Gymnastics Set To Face NC State in NCAA Regional First Round Wednesday

Ball State (196.395 NQS) vs. NC State (196.460 NQS) - NCAA Norman Regional
First Round vs. NC State	Wednesday, March 29 at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT Live Results \| ESPN+
Second Round vs. No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16 Ohio State, Arkansas	Thursday, March 30 at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT Live Results \| ESPN+
Norman Regional Final	Saturday, April 1 at 6 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. CT Live Results \| ESPN+
Tickets Info	Order Tickets Online - $12
Notes	Ball State \| NC State
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» THIS WEEK IN BALL STATE GYMNASTICS: For just the second time in program history, Ball State gymnastics will compete as a team at an NCAA Regional when it battles NC State Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT in the first round of the NCAA Norman Regional hosted by top-seeded Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center.

» FOLLOWING THE FIRST ROUND: The winner of Wednesday's first round advances to the second session of Thursday's second round to face the host Sooners, No. 16 Ohio State, and Arkansas ... Action for the quad meet is set for 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT, with the top two teams advancing to Saturday's regional final against the top two teams from Thursday's first session featuring No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Kentucky, Illinois, and Iowa.

» PARTYING LIKE IT'S 1999: Ball State finished the 2023 regular season with a NQS score of 196.395 to lock up an NCAA Regional team berth for just the second time in program history ... Ball State's only other NCAA team regional berth came in 1999 when the Cardinals placed fourth among six teams at the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional … Ball State earned a team score of 193.375 in the event, topping both Auburn (193.300) and Kentucky (191.825) … Stanford (194.675) took the top spot, followed by Louisiana State (194.600) and Central Michigan (193.550) ... Leading the way individually for the Cardinals that day were Jamie Swisher with a 9.625 on vault, Courtney Harless with a 9.700 on bars, and Laura Szczepanski with a 9.750 on beam, a 9.875 on floor, and a 38.800 in the all-around.

» NCAA INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS: In addition to the team's NCAA Regional berth, five Cardinals earned individual bids into Thursday's second round were Ball State to lose Wednesday ... Suki Pfister and Victoria Henry qualified on vault, Grace Sumner earned a spot on beam, and Megan Teter was selected for bars and floor ... In addition, junior Hannah Ruthberg was one of four student-athletes to qualify as an individual all-around competitor.

» A PROGRAM FIRST FOR SUKI PFISTER:
-   Ball State junior Suki Pfister made history last Thursday afternoon, becoming the first gymnast in program history to earn regular-season all-America honors as announced by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) ... By finishing the regular season tied for 14th nationally with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.915 on vault, Pfister earned a spot on the WCGA All-America Second Team.
- The Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Year the last two seasons, Pfister has registered six vault scores of 9.900-or-higher this season ... Her best vaults came versus Central Michigan (Feb. 26) and Western Michigan (March 12) when she tied her career-best score of 9.950 ... Pfister has also won the vault competition in seven of Ball State's 12 meets, including four of six league competitions.

» MAC ACCOLADES:
-   For the second straight season, junior Suki Pfister was named the MAC Specialist of the Year after leading the league and tying for 14th nationally with a vault NQS of 9.915 ... In addition, Pfister earned a spot on the All-MAC First Team for the second consecutive season.
- Junior Victoria Henry was also awarded for her effort on vault this season, earning Second Team All-MAC honors after finishing the regular season ranked second in the league and 38th nationally with a NQS of 9.885 ... Henry, who also earned Second Team All-MAC honors as a freshman in 2021, went on to win the vault competition with a career-best 9.950 at the 2023 MAC Championships to raise her NQS to 9.895 which is currently tied for 35th nationally.
- After helping guide the Cardinals to nine of the top 10 team scores in program history this season, as well as a share of the league's regular season championship, head coach Joanna Saleem was named the 2023 MAC Coach of the Year ... It is the second career MAC Coach of the Year honor for Saleem, who was also tabbed the league's top coach in 2021.
- For their efforts at the 2023 MAC Championship junior Victoria Henry, junior Hannah Ruthberg, and senior Megan Teter were named to the MAC All-Tournament Team ... In addition to winning the vault competition, Henry would tie for fourth on floor with a score of 9.900 and tie for eighth in the all-around at 39.075 ... Ruthberg turned in another solid all-around performance, placing fifth overall with a score of 39.300 ... The effort, which included a 9.850 on bars, 9.825s on vault and floor, and a 9.800 on beam, ties as the eighth-best all-around score in program history ... Teter also had a strong day for the Cardinals, including tying for second on bars with a 9.925 and closing the meet with a 9.900 on floor to tie for fourth and help catapult Ball State into second place.

