Falcons Seek to Extend Winning Streak in Sunday Dual at WMU

BOWLING GREEN (3-0, 1-0 MAC) at WESTERN MICHIGAN (1-1, 0-1 MAC)
Sunday, January 28, 2018 | 1:00 p.m. ET | Kalamazoo, Mich. | University Arena
Game Notes: BGSU
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Road To Nationals

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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team travels to Kalamazoo, Mich. on Sunday, Jan. 28 for the first of five consecutive away meets. This will be the most critical stretch of the season for the Falcons, who will need impressive road scores in order to qualify for the 2018 NCAA Regionals. BGSU is 3-0 (1-0 MAC) and ranks 34th nationally with a three-meet average of 194.617. On Sunday, they will face Western Michigan, who arrives at the meet 1-1 overall and 0-1 in the MAC. They rank 37th nationally with a 194.425 average; however, last weekend they scored 195.425 in a close loss to Central Michigan (195.600) in their MAC opener.

HEAD COACH KERRIE TURNER SAYS...
"Our team is excited to compete at Western Michigan this weekend. We plan to build on the strong start to the season and focus on increasing our score though consistent routines and refining details in those routines. We have been home for the past two weeks so I will also expect the team to adjust to a different surrounding and stay united as one team with one vision."

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
WMU began the 2018 season with a home victory over Illinois-Chicago and a 193.425 score. They followed it up with a loss in their MAC opener at CMU but improved their team score to 195.425. Junior Rachael Underwood is second in the MAC with a 39.150 all-around average and ranks in the top ten in three events, while sophomore Amelia Mohler leads the MAC on bars after her 9.900 at CMU. Head coach Penny Jernigan is in her fifth season with the Broncos and owns a 25-30 record to date.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES
Bowling Green has won 27 of the 44 previous meetings against Western Michigan and is 27-16-1 overall against the Broncos. The first meet between the two was in 1976, and the Falcons won the first seven through 1983. However, WMU has captured the last three meetings in the series. The Falcons' last win was in Kalamazoo in 2014, as BGSU outscored WMU 192.825-191.450. Bowling Green's all-time highest score against the Broncos is 195.175, set in 2013.

LAST TIME OUT
BGSU improved to 3-0 and won their first MAC opener since 2014 with a 195.025-193.950 victory over Eastern Michigan. With a 195 in their third meet of 2018, the Falcons tied the team record for earliest 195 in a season. The Falcons outscored EMU in all four events, including the first 49 of 2018 (49.050, floor exercise). Individually, Falcon gymnasts finished first in all four events. Jovannah East won the vault (9.850) and floor (9.875), while India McPeak won the beam (9.850). Lexi Augustine (9.775) shared the title on the bars. Augustine also set personal records on the beam (9.675) and floor (9.825). BGSU gymnasts earned ten top-three finishes during the meet..

MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT
With Bowling Green's victory over Eastern Michigan, head coach Kerrie Turner became the third coach in BGSU history to reach the 50-win mark. Turner is chasing Dan Connelly (80 wins) for second place on the Falcons' all-time list. Charles Simpson leads the list with 154 wins.

ELITE SCHEDULING
BGSU began the 2018 season with the MAC's hardest schedule and the 29th most difficult nationally. This is the second straight year that the team's schedule difficulty ranks in the top 30. BGSU faces four teams currently ranked in the top 20 nationally (#8 Michigan, #13 Denver, #19 CMU, #20 Kent State). The Falcons compete against three other teams in the top 36: Brigham Young, Illinois, Ohio State. This week's opponent, Western Michigan, is just outside the top 36 (#37).

NO SUCH THING AS A SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Jovannah East, the 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year, has made a scintillating start to her sophomore season. Against EMU, she won on vault (9.850) and the floor (9.875) and finished second on beam (9.825). East has won on the vault in all three meets and has a total of four event victories in 2018. With a 9.850 average, she is second in the MAC, tied for sixth in the Central Region, and tied for 27th nationally on vault. Her 9.842 floor average is also second in the MAC. East has recorded a victory in 12 of her 16 career meets for a total of 16 event wins. In addition, she has earned a 9.800 or above in 35 of her 41 career events (.854), posted 9.800 or above in multiple events during 13 of her 16 career meets, and tallied 25 top-three finishes (.610).

2018 SENIOR CLASS
Bowling Green features three seniors during the 2018 season. This year's class includes Shannon Goniwiecha (Rochester Hills, Mich.), India McPeak (Bangor, N. Ireland), and Laura Mitchell (London, England). Goniwiecha and Mitchell are both in their fourth year at BGSU; McPeak is in her second year after transferring from the University of Michigan.

