Falcons Finish Third at MAC Championships, East Wins Share of Vault Title

Saturday, March 24

Mount Pleasant, Mich.

2:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Mid-American Conference

Photo by: CMU Athletics

Falcons Finish Third at MAC Championships, East Wins Share of Vault Title

March 24, 2018 | Gymnastics

By: by Matthew Daley, Athletic Communicationis Assistant

MEET RESULTS (.pdf)
PHOTO GALLERY (via CMU Athletics)

MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Bowling Green State University gymnasts team earned their fourth top-three finish and an individual event champion for the sixth consecutive season on Saturday (March 24) at the 2018 Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships. The meet was held in Mount Pleasant, Mich. at McGuirk Arena. There were several highlights during the meet, starting with a school record team score by the balance beam lineup. Jovannah East shared the vault championship for her first career MAC title, and both Laura Mitchell and India McPeak were medalists. Lauren DeMeno and Alexandra Fochler also finished in the top ten of their respective events. The team's 195.850 is their second-best score of 2018 and their second-best score ever at a MAC Championship meet. That score fell just 0.025 behind Northern Illinois, who placed second.

In the seven-team meet, there were seven rotations, which meant that each team competed in four events and had three byes. BGSU was the only team to compete in each of the first two rotations, and they turned that into momentum. Leading off on bars, the Falcons' lineup was headed by Fochler's 9.850, as well as a 9.775 from Lexi Augustine and a 9.750 by Leslie Delgado. In total, the group finished with a 48.775, the fourth-best bars total for Bowling Green in 13 meets. BGSU moved to the beam for their second event, and they did not disappoint. Nacaida Kearns began the set with a 9.800, and Julia Beyer followed with a 9.775. East, McPeak, and Mitchell anchored the group beautifully as they so often have in 2018. East began the run by scoring 9.875, and McPeak followed by repeating her 2017 MACs performance (9.925). Mitchell then tallied a 9.925, earning her third straight 9.9+ on beam and fourth in her last five meets. In total, the beam lineup scored 49.300, breaking the old BGSU record of 49.250.

After a bye, the Falcons moved to the floor exercise, where three members of the lineup scored a 9.8 or better. East led the lineup with a 9.875, while Mitchell and Kayla Rose both broke the 9.8 barrier to help push the team's score to 48.925. The Falcons' final event, after another bye, was the vault. The final vault of Mitchell's career was also her best, as she was rewarded with a 9.725. Katie Morsefield (9.775) and Lauren DeMeno (9.800) added counting scores, and East finished the meet for Bowling Green by earning a 9.850. It was the 11th time in 13 meets she received a 9.800 or better, placed her in a four-way tie for first place in the event, and gave her a 39.300 in the all-around.

Host Central Michigan captured the meet championship to go with their regular season MAC title. Their 197.025 is the first 197+ at a MAC Championship meet since 2004. After NIU and BGSU, defending champion Eastern Michigan took fourth place (195.275). Western Michigan, Kent State, and Ball State rounded out the standings.

HEAD COACH KERRIE TURNER SAYS...

"I thought the team competed with such heart today. They were gutsy and gritty, and they went after their routines and really did everything we asked of them. I'm very happy with the finish. Obviously, we were hoping to get that MAC win today, but we've consistently been in that top three. I know we will get there, we'll get that MAC win soon enough, but I'm really proud of the performances they put together today."

