Falcons Head To Kent State For MAC Championships Saturday

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY FALCONS (8-8; 2-4 MAC)
AT
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Saturday, March 21 | 2 p.m. ET | M.A.C. Center | Kent, Ohio
Twitter: FalconGymn | @BGAthletics
Live Stats: www.BGSUFalcons.com
Live Video: www.KentStateSports.com
COMPLETE MEET NOTES (.PDF)

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team will compete at the MAC Championships on Saturday, March 21, at 2 p.m. inside of the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center on the campus of Kent State University. Bowling Green is in search of its fourth title at the conference championships, and first since 1985. The Falcons hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Regionals are also still alive.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
A link to follow live stats for this Saturday's meet can be found at BGSUFalcons.com. An on-demand style online video stream will be available at KentStateSports.com. Each event will have a dedicated camera that will allow fans to pick the team and event that they would like to watch. 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."

BOWLING GREEN AT THE MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Last season, Bowling Green scored a 194.625 and placed third – the program's best finish at the MAC Championships in 22 years. Across the first five years of the conference championships (1981–19185), the Falcons placed first or second. BGSU took home the crown in 1982, 1983 and 1985, and posted second-place finishes in 1981 and 1984. However, since those five seasons, Bowling Green has not posted another top-two finish. Along with last year's squad, the 1991 team also placed third.

HEAD COACH'S THOUGHTS
Kerrie Turner: "The MAC Gymnastics Championships is going to be an absolute nail-biter. The MAC has great teams and so many of them have recorded upsets, and posted program highs throughout the season. I expect this championship will go to the team that puts together 24 solid routines. The possibilities are wide open. With that excitement, we are preparing the team to face this event as if it is just another practice. We want them to focus on the gymnastics, and block out the distractions. Each gymnast needs to be responsible for her routines, as well as cheering on her teammates. I have reminded them that they are absolutely fantastic at their own routines, and I want them to attack the competition and not hold anything back. I honestly can't wait for Saturday to get here, so we can go out there and bring our very best performance! We are also anxious to do our best in order to qualify for the NCAA Regionals as a team. We are one of just nine teams in the running for six spots. It will take our best effort, but I am confident that we can do it."

WHAT A WIN WOULD MEAN
* A win at the MAC Championships would be Bowling Green's first since 1985. The Falcons also placed first at the conference championships in 1982 and 1983.
* If the Falcons place second, it will be the program's best finish since the 1987 team also placed second.
* A third-place finish would be Bowling Green's third top-three finish over the last 25 years. The 2014 and 1991 teams both finished third.

SUCCESSFUL AND HISTORIC SENIOR DAY
Bowling Green scored a season-best 195.700 on Senior Day to defeat Kent State (195.050) for the first time since 2002. BGSU had not beaten Kent State in Bowling Green since 1999. The Golden Flashes entered the weekend having defeated the Falcons 18 straight times. The Falcons won bars (49.075–48.925), beam (48.750–48.300) and floor (48.975–48.775), while also scoring a 48.900 on vault. The 49.075 on bars is a season best for the Orange and Brown. Bowling Green's 48.975 is the second-best score on floor this year, and the 48.900 on vault ranks third in 2015. Senior Jamilah Ali tied for first on vault by scoring a 9.850, while sophomore Rachel Reis scored a career-best 9.850 to win bars.

RACE TO REGIONALS
With the top 36 schools earning a trip to the NCAA Regionals, the Falcons sit at No. 40 entering the final week of the season. But BGSU's hopes at earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 are very much alive. Bowling Green improved its RQS from a 194.690 to a 194.835. By setting a new season high, the Falcons can now count their previous season high – a 195.500 that they scored on Feb. 8 against Ball State. Bowling Green will look to replace a 193.025 that they scored at George Washington on Feb. 1. But the Falcons will need to score at least a 195.275 to best Eastern Michigan's 195.280 RQS. By scoring a 195.275, BGSU would boost its RQS to a 195.285. The RQS is calculated by averaging five scores – your top three road scores along with your next three highest scores. You don't get to count your best score. Bowling Green is one of just nine schools battling it out for the final six spots at the NCAA Regionals.

34. George Washington – 195.325
35. Maryland – 195.290
36. Eastern Michigan – 195.280

40. Bowling Green – 194.835

HAPPY SENIOR DAY, JAMILAH
For the fourth time this season, Jamilah Ali won an event. On Senior Day this past Saturday (March 14), Ali scored a 9.850 on vault to tie for first on the apparatus. Ali won an event across the first three weeks of the year. In Bowling Green's season-opening victory over Michigan State (Jan. 10), Ali won vault with a career-best 9.875. The following week, the senior tied for first on beam (9.625) at the Ozone Collegiate Classic on Jan. 17. At Eastern Michigan on Jan. 24, Ali claimed another outright vault title by recording a 9.850.

