Gymnastics Turns In Strong Effort To Open 2026 Campaign

Sunday, January 11

Muncie, IN

1 p.m.

Ball State University

194.275

194.975

Rutgers

Gymnastics Turns In Strong Effort To Open 2026 Campaign

January 11, 2026 | Gymnastics

Complete Results

MUNCIE, Ind. - - The Squishmallows were flying Sunday afternoon in Worthen Arena, as the Ball State gymnastics team opened the 2026 season with 12 scores of 9.750-or-higher in its season-opener with Rutgers and Western Michigan.

"The crowd was awesome today," head coach Joanna Saleem said. "The were excited and engaged, which provided us with a lot of energy. That was key as we had a lot of new people in the lineup today. It was great for them to get out there and gain competitive experience with the crowd supporting them and cheering them on."

While there was a lot of new in the lineup, the biggest scores of the meet came from junior Ashley Szymanskiand senior Zoe Middleton who claimed individual titles on bars and beam, respectively, with marks of 9.900. Middleton's effort tied her career-high on beam, while Szymanski's was her eighth career-mark of 9.900-or-higher on bars.

Highlighting the newcomers was freshman Carley Stalder who picked up her first collegiate event victory, tying for the top spot on vault with a 9.850. Stalder, who was named Ball State's meet MVP on the day, would also tie for seventh among the 18 competitors on floor with a 9.750.

As a team, the Cardinals went 1-1, starting with a 194.275 to 193.025 victory over Western Michigan, while to Rutgers which scored 194.975.

ROTATION1: Vault (48.700)
- Stalder anchored Ball State's vault lineup with a 9.850 in her collegiate debut event.
- Sophomore Jordanna Phillis earned a career-best 9.750 as BSU's first competitor of the season
- Sophomore Grace Suchecki earned a 9.725 in her collegiate debut, while junior Lindsay Girard provided a mark of 9.700.

Rotation 2: Bars (48.025)
- Once again it was Ball State's event anchor which led the way, with Szymanski earning her 13th career bars win with a score of 9.900.
- Middleton was not far behind, at 9.825.
- Senior Mary Rose Bellan followed at 9.750 and junior Delaney McMahon earned a 9.650 in her collegiate bars debut.

Rotation 3: Beam (48.775)
- Ball State turned in the best team beam score of the day, led by Middleton's mark of 9.900 from the fourth spot.
- Beam veterans McMahon and Szymanski followed with scores of 9.850 and 9.800, respectively.

Rotation 4: Floor (48.775)
- Junior Ava Molina led the way for the Cardinals in the final event, scoring a career-best 9.875 to tie for second on the day.
- BSU also had a trio shine in their collegiate floor debuts, with Suchecki scoring 9.800, sophomore Viviana Campuzano scoring 9.775 and Stalder coming in at 9.750.

More from Saleem:
- "Grace Suchecki getting out and competing for the first time in her collegiate career is spectacular considering what she had to go through to get her. To compete in two events and do so well on her birthday is amazing. I am super proud of her and the journey she's been through."
- "Zoe had a significant injury less than a year ago, and through her hard work and determination, came out and put together two solid events. That shows her senior leadership and experience in the competition arena."
- "Looking at the day, while it wasn't perfect, we got out there and battled. We overcame some adversity, especially early on bars, and showed we were not done. We were going to stay in it and compete to win. We know we have some things to work on, but we really did a solid job, and I am proud of the entire team."

Up Next:
- The Ball State gymnastics team returns to action Sunday, Jan. 18, when it hosts K-Pop Demon Hunters Day versus Bowling Green at 1 p.m. in Worthen Arena. The first 150 fans in attendance will receive a free light stick and K-Pop Demon Hunter themed music and elements will be featured throughout the day. The Cardinals will also host a post-meet autograph session.