FACTS AND FIGURES

For the first time in BGSU history, the Falcons scored 194+ in every meet. Their streak has now reached a program-record 15 straight meets.
BGSU's average in 2018 was 195.106, and the team finished with a 195.495 Regional Qualifying Score (RQS). Both are the best in school history.
BGSU earned two scores of 9.9+, ten scores of 9.8+ and 19 scores of 9.7+ out of 24 total routines.
The Falcons' beam lineup set a program record with 49.300 on Saturday. This was the second straight meet the team scored 48.775+ in alll four events.
BGSU's cumulative 195.850 is their second-best of 2018, second-best ever at the MAC Championships, and the ninth-best in school history.
Senior Laura Mitchell finished tied for second on beam with a 9.925, her third straight 9.9+ and fourth in the last five meets on beam.
Mitchell set a new personal record with a 9.725 on the vault.
Mitchell's RQS is now a career-best 9.895 on beam, placing her in position for her first career at-large Regionals berth.
Jovannah East won her first MAC championship with a 9.850 on vault. It is her tenth vault victory in 13 meets this season and her 11th 9.850+ in those 13 meets. She also tied for third on floor (9.875), tied for second in the all-around (39.300), and tied for ninth on beam (9.875).
East now qualifies for an all-around RQS (39.180), placing her in contention for one of the four Central Region at-large all around berths.
With a win and three top-threes, she now has 19 wins and 33 top-threes in 2018. She owns 31 wins and 52 top-threes in her career.
She has a 9.8+ in 35 of 45 events in 2018 (.778) and 63 of 77 career events (.818).
Kayla Rose scored a 9.825 in the floor exercise to boost her RQS to 9.840.
India McPeak tied her career record with a 9.925 on beam, which she initially set at last year's MACs. She also improved her beam RQS to 9.855.
Lauren DeMeno and Alex Fochler finished in the top ten on the vault and bars, respectively. DeMeno's 9.800 gives her a 9.830 RQS, while Fochler's 9.850 on bars moves her RQS to 9.815.

MAC CHAMPIONS AND POSTSEASON AWARDS

Vault
- Jovannah East, BGSU (9.850)
- Sydney Williams, CMU
- Amanda Bartemio, NIU
- Ashley Potts, NIU
Bars
- Stacie Harrison, WMU (9.925)
Beam
- Katy Clements, CMU (9.950)
Floor
- Abby Fletcher, KSU (9.925)
All-Around
- Gianna Plaksa, CMU (39.350)
Coach of the Year: Brice Biggin, KSU
Freshman of the Year: Morgan Spence, WMU
Specialist of the Year: Anna Martucci, NIU
Senior Gymnast of the Year: Rachel Stypinski, KSU
Gymnast of the Year: Rachel Stypinski, KSU

TEAM EVENT SCORES

	VAULT	BARS	BEAM	FLOOR	TOTAL
C. Michigan	48.975	49.400	49.475	49.175	197.025
N. Illinois	49.050	48.975	48.800	49.050	195.875
Bowling Green	48.850	48.775	49.300	48.925	195.850
E. Michigan	48.725	48.800	49.075	48.675	195.275
W. Michigan	48.750	48.975	48.750	48.300	194.775
Kent State	48.900	47.925	48.175	49.375	194.375
Ball State	48.850	47.575	48.900	48.900	194.225

UP NEXT...

Next meet: 2018 NCAA Regionals
Date/time: Saturday, April 7 (Time TBA)
Location: TBA
Selection Show: Monday, March 26 at 4:00 p.m. ET (Live Stream on NCAA.com)
BGSU has been mathematically eliminated from contention for a team berth in the NCAA Regionals. However, Falcon gymnasts can qualify for at-large berths as individuals.
To qualify as an all-around gymnasts, they must have one of the four best RQS in the Central Region among gymnasts not on qualifying teams. To qualify for an individual event, they must have one of the two best RQS ni the Central Region among gymnasts not on qualifying teams and who did not qualify as an all-arounder.
As of Saturday night, several BGSU gymnasts are in position to qualify: Jovannah East (all-around), Lauren DeMeno (vault), Laura Mitchell (beam), India McPeak (beam), and Kayla Rose (floor).
Bowling Green qualified two gymnasts to NCAA Regionals (Lauren Feely, Jovannah East) in 2017. During the Kerrie Turner era, they have also qualified multiple gymnasts in 2014 (3), 2013 (2), 2012 (4), 2011 (2), 2010 (3), and 2008 (2).
Turner has coached 11 different Regionals qualifiers in her first ten seasons at BGSU. If all of the above listed earn spots, that total would jump to 15 in her 11th year.