Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications
Falcons Picked Third in 2018 MAC Preseason Coaches Poll
December 21, 2017 | Gymnastics
MAC Release
Elevate the Stage Tickets
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team has been selected to finish third in the 2018 Mid-American Conference preseason coaches' poll, as released by the MAC office on Thursday morning (Dec. 21). The Falcons received one first-place vote of a possible seven. Central Michigan received two first-place votes and the top spot in the poll. Kent State placed second in the poll but did not receive a first-place vote. In 2017, three MAC teams (Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State) qualified for the NCAA Regionals.
Head coach Kerrie Turner said, "I appreciate the respect our program has received from our peer institutions. This conference is incredibly competitive amongst the NCAA gymnastics programs nation-wide. Our third place selection shows that our program continues to grow. With that said, I will be working with our student-athletes to achieve the top spot within the MAC this season. This will certainly continue to spark our motivation to compete at the highest level all season, culminating with the conference championship and into the NCAA post-season."
The 2018 Falcons return 16 of 19 athletes from last year's team. That squad finished 2-4 against MAC foes during the regular season but defeated presumptive league champion Central Michigan on the road. Bowling Green then hosted the 2017 MAC Championships and posted the second-best cumulative score in team history (196.400). That resulted in a second-place finish, just one-tenth of a point behind Eastern Michigan. It was the Falcons' best finish at the MAC Championships in 30 years.
Among the athletes returning for 2018 is sophomore Jovannah East. During her debut season, East qualified for the NCAA Regionals in two events (vault and balance beam), led the MAC in Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) on the vault (9.870), earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors, and finished in the top three of the vault and balance beam at the MAC Championships. She is joined by junior Kayla Rose, who concluded the 2017 MAC Championships with a 9.950 in the floor exercise. She won the co-championship in that event and qualified for the NCAA Regionals as an alternate.
Bowling Green will feature a three-member senior class: Shannon Goniwiecha, Laura Mitchell, and India McPeak. In 2017, McPeak finished her first season at BGSU by earning second on the balance beam at the MAC Championships (9.925) and placing tenth in the MAC in balance beam RQS (9.825). Mitchell featured top-ten routines on the balance beam and uneven bars at the MAC Championships and finished the season with career-best averages on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
In addition, the Falcons will benefit from the return of several athletes from injury and the introduction of an eight-member freshman class that includes Nacaida Kearns and Alexandra Fochler, who have shown great promise at the team's fall intrasquad meets.
BGSU begins the 2018 season on Friday, Jan. 5 at Michigan State. They return to Bowling Green for their home opener at Anderson Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13 against Utah State. The Falcons open the MAC season one week later when they host Eastern Michigan on Friday, Jan. 19. The 2018 schedule also includes a trip to Denver University, meets against Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Illinois, as well as the Elevate the Stage quad meet in Toledo, Ohio on Friday, Feb. 23. The 2018 MAC Championships will be held in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Saturday, March 24.
2018 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Poll
MAC Champion: Central Michigan (2)
Ball State (1), Bowling Green (1), Eastern Michigan (1), Northern Illinois (1), Western Michigan (1)
First Place Votes (#)
Elevate the Stage Tickets
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team has been selected to finish third in the 2018 Mid-American Conference preseason coaches' poll, as released by the MAC office on Thursday morning (Dec. 21). The Falcons received one first-place vote of a possible seven. Central Michigan received two first-place votes and the top spot in the poll. Kent State placed second in the poll but did not receive a first-place vote. In 2017, three MAC teams (Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State) qualified for the NCAA Regionals.
Head coach Kerrie Turner said, "I appreciate the respect our program has received from our peer institutions. This conference is incredibly competitive amongst the NCAA gymnastics programs nation-wide. Our third place selection shows that our program continues to grow. With that said, I will be working with our student-athletes to achieve the top spot within the MAC this season. This will certainly continue to spark our motivation to compete at the highest level all season, culminating with the conference championship and into the NCAA post-season."
The 2018 Falcons return 16 of 19 athletes from last year's team. That squad finished 2-4 against MAC foes during the regular season but defeated presumptive league champion Central Michigan on the road. Bowling Green then hosted the 2017 MAC Championships and posted the second-best cumulative score in team history (196.400). That resulted in a second-place finish, just one-tenth of a point behind Eastern Michigan. It was the Falcons' best finish at the MAC Championships in 30 years.
Among the athletes returning for 2018 is sophomore Jovannah East. During her debut season, East qualified for the NCAA Regionals in two events (vault and balance beam), led the MAC in Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) on the vault (9.870), earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors, and finished in the top three of the vault and balance beam at the MAC Championships. She is joined by junior Kayla Rose, who concluded the 2017 MAC Championships with a 9.950 in the floor exercise. She won the co-championship in that event and qualified for the NCAA Regionals as an alternate.
Bowling Green will feature a three-member senior class: Shannon Goniwiecha, Laura Mitchell, and India McPeak. In 2017, McPeak finished her first season at BGSU by earning second on the balance beam at the MAC Championships (9.925) and placing tenth in the MAC in balance beam RQS (9.825). Mitchell featured top-ten routines on the balance beam and uneven bars at the MAC Championships and finished the season with career-best averages on the uneven bars and floor exercise.
In addition, the Falcons will benefit from the return of several athletes from injury and the introduction of an eight-member freshman class that includes Nacaida Kearns and Alexandra Fochler, who have shown great promise at the team's fall intrasquad meets.
BGSU begins the 2018 season on Friday, Jan. 5 at Michigan State. They return to Bowling Green for their home opener at Anderson Arena on Saturday, Jan. 13 against Utah State. The Falcons open the MAC season one week later when they host Eastern Michigan on Friday, Jan. 19. The 2018 schedule also includes a trip to Denver University, meets against Big Ten opponents Ohio State and Illinois, as well as the Elevate the Stage quad meet in Toledo, Ohio on Friday, Feb. 23. The 2018 MAC Championships will be held in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Saturday, March 24.
2018 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Poll
- Central Michigan (2)
- Kent State
- Bowling Green (1)
- Northern Illinois (1)
- Western Michigan (1)
- Eastern Michigan (1)
- Ball State (1)
MAC Champion: Central Michigan (2)
Ball State (1), Bowling Green (1), Eastern Michigan (1), Northern Illinois (1), Western Michigan (1)
First Place Votes (#)
Players Mentioned
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
/ Gymnastics
BG Gymnastics Mac Championships Interviews
Saturday, March 21
BGSU Gymnastics Postmeet Interviews 3.15
Sunday, March 15
BG Gymnastics Postmeet Interviews 2.22
Sunday, February 22
BG Gymnastics Postmeet 2.15 vs NIU
Sunday, February 15