#MACtion: Falcons Head To Ypsilanti To Open Conference Play

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FALCONS (3-1; 0-0 MAC)
AT
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY EAGLES (2-1; 0-1 MAC)
Saturday, Jan. 24 | 4 p.m. ET | Convocation Center | Ypsilanti, Mich.
Live Stats: www.BGSUFALCONS.com
Live Video ($$): www.EMUEAGLES.com
Follow Along: @FalconGymn | @BGAthletics
COMPLETE MEET NOTES (.PDF)

YPSILANTI, Mich. – The Orange and Brown – after placing second last Saturday (Jan. 17) at the Ozone Collegiate Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee – will travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan on Saturday to open Mid-American Conference competition. Bowling Green will look to improve to 4-1 for the first time since 2008. The Falcons will also look to win their conference opener for the second straight season.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
A link to follow live stats can be found at BGSUFalcons.com for Saturday's meet at Eastern Michigan. A video stream will also be available at EMUEagles.com for a fee. Fans can also follow the BGSU Gymnastics team on Twitter @FalconGymn for in-meet updates, news and notes., or BGSU Athletics @BGAthletics. Furthermore, Bowling Green fans can follow the gymnastics team on Instagram by searching "bgsu_gymnastics," or BGSU Athletics by searching "bgfalcons."

HEAD COACH'S THOUGHTS
Kerrie Turner: "I am so excited to head up to Ypsilanti to begin MAC competition with our team. Eastern Michigan has a new coach, and you can already see improvements. We are eager to compete in a true road meet, and see how our student-athletes handle the pressure. I've been so pleased what I've been seeing in practice throughout the week, and I know that we will be ready for meet day."

ABOUT THE EAGLES
Eastern Michigan is 2-1 on the season, and recently split a tri-meet with Central Michigan and Seattle Pacific on Jan. 17. The Eagles lost their Mid-American Conference opener to the Chippewas, 195.875-194.575, but defeated Seattle Pacific, 194.575-187.250. Anna Willette won the all-around with a 39.000 last weekend, while also placing first on vault with a 9.800. The Eagles – who were ranked No. 24 heading into last weekend – scored a 193.925 to down Temple in their season opener.

WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
* A win on Saturday would move the Falcons to 4-1 on the season, which would be the best start in program history since the 2008 team also started 4-1.
* With a victory, the Falcons would move to 1-0 in Mid-American Conference play for the second straight season, as BGSU downed Eastern Michigan, 194.600-192.525, in last year's conference opener.
* By defeating Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green would claim its fourth consecutive win over the Eagles. Eastern Michigan last beat the Falcons in 2011.

#MACtion
Mid-American Conference gymnastics will be in full swing this weekend, as every school except Northern Illinois will be competing against a conference foe. Central Michigan bested Eastern Michigan, and Northern Illinois defeated Kent State last weekend to open MAC play. The Falcons will head to Washington, D.C. to take on George Washington next weekend (Feb. 1), prior to hosting Ohio State (Feb. 6). But will then compete in four straight MAC meets to finish off the month of February.

OZONE COLLEGIATE CLASSIC
This past weekend in Knoxville, Tennessee, Bowling Green placed second at the Ozone Collegiate Classic. The Falcons scored a 191.175 to defeat Alaska Anchorage and Wisconsin-Whitewater. Brigham Young swept the invitational by posting a 193.075. The Orange and Brown finished tied for first or second on each apparatus, and individually, Jamilah Ali tied for first on beam with a 9.625. Lauren Feely's 9.825 on vault was Bowling Green's top routine score across the meet, while Jordan Rae (9.775, bars) and Victoria Heath (9.675, vault) set new career highs.

DOWN GOES SPARTY
Bowling Green opened the 2015 season with a 194.775–194.075 victory over Michigan State. The win was the program's first over a Big Ten Conference opponent since 2004. The triumph was also the Orange and Brown's second ever win against the Spartans, with the only previous win taking place in 1984. The Falcons bested Michigan State on vault (48.850), bars (48.675), and floor (48.650), and individually, took home the vault and bars titles. Jamilah Ali scored a meet-high 9.875 on vault, while Amanda Lievendag won bars with a 9.850. Bowling Green's team score of 194.775 was its highest at in opening meet since 2001.

ELLINGBOE'S CAREER DAY
Caroline Ellingboe – a junior from Exceisior, Minnesota – turned in a strong meet in the Falcons win over the Spartans on Jan. 10. Ellingboe set a new career high on beam, scoring a 9.775 to surpass her previous high of 9.700. The junior also competed on bars and posted a 9.800, which tied a career high. Ellingboe's 9.800 was second best only to Amanda Lievendag's 9.850, while her 9.775 led the Falcons – along with Jamilah Ali and Alyssa Nocella – on the apparatus. So far this season, Ellingboe has posted three routine scores at or above 9.750 – the most on the team.

FIRST-YEAR FALCONS COMPETE FOR THE FIRST TIME
Freshmen Jordan Rae and Krista Walberer have competed in both of the Falcons' first two meets this season. Rae made her debut on bars against Michigan State and scored a 9.675, while Walberer's first-career routine resulted in a 9.725 floor score at that same meet. The two also competed at the Ozone Collegiate Classic last weekend. Additionally, sophomore Victoria Heath made her debut against Michigan State and competed last weekend in Knoxville, as well. Heath's 9.700 floor routine against Michigan State stands as her top routine as a collegiate gymnast.

