting with a score of 194.100 in front of 8,502 fans in a quad meet inside then-No. 2 Florida's Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Jan. 6 … It was the second-best score in a season-opening meet in program history, trailing only the mark of 194.475 set at Kentucky to open the 2018 campaign.
- Ball State followed by tying the 18th-best score in program history with a 195.450 in last Saturday's quad meet at Rutgers … The total is currently the best in the MAC this season.

VAULTING OFF STRONG:
- Ball State's best event so far this season has been vault, with the Cardinals scoring 49.000 as a team in both meets … The efforts tie as the 17th-best in program history and has the Cardinals ranked 22nd nationally.
- Ball State's 49.000 average is also the best in the MAC, with no other league school having a team score higher than 48.775 so far this year.

PFISTER LEADING THE WAY:
- Suki Pfister picked up right where she left off last season, ranking first in the MAC with a 9.887 average on vault … She started with a third-place finish in the quad meet at Florida with a 9.875 … She followed it up with the league's first 9.900 of the season on vault in the quad meet at Rutgers.
- No other student-athlete in the league is averaging higher then 9.813, which is teammate Hannah Ruthberg … Victoria Henry is tied for third in the league at 9.800, giving BSU the top three vaulters in the conference after the first two weekends of competition.

A STRONG SHOWING ON FLOOR:
- The Cardinals have also turned in solid effort on floors, ranking second in the league with a 49.025 average after two weeks … The average, which includes a 49.000 at Florida and a 49.050 at Rutgers, has Ball State ranked 30th nationally on floor.

ALSO SHINING ON FLOOR:
- Suki Pfister has also turned in a pair of brilliant performances on floor, tying for third in the MAC with an average of 9.838 … Pfister registered a 9.825 in her first collegiate competitive floor routine at Florida, while scoring a career-best 9.850 in her second career appearance in the lineup at Rutgers.
- Also tied for third in the MAC with a floor average of 9.838 is Victoria Henry who scored a 9.850 at Florida and a 9.825 at Rutgers.

MORE ON HENRY:
- Victoria Henry has competed in the all-around in both meets so far this season, the first two all-around performances of her collegiate career … Last time out, she tied the 12th-best all-around score in program history with a 39.175 … The effort ties as the best in the MAC so far this season.
- Henry's all-around performance at Rutgers included scores of 9.825 on both floor and bars, as well as a 9.775 on vault and a career-best 9.750 on beam.

SCORING HIGH:
- Overall, the Cardinals counted 16 scores of 9.800-or-higher this season … Eight of those performance have come on floor, including 9.850's by both Victoria Henry (Jan. 6) and Suki Pfister (Jan. 14).
- Ball State has added five scores of 9.800-or-better on vault, paced by the first 9.900 of the season by Pfister at Rutgers.
- The Cardinals also boast two scores of 9.800-or-better on bars and one on beam so far this season.

FRESHMAN IMPACT:
- Freshman Zoe Middleton found an immediate home in the Ball State lineup, competing in three events at both Florida and Rutgers … Her best performance to date is a 9.800 on floor at Rutgers, while she has also scored three 9.750's this season … In fact, all six of her scores have counted towards Ball State's team total this season.
- Florida native Karah Vargo made her collegiate debut in her home state, scoring a 9.650 on vault.
- Leah White made her first appearance in the competitive lineup at Rutgers, scoring a 9.675 on vault.

WHERE THEY STAND ENTERING THE WEEK:
- Ball State enters the weekend ranked 40th nationally with an average score of 194.775 according to the Road To Nationals rankings … BSU's best event is vault, with the team ranking 22nd nationally with an average score of 49.000
- In its first year of competition, Fisk enters the Tennessee Collegiate Classic ranked 72nd nationally with an average score of 186.475 … The Bulldog's best event is vault, with the team ranking 57th nationally with a 48.163 average.
- Kent State enters the Tennessee Collegiate Classic ranked 42nd nationally after posting a 194.475 last Friday in a tri meet versus Maryland and West Virginia … The Golden Flashes rank 28th nationally with a 49.050 mark on floor.
- Lindenwood, who the Cardinals topped in head-to-head competition in the quad meet at Florida, enters the weekend ranked 51st nationally with an average score of 193.617 … The Lions rank 48th nationally on both bars (48.383) and floor (48.633), while holding the 49th spot on beam (48.167).
- Southeast Missouri enters the weekend ranked 54th nationally with an average score of 192.563 … The RedHawks' best event is bars, in which they rank 51st nationally with a 48.150 average.
- Eastern Michigan, which will compete in the Iowa State Triangular Friday, enters the week ranked 56th nationally after scoring a 192.150 in a tri meet at Arizona State with UC Davis … The Eagles' best event at the meet was floor in which the squad ranks 51st nationally with a score of 48.525.

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Players Mentioned

Victoria Henry

Zoe Middleton

Suki Pfister

Hannah Ruthberg

Karah Vargo

Leah White