SWINGING BARS AND WINNING BARS
Rachel Reis – a sophomore from Ponte Vedra, Florida – won bars against Kent State by registering a career-high 9.850. Reis did not compete across Bowling Green's three previous competitions. However, Kerrie Turner rested Laura Mitchell, opening up a spot for Reis on bars. The victory is Reis' second of her career, as she scored a then career-best 9.825 against Northern Illinois on bars.

A PAIR OF TOP-TWO FINISHES FOR ELLINGBOE
Junior Caroline Ellingboe finished tied for second on both bars and beam against Kent State. The Excelsior, Minnesota native scored a 9.825 on bars and a 9.800 on beam, marking the first time in 2015 that she notched at least a 9.800 on the two events in the same competition. Ellingboe – a bars and beam specialist – has competed on the events in all of Bowling Green's 11 meets in 2015. Senior Amanda Lievendag – who competes on bars and vault – is the only other Falcon specialist that has competed on the same two events at every competition.

DENLINGER AND FEELY POST CAREER HIGHS AGIANST FLASHES
Freshman Morgan Denlinger and sophomore Lauren Feely established career highs in Bowling Green's win over Kent State. Denlinger placed sixth on bars by scoring a career-high 9.800. Denlinger did not compete in Bowling Green's first four competitions, but competed on bars on Feb. 6 versus Ohio State, and has earned a spot on Kerrie Turner's bars lineup in every meet since. Feely notched a career-best 9.775 on beam to finish tied for fourth. Feely had not scored above a 9.700 on beam over her six previous appearances in 2015.

KERRIE "TOP–10" TURNER
For the fifth time this season, head coach Kerrie Turner saw Bowling Green post a score that ranks inside of the top 10 in program history. Two of those scores – the pair of 195.200's – have since been pushed back to the No. 11 slot. Additionally, seven of the program's best 12 team scores have been posted during the Kerrie Turner Era. The 195.700 that BGSU scored versus Kent State on Saturday (March 14) ranks sixth–best in school history. The 195.500 that the Falcons posted in a win over Ball State on Feb. 8 ranks ninth-best, while the 195.250 that BGSU registered at Michigan State on March 6 ranks 10th-best in BGSU gymnastics history.

DOWN GOES SPARTY, AGAIN
The Falcons finished second at Michigan State's quad meet on March 6. By scoring a 195.250, Bowling Green defeated No. 23 Michigan State (194.350) and Eastern Michigan (195.225), who entered the meet ranked No. 33 in the RQS. BGSU nearly knocked off No. 19 Arizona, who scored a 195.450 to win the meet. BGSU's 195.250 is the 10th-best team score in program history. Bowling Green defeated MSU to open the 2015 season, 194.775–194.075, and by besting them again, the program earned two victories over Big Ten Conference schools across one season for the first time since 2002. The Falcons scored a then season-high 49.000 on vault, and also notched a 48.950 on bars – the team's third-best mark on the apparatus this season. Sophomore Lauren Feely had the highest individual performance, as she placed fourth on vault by registering a 9.850. Junior Caroline Ellingboe led the led Falcons on bars (9.825), while freshman Laura Mitchell paced BGSU on beam (9.800). Alyssa Nocella scored a team-high 9.800 on floor.

TOP ROUTINES IN 2015
All-Around: 39.350 | Alyssa Nocella (2/8/15 vs. Ball State)
Bars: 9.875 | Caroline Ellingboe (2/22/15 at Central Michigan)
Beam: 9.875 | Laura Mitchell (2/1/15 at George Washington)
Floor: 9.925 | Alyssa Nocella (2/8/15 vs. Ball State)
Vault: 9.875 | Jamilah Ali, Lauren Feely (1/10/15 vs. Michigan State; 2/15/15 at Northern Illinois)

MITCHELL'S MAGNIFICENT ROOKIE SEASON
Freshman Laura Mitchell – a native of London, England – finished second on balance beam for the Falcons at Central Michigan on Feb. 22. Mitchell has now earned three second-place finishes, to go along with her four first-place finishes. The freshman was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week on Feb. 9 for her performances against Ohio State (Feb. 6) and Ball State (Feb. 8), as she placed first on uneven bars in both competitions. In her collegiate debut at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 24, Mitchell won beam by posting a 9.850. The following weekend at George Washington on Feb. 1, Mitchell again placed first on beam by scoring a 9.875.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK
For the first time in school history, earlier in the year, BGSU gymnastics registered a team score above a 195.000 in back-to-back-to-back competitions. On Feb. 6, Bowling Green scored a 195.200 against Ohio State at Anderson Arena. Two days later – also inside of Anderson Arena – on Feb. 8, the Falcons defeated Ball State for their first Mid-American Conference victory in 2015 by totaling a 195.500. On Feb. 22 at Northern Illinois, the Orange and Brown scored another 195.200 to finish second at a triangular in DeKalb, Illinois. The 195.500 ranks ninth in school history, while the pair of 195.200 scores are tied for the 11th-best team scores in program history. The Falcons could accomplish the feat again with another 195 on Saturday, as BGSU has scored a 195.250 and a 195.700 across the last two competitions.

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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