» TEAM RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCES:
-   Ball State's score of 196.900 versus Western Michigan (March 12) marked the second time this season the Cardinals have broken the program record for team score, the first was a 196.550 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20).
-   Of the top 10 team scores in program history, nine have come this season.
-   Ball State broke the vault team score record with 49.250 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic and tied the mark at Bowling Green (March 3) … In fact, BSU has posted the four best team vault scores in program history this season.
- The Cardinals have also registered the top four beam team scores in program history this season, led by a program record of 49.350 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic.

» INDIVIDUAL RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCES:
- Ball State tallied a program record seven individual scores of 9.900-or-higher at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20) … The previous best was three scores of 9.900-or-higher in the same meet set March 5, 2017, versus Western Michigan and tied Feb. 6, 2021, in a quad at Eastern Michigan and March 3, 2021, in a home quad.
- Senior Megan Teter set the program record on bars with a 9.950 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic and has four career bars routines of 9.900-or-higher.
- Junior Suki Pfister tied the program record on floor with her 9.950 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic … She has also tallied two scores of 9.950 on vault this season, and three over her career, with the latest coming versus Western Michigan (March 12).
- Four Cardinals have tied the program record on beam so far this season, starting with seniors Taylor Waldo and Grace Evans scoring 9.925s at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic … Waldo and sophomore Grace Sumner earned 9.925s on beam during the Ball State Quad (Jan. 29), while Waldo and fifth-year senior Lauren Volpe landed 9.925s versus Northern Illinois (Feb. 12).
- Ball State has also seen the all-around program record topped this season, with junior Victoria Henry scoring a 39.400 versus Central Michigan (Feb. 26) … She started the day with a 9.875 on vault, followed by a 9.775 on bars, and a career best 9.850 on beam … Henry then closed the meet on floor, earning the event win with a 9.900.
- Junior Hannah Ruthberg would follow with a 39.400 of her own in the quad meet at Missouri (March 10) … Her performance was highlighted by a career-best 9.900 on beam and included 9.850s on vault and bars, as well as a 9.800 on floor.

» RECORDS UNDER SALEEM:
- In the program's 10 years under current head coach Joanna Saleem, Ball State has tallied the 25 best team scores in program history … In fact, of Ball State's 29 scores of 195.450-or-higher, 27 have been set by Saleem's squads.
- Saleem's squads own the event records on vault (49.250), beam (49.350), and floor (49.500), along with the second-best score in program history on bars (49.250).
- All 34 entries on the vault record book are held by Saleem's teams, as are 19 of 24 scores on beam, 19 of 25 scores on floor, and 19 of 26 scores on bars.

» VAULTING OFF STRONG:
- Ball State's best event so far this season has been vault, with the Cardinals ranking first in the MAC and tied for 23rd nationally with an NQS score of 49.170.
- Ball State's program-record vault score of 49.250 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20), and later tied at Bowling Green (March 3), is the second-best in the MAC this season and ties as the 33rd-best team high score in the nation.

» PFISTER LEADING THE WAY ON VAULT:
- Suki Pfister has picked up right where she left off last season, ranking first in the MAC and tied for 14th nationally with a vault NQS score of 9.915.
- Pfister has been one of the nation's most consistent vaulters, tying for 14th nationally with an average vault score of 9.887 … All 12 of her vaults have come in at 9.800-or-higher.
- No other student-athlete in the MAC has an NQS higher then 9.885, with teammates Victoria Henry (9.885) and Hannah Ruthberg (9.835) ranking second and sixth in the league, respectively.

» PFISTER ALSO SHINING ON FLOOR:
- Suki Pfister has also turned in nine brilliant performances (9.800-or-better) on floor this season, including tying the program record with a score of 9.950 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20).
- Pfister's score of 9.950 also ties as the second-best in the league on floor so far this season, while her NQS of 9.875 is 11th in the MAC.
- Last time out, Pfister placed third overall on floor at the MAC Championship (March 18) with a score of 9.925.

» MORE ON HENRY:
- In addition to ranking second in the MAC on vault, Victoria Henry has competed in the all-around in all 12 meets so far this season, the first 12 all-around performances of her collegiate career … Her best outing came versus Central Michigan (Feb. 27) when she set the program standard with a score of 39.400.
- Henry's record-setting all-around started with a 9.875 on vault, followed by a 9.775 on bars, and a career best 9.850 on beam ... Henry then closed the meet on floor, earning the event win with a 9.900.
- Henry tallied the fourth-highest all-around score in program history at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20), counting a 9.925 on floor, a 9.875 on vault, and 9.775s on bars and beam for a score of 39.350.
- She followed with the sixth-best score in program history in the Jan. 22 dual win over Eastern Michigan, earning a 39.325 … The effort included 9.875s on bars and floor, a 9.825 on vault, and a 9.750 on beam.
- Overall, Henry has three of the top seven all-around scores in program history ... In fact, she has earned five of the top 30 all-around scores so far this season.

