Gymnastics Smashes Records At Tennessee Collegiate Classic

LEBANON, Tenn. - - WHAT A NIGHT for the Ball State gymnastics program, which set event records on vault (49.250) and beam (49.350) on its way to a PROGRAM RECORD team score of 196.550 Friday night at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic.

"Tonight's results continue to build the confidence our team has," head coach Joanna Saleem said. "They have been doing well in the gym, and as long as they can come in, be focused, and stick together, they can do amazing things as a team."

In front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Farm Bureau Expo Center, the Cardinals (6-4) also picked up head-to-head wins over Fisk (190.025), Kent State (195.925), Lindenwood (196.175), and Southeast Missouri (195.350).

"The best thing about tonight is they are not done yet," Saleem added. "Our team is hungry, and ready to go after it Sunday. Tonight's effort was awesome, but its more about the performance. They just need to keep coming out and doing the gymnastics they showed they can do this evening."

The team records were not the only things broken during the meet which saw the Cardinals tally seven individual scores of 9.900-or-higher. Those scores included a PROGRAM RECORD 9.950 on bars from Megan Teter and a PROGRAM RECORD TYING 9.950 on floor from Suki Pfister. Both career-best efforts.

In addition, Taylor Waldo and Grace Evans tied the PROGRAM RECORD on beam by adding scores of 9.925.

"We are looking really sharp," Saleem said about all the high marks. "They are hungry and focusing on the details. We have been talking about the little things they've missed here and there. They keep coming in, working on it and chipping away at it. That effort paid off tonight, as they came out and turned in a beautiful and amazing performance."

Teter would go on to punctuate the night with a 9.900 as BSU's last competitor on floor, while Pfister added her second 9.900 of the season on vault in the opening rotation.

Victoria Henry also finished the night tying the second-best all-around score in program history at 39.350. Along with her career-best floor score of 9.925, the effort included a 9.875 on vault along with 9.775s on bars and beam.

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS:
Rotation 1 – Vault (49.250 – PROGRAM RECORD):
- Megan Teter turned in the first big performance of the night for the Cardinals, landing a season-best 9.825 as BSU's second vaulter in the lineup.
- Freshman Zoe Middleton followed with the best vault of her young career at 9.800.
- Suki Pfister added her sixth career vault of 9.900-or-better, leading the Cardinals in the event with a 9.900.
- Hannah Ruthberg counted a career-best 9.850, while Victory Henry closed out BSU's competition vaulters with a season-best 9.875.

Rotation 2 – Bars (49.125)
- While it was not a program record, Ball State's 49.125 on bars tied as the fifth-best meet performance on the team's all-time list.
- Leading the way was a career-best and program record score of 9.950 from Megan Teter.
- Grace Evans added a season-best 9.850, while BSU counted 9.775s from Grace Sumner, Zoe Middleton, and Victoria Henry

Rotation 3 – Beam (49.350 – PROGRAM RECORD)
- Ball State's second program record event score of the day started with Victoria Henry landing a career-best 9.775.
- It only got better form there, with a career-best 9.925 from Grace Evans.
- BSU also counted season-bests from Grace Sumner (9.875), Hannah Ruthberg (9.825), and Lauren Volpe (9.800).
- Taylor Waldo closed the event with the highest score, landing a career-best 9.925 which ties as the best beam routine in program history.

Rotation 4 – Floor (48.825)
- Suki Pfister continued to shine in the floor exercise, with a career best 9.950 to lead the Cardinals in the event. The effort ties as the best floor score in program history.
- One gymnast later, Megan Teter capped Ball State's record day with a 9.900.
- Other highlights from the floor included a season-best 9.875 from Hannah Ruthberg, along with a 9.925 from Victoria Henry which tied as the eight-best in program history.

All-Around:
- Victoria Henry finished the night tying the second-best all-around score in program history at 39.350
- Along with her career-best floor score of 9.925, the effort included a 9.875 on vault along with 9.775s on bars and beam.

Next Time Out:
It will be a quick turnaround for the Ball State gymnastics program which opens league play Sunday at Eastern Michigan. The first rotation is set to kick off at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Gymnastics Smashes Records At Tennessee Collegiate Classic

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Players Mentioned

Grace Evans

Victoria Henry

Zoe Middleton

Suki Pfister

Hannah Ruthberg

Grace Sumner

Megan Teter

Lauren Volpe

Taylor Waldo