Mitchell helped guide the Falcons to a win over EMU with a pair of top-three finishes on beam and floor. She earned a 9.775 on the beam and is tied for 19th in the Central Region with a 9.808 average, and she added a season-best 9.800 in the floor exercise. In nine events this year, Mitchell has four top-three finishes and has placed fourth twice.

McPeak completed her best meet of the season against EMU. She scored season-bests on both the beam (9.850) and the floor (9.800) and earned a beam title for her second win of 2018. That was the fourth event victory of her career. She helped the Falcons top Utah State by placing fourth on the beam with a 9.775 and captured her first win of the season on the beam in the season opener at Michigan State. She is tied for 17th in the region with an average of 9.817.

Goniwiecha returned to action for the first time in nearly two years by performing on the uneven bars against Utah State. Her triumphant comeback was rewarded with a 9.675. She competed again last Friday against EMU and did even better, earning a 9.725 on the bars for a fourth-place finish.

OUR ROSE HAS NO THORNS
BGSU junior Kayla Rose earned a third-place finish and a 9.800 during the floor exercise competition against Utah State. It was her eighth career top-three score and her 12th consecutive meet with a floor exercise score of at least 9.750. Rose was the 2017 MAC floor exercise co-champioin and served as an alternate in the floor exercise for the NCAA Regional in Champaign, Ill. on April 1.

STEPPING IN, STEPPING UP
Sophomore Randi Morris coontinued to shine in 2018 with her second consecutive fourth-place 9.750 on the vault against Eastern Michigan, which matched her output against Utah State. She also added a solid 9.750 on the floor to help the Falcons round out their first 49 on an event in 2018. Her vault average of 9.767 is second on the team and tied for 27th of 87 in the Central region . At Michigan State, she completed one of the best meets of her career with a pair of top-three finishes and a 9.800 or better in multiple events for only the second time.

AUGUST-INE IN JANUARY
Sophomore Lexi Augustine compiled her first two career top-three finishes, including her first career event victory, as well as two new personal records during BGSU's victory against Eastern Michigan last Friday. Augustine scored a 9.775 on the uneven bars to share the title on that apparatus and tie her personal record. She added a PR on the beam for the third straight meet with a 9.675, then closed the meet with a second-place finish and a new PR of 9.825 on the floor.

PUTTING THE STUDENT IN STUDENT-ATHLETE
Falcon gymnasts value excellence in the classroom just as much as they do in the gym. Last July, BGSU was recognized as having the 14th-best team GPA nationally (3.6065) and 14 of the 20 Falcons (70 percent) were named NACGC/W Scholastic All-America. Five members of the team were recognized as Academic All-MAC following the 2017 season, and Lauren Feely earned CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American honors. She concluded her career as an Academic All-American in two straight years.

NEW FACES, HIGHER STAKES
The 2018 Falcons welcome an exciting class of eight freshmen to the team and will see immediate dividends, as several will immediately step into the lineup. This year's freshman class includes Whitney Cronin (High Point, N.C.), Alex Fochler (Cranberry Township, Pa.), Jasmine Jones (Myrtle Beach, S.C.), Nacaida Kearns (Waterford, Ohio), Elena Lawson (Marietta, Ohio), Grace Logan (Pomfret Center, Conn.), Samantha Marion (Franklin Lakes, N.J.), and Jordan Peloquin (Greenville, R.I.).

2018 COACHING STAFF
BGSU head coach Kerrie Turner returns for her 11th year at the helm of the Falcons. Jason Bauer is the Associate Head Coach and in his fourth season with the team. The Falcons have two new additions to the coaching staff for the 2018 season. Marissa Beucler is the team's new assistant coach, while Alaska Richardson will serve as a volunteer assistant. Beucler is a former student-athlete at the University of Kentucky; Richardson competed as a gymnast at West Virginia University and most recently served as a graduate assistant at the University of Toledo.

FOLLOW THE FALCONS
Fans can follow the BGSU Gymnastics team on Twitter @FalconGymn for in-meet updates, news and notes. Links to live stats, video (as available) and away-meet live stats can be found at BGSUFalcons.com. For home meets, fans can follow live stats by downloading the app, "Beyond The Scores," on your smartphone or tablet. Create an account, add "Bowling Green State Gym Team" to your favorites, select the meet, and enjoy an interactive scoring system.

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Lexi Augustine

Whitney Cronin

Jovannah East

Lauren Feely

Shannon Goniwiecha

Jasmine Jones

Nacaida Kearns

Elena Lawson

Grace Logan

Samantha Marion

India McPeak

Laura Mitchell

Randi Morris

Kayla Rose

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