McMahon, Szymanski End Sunday’s Meet with Program Records

Sunday, February 22

Kalamazoo, MI

1 p.m.

Ball State University

195.625

195.825

Western Michigan

Delaney McMahon celebrates her beam routine at WMU

McMahon, Szymanski End Sunday’s Meet with Program Records

February 22, 2026 | Gymnastics

KALAMAZOO, Michigan - - Ball State saved its best two routines for last in Sunday's dual meet at Western Michigan, as juniors Delaney McMahon and Ashley Szymanski earned back-to-back scores of 9.925 on beam to tie the individual program record.

"The team stayed in the meet until the very end," head coach Joanna Saleem said. "I am proud of their ability to stay present and work together to block out distractions. We did a lot of traveling this weekend and gained a lot of great experience we can build on heading inot the last stretch of the season."

Unfortunately, the marks were not enough to lift the Cardinals (9-5; 4-1 Mid-American Conference) past the Broncos (9-6; 3-1 MAC) who held on for a 195.825 to 195.625 victory.

The effort did help the duo tie for the beam win, while Ball State gymnasts claimed three of the four individual event titles. It was the second time McMahon has hit 9.925 on beam in her Ball State career, while it is the first time for Szymanski.

Senior Mary Rose Bellan was the first event winner with her mark of 9.800 on bars. Senior Zoe Middleton and freshman Carley Stalder would follow by tying for the vault win with back-to-back 9.850s to close the second rotation.

Middleton also picked up her fifth all-around victory of the season, with her second-highest score of the year at 39.225.

Overall, the Cardinals tallied 10 scores of 9.800-or-higher to finish the afternoon with its second-highest team score of the season.

ROTATION 1: Bars (48.500)
- Bellan led all gymnasts in the competition with a 9.800 for her first event win of the season
- Middleton and sophomore Karli Mercer were next for the Cardinals, tying for fifth overall at 9.725
- Junior Ava Molina added a 9.675

ROTATION 2: Vault (49.025)
- Middleton and Stalder shared the top spot on vault, closing out the second rotation with back-to-back scores of 9.850
- Bellan turned in a solid effort of her own, registering a career-high 9.800
- The Cardinals also counted a 9.775 from freshman Ava Thurston and a 9.750 from Mercer

ROTATION 3: Floor (48.850)
- Middleton led the Cardinals on floor with a 9.825
- Molina was close behind at 9.800, while senior Alauna Simms and junior Lindsay Girard tallied 9.750s
- Sophomore Avery Kantor rounded out BSU's countable scores with a 9.725

ROTATION 4: Beam (49.250)
- The Cardinals tied the fifth-best team beam score in program history for the second time this season at 49.250
- McMahon and Szymanski closed the rotation with back-to-back 9.925s to tie the program record
- It is the second career 9.925 on beam for McMahon and the first for Szymanski
- Ball State's countable scores also included a 9.825 from Middleton, a 9.800 from Stalder and a 9.775 from junior Lindsay Fuller

ALL-AROUND:
- Middleton claimed her fifth all-around win of the season with her second-best mark of the year at 39.225
- She tied for the win on vault with a 9.850, while adding 9.825s on both beam and floor, and a 9.725 on bars

UP NEXT:
The Ball State gymnastics team returns to action Friday (Feb 27) at 7 p.m. when it competes at the Pittsburgh Quad. Joining the Cardinals and host Panthers will be Temple and Towson.