» RUTHBERG SOLID IN ALL-AROUND TOO:
- Hannah Ruthberg has continued her all-around assault on the record book as well, tying the program record with a 39.400 at the Missouri Quad (March 10) … The effort included a career-best 9.900 on beam, 9.850s on vault and bars, and a 9.800 on floor.
- She would go on to tie the eighth-best score in program history on the way to a fifth-place all-around finish at the MAC Championship (March 18), scoring a 39.300 ... The effort included a 9.850 on bars, 9.825s on vault and floor, and a 9.800 on beam.
- Ruthberg also has a pair of 39.275s this season, with the first coming at the Ball State Quad (Jan. 29) and the second at Bowling Green (March 3) … Those scores tie as the 10th-best in program history.

» SCORING HIGH:
- Overall, the Cardinals have counted 160 scores of 9.800-or-higher this season … 52 of those performance have come on floor, including a 9.950 from Suki Pfister and 9.925s from Victoria Henry, Zoe Middleton, and Megan Teter.
- Ball State has added 40 scores of 9.800-or-better on vault, paced by a pair of 9.950s, a 9.925, and a trifecta of 9.900s by Suki Pfister … Victoria Henry also has a 9.950 and a pair 9.925s on vault this season.
- The Cardinals also boast 35 scores of 9.800-or-better on bars and 33 on beam so far … Megan Teter's program record score of 9.950 leads the team on bars, while Taylor Waldo, Grace Evans, Grace Sumner, and Lauren Volpe have all tied the program record on beam at 9.925 … In fact, Waldo has hit the mark three times this season, most recently in the dual win over Northern Illinois (Feb. 12).

» FRESHMAN IMPACT:
- Freshman Zoe Middleton found an immediate home in the Ball State lineup, competing in three events in each of the first 12 meets of the season … Her best meet to date came versus Northern Illinois (Feb. 12) when she scored a 9.925 on floor, a 9.800 on vault, and a 9.800 on bars … She also scored a 9.800 on vault at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20) and a career-best 9.825 on bars in each of the last three meets.
- Of Middleton's 36 routines this season, 34 of her scores have counted towards Ball State's team total.
- Middleton also scored a 9.800 in an exhibition on beam versus Northern Illinois (Nov. 12) … If that score would have been in competition, she would have had an all-around score of 39.325 which would have tied as the sixth-best mark in program history.

» MORE FROM THE NEWBIES:
- Florida native Karah Vargo made her collegiate debut in her home state, scoring a 9.650 on vault at the Florida Quad Meet (Jan. 6).
- Leah White made her first appearance in the competitive lineup on vault at the Rutgers January Quad (Jan. 14) and has competed on the apparatus ever since with a career-best 9.775 coming at Eastern Michigan (Jan. 22), versus Northern Illinois (Feb. 12) and against Western Michigan (March 12).

» BEAM VOLPE UP:
- Ball State's lone fifth-year senior, Lauren Volpe registered a career-best beam score of 9.925 in the win over Northern Illinois (Feb. 12) to tie the program record ... The effort helped the Cardinals finish the meet with the second-best team beam score in program history at 49.300.
- In fact, Volpe is one of three current Ball State gymnasts to have a countable score in all six of the top team beam marks in program history, including the program record mark of 49.350 set at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20), along with junior Hannah Ruthberg and sophomore Grace Sumner.

» MORE ON BALL STATE'S SENIORS:
- Grace Evans enters the NCAA Norman Regional First Round tied atop the beam record book with her score of 9.925 set at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20) … She has 10 scores of 9.800-or-better this season, including a season-best 9.875 on bars versus Western Michigan (March 12) ... She also hit for scores of 9.850 on bars and 9.800 on beam at the MAC Championship (March 18).
- Megan Teter set the bars record at 9.950 and earned a career-best vault score of 9.825 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic (Jan. 20) … Overall, Teter has seven scores of 9.900-or-better this season, including tying for second on bars at the MAC Championship with a 9.925.
- Taylor Waldo has been strong on beam all season, tying the program record three times at 9.925, most recently versus Northern Illinois (Feb. 12) … Waldo also tied her career best on floor versus Western Michigan with a 9.875 and has earned 10 scores of 9.800-or-better this season.

» SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORE SEASON:
- After a strong freshman campaign in 2022, Grace Sumner has not missed a beat this season, including tying the program record on beam with her 9.925 at the Ball State Quad (Jan. 29) … In addition, she scored a career-best bars routine of 9.850 versus Northern Illinois (Feb. 12).
- Overall, Sumner has tallied 13 scores of 9.800-or-better this season, including a 9.925 and a pair of 9.900s on beam.

Gymnastics Set To Face NC State in NCAA Regional First Round Wednesday

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Players Mentioned

Grace Evans

Victoria Henry

Zoe Middleton

Suki Pfister

Hannah Ruthberg

Grace Sumner

Megan Teter

Karah Vargo

Lauren Volpe

Taylor Waldo

Leah White