FEELY SCORES BIG
Sophomore Lauren Feely – last year's MAC Freshman of the Year – is the only Falcon to score at least a 9.800 in both of Bowling Green's meets this season. In the Orange and Brown's season-opening victory over Michigan State, Feely scored a 9.800 on vault. At the Ozone Collegiate Classic last weekend, Feely topped that score by earning a 9.825 on the same apparatus. Feely and junior Alyssa Nocella are the only two Falcons that have earned all-around scores this season.

TOP ROUTINES IN 2015
All-Around: 39.025 | Alyssa Nocella (1/10/15 vs. Michigan State)
Bars: 9.850 | Amanda Lievendag (1/10/15 vs. Michigan State)
Beam: 9.775 | Ali, Ellingboe Nocella (1/10/15 vs. Michigan State)
Floor: 9.800 | Alyssa Nocella (1/10/15 vs. Michigan State)
Vault: 9.875 | Jamilah Ali (1/10/15 vs. Michigan State)

THE TURNER-ROUND
Kerrie Turner has completely turned around the program, and has morphed the Falcons into legit title contenders. Turner faced an uphill battle in 2011 when she coached a team comprised of 14 underclassmen, one junior and no seniors. The Falcons went 1-11 (0-6 MAC) that year, but have finished with a better record and have totaled more MAC wins in each of the next three years leading up to 2015. In 2012, BGSU went 2-12 (1-5 MAC) and followed that season up by going 5-11 (3-3 MAC). Furthermore, in 2013, Turner was named the MAC Coach of the Year. In 2014, Turner guided Bowling Green to the program's best season in over two decades by placing third at the MAC Championships – something that hadn't been accomplished in 22 years.

THE MAC CHAMPS ARE BACK
Three individual MAC Champions return to compete for the Orange and Brown this season. Amanda Lievendag scored a 9.850 last year to capture the vault title, one year after Jamilah Ali took the crown by posting a 9.875. Alyssa Nocella also won an individual championship in 2013, as she totaled a 9.850 to bring home the beam title. Central Michigan joins Bowling Green as the only two schools in the conference to return three MAC Champions. No other school returns more than one.

INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
The Falcons welcome two international student-athletes – Laura Mitchell (London, England) and Jordan Rae (Auckland, New Zealand) – into the fold this season. Mitchell has won five British titles, and competed at the Junior European Championships and the Youth Olympics in 2010. Rae placed fifth on vault as a part of New Zealand's Commonwealth Games team in Delhi, India in 2010, while also competing in the Netherlands (2010) and Japan (2011) at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

#MakeHistoryNow
Sticking to Director of Athletics Chris Kingston's push for BGSU Athletics to "Make History Now," the Falcons wrapped up a historic 2014 season. The Orange and Brown went 4-2 in Mid-American Conference play, which was the best mark since the 2010 season. Bowling Green then wrapped up the year by placing third at the MAC Championships – the program's best finish in 22 years. The Falcons also sent three – junior Alyssa Nocella, senior Gina Locigno and graduate Megan Harrington – to the NCAA regionals in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

FOUR CAPTAINS IN 2015
In the fall, Head Coach Kerrie Turner announced that the Falcons would have four captains for the 2015 season. Sophomore Rachel Reis, juniors Caroline Ellingboe and Alyssa Nocella, and senior Gina Locigno will captain the Orange the Brown this season. This year's team has 12 underclassmen, and the captains will be relied on heavily throughout the season. The 2011 season was the only other campaign in which Bowling Green named four captains.

PRESEASON POLL
BGSU was picked to finish second – along with Kent State – in the MAC Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's coaches. Central Michigan received five first-place votes and is tabbed to win the conference, while Bowling Green and Kent State each earned one first-place vote apiece. Northern Illinois and Eastern Michigan were picked to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, with Ball State and Western Michigan bringing up the rear. The Falcons were picked to finish third last season, and fourth in 2013.

SCHOLASTIC ALL-AMERICANS
In August, nine Falcons were named Scholastic All-Americans by the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches for Women (NACGC/W). Student-athletes must have a grade point average of 3.50 or higher to be honored. Lauren Feely, Rachel Reis, Alyssa Nocella, Caroline Ellingboe, Rachel Perry, Katrina Carpenter, Gina Locigno, along with graduates Megan Harrington and Megan Valentini, were recognized. Overall, the Falcons placed 18th in the nation with a team GPA of 3.4738, improving on last year's 3.1471 GPA that ranked 55th.

GYMNASTICS SIGNS THREE FOR 2016
In November, head coach Kerrie Turner announced the signing of three student-athletes to National Letters of Intent for the 2016 season. Julia Beyer (Naperville, Ill./Neuqua Valley High School/Naperville Gymnastics Club), Chelsea Eley (Greensboro, N.C./Westchester Country Day School/High Point Gymnastics Academy) and Lauren De Meno (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville High School/Head Over Heels Gymnastics) will all join the program next fall.

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Jamilah Ali

Katrina Carpenter

Caroline Ellingboe

Lauren Feely

Megan Harrington

Victoria Heath

Amanda Lievendag

Gina Locigno

Laura Mitchell

Alyssa Nocella

Rachel Perry

Jordan Rae

Rachel Reis

Megan Valentini

Krista Walberer

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