Gymnastics Faces Challenging Double Meet Weekend

ELEVATE THE STAGE
BOWLING GREEN (3-6, 1-2 MAC), #12 DENVER (10-3, 1-0 BIG 12), #6 MICHIGAN (8-1, 4-1 BIG 10), UTAH STATE (5-4, 1-2 MRGC)
Friday, February 23, 2018 | 7:00 p.m. ET | Toledo, Ohio | Seagate Centre

#24 CENTRAL MICHIGAN (6-1, 4-0 MAC) AND #26 OHIO STATE (7-3, 3-2 BIG 10) AT BOWLING GREEN (3-6, 1-2 MAC)
Sunday, February 25, 2018 | 2:00 p.m. ET | Bowling Green, Ohio | Anderson Arena

Game Notes: BGSU
Live Stats
Live Video ($)
Road To Nationals

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS FOR ELEVATE THE STAGE
FEB. 23, 2018 -- SEAGATE CENTRE
Daily Pass: Adults (13+) $15, Youth (6-12): $10, Children (5-and-under) FREE
Weekend Pass: Adults (13+) $30, Youth (6-12): $20, Children (5-and-under) FREE

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team tackles a double-meet weekend for the first and only time in 2018 when they compete in a quad meet on Friday (Feb. 23), then host a tri-meet on Sunday (Feb. 25). Four of the Falcons' five opponents in these meets are ranked in the top 26 nationally. On Friday, BGSU travels to the Seagate Centre in Toledo, Ohio, where they will face #6 Michigan, #12 Denver, and Utah State at 7:00 p.m. in an Elevate The Stage meet. On Sunday, the Falcons host #24 Central Michigan and #26 Ohio State at 2:00 p.m. in Anderson Arena. Sunday's meet will be BGSU's annual Pink Meet for breast cancer awareness, and the action against CMU will count towards the Mid-American Conference standings.

HEAD COACH KERRIE TURNER SAYS...
"Friday night at Elevate The Stage is such a unique opportunity, because we will be competing on the podium, which will look similar to what you would see at the Olympics or the NCAA Championships. It really highlights the gymnasts and the competition and will great for the fans coming out to see that. Sunday against Central Michigan and Ohio State will be another big opportunity for us to continue to build on the scores we've been achieving this year."

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Denver
The Pioneers, led by Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, are 10-3 (1-0 Big 12) and ranked #12 nationally (196.250). Last week, DU finished third (195.975) in a tri-meet against BYU and Southern Utah. Maddie Karr won the all-around with a 39.750, scoring 9.900 or better in all four events.

Michigan
The Wolverines, led by Bev Plocki, are 8-1 (4-1 Big 10) and ranked #6 nationally (196.593). Last week, UM won a quad meet at North Carolina State with a 196.775. Lexi Funk tied for second with a 39.300 in the all-around, while Brianna Brown's 9.950 won the bars competition.

Utah State
The Aggies, led by Amy Smith, are 5-4 (1-2 MRGC). They are 37th (194.821), less than a tenth of a point ahead of the Falcons (194.739). USU fell last week at Boise State, 196.875-194.900. Freshman Autumn DeHarde led the team with a 9.925 (beam) and 9.900 (floor).

Central Michigan
The Chippewas, led by Jerry Reighard, are 6-1 (4-0 MAC). Their record is best in the MAC, as is their national ranking (#24) and average (195.500). Last week, CMU squeaked by Kent State, 196.150-196.125. Katy Clements posted two 9.9s, while Denelle Pedrick (39.300) and Gianna Plaksa (39.200) excelled in the all-around.

Ohio State
The Buckeyes, led by Meredith Paulicivic, are 7-3 (3-2 Big 10). Their 195.425 average is 26th nationally. OSU has won seven in a row and has four straight scores of 195.725 or better. Last week, they defeated Western Michigan with a 195.725, including three 9.9s on the floor.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES
BGSU has already faced Denver and Utah State in 2018; the Falcons' other three opponents this weekend are brand new. Here are Bowling Green's all-time records against all five squads:
C. Michigan: 15-31 (1st meeting: 1976; most recent: 2017; last win: 2017 (R), 195.725-195.625)
Denver: 1-3 (1st meeting: 1991; most recent: 2018; last win: 1991 (N), 181.250-178.800)
Michigan: 3-7 (1st meeting: 1979; most recent: 2010; last win: 1981 (H), 136.800-135.350)
Ohio State: 7-29 (1st meeting: 1975; most recent: 2016; last win: 2002 (N), 195.125-194.450)
Utah State: 1-2 (1st meeting: 2014; most recent: 2018; last win: 2018 (H), 194.825-192.975)

LAST TIME OUT
On Sunday (Feb. 18), the Falcons tied their second-highest team score of the season with a 195.025 in a dual meet loss at New Hampshire (195.650). The team posted season-best marks on the bars (48.825) and beam (48.900). Jovannah East led the team in all four events and posted the fourth-best all-around score (39.400) in team history, while Lexi Augustine added a top-three finish (9.800) on the floor.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Falcons have excelled throughout their history when competing at venerable Anderson Arena. In 2018, they are 2-0 with dual meet wins over Utah State and Eastern Michigan. BGSU has improved their all-time home record to 138-71-1 and 107-56-1 in duals. Kerrie Turner-led teams are 23-26 overall and 20-21 in duals.

THE POST-SEASON APPROACHES
Regional Qualifying Scores (RQS) will be released for the first time in 2018 on Monday, Feb. 26. Those scores are used to determine the teams and individuals that advance to the six NCAA regional meets. The top 36 teams by RQS qualify for the reginoals. Among individuals who are not on qualifying teams, the top four all-around gymnasts and the top two athletes from all four events are selected from each of the six regions.

RQS is determined by taking the top six scores (at least three of which must be from "away" meets). The best score is eliminated, and the next five scores are averaged.

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 ranks in the top 30. The Falcons face three teams currently in the nation's top 20 (#6 Michigan, #12 Denver, #18 BYU). The Falcons compete against five other top-36 teams: Illinois, Ohio State, Kent State, Central Michigan, and New Hampshire. All but one of BGSU's opponents is currently in the top 50.

NO SUCH THING AS A SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Jovannah East, the 2017 MAC Freshman of the Year, added another layer to her BGSU story last weekend at New Hampshire by competing on the bars and completing the all-around for the first time in her career. She rose to the occasion, earning a 9.825 on the bars and a 39.400 in the all-around, which is the fourth-best cumulative score in Falcon history. East finished in the top three and has BGSU's top score in every event and won the floor competition with a 9.900. She also tied her personal record on beam (9.875). This week, she will continue as an all-arounder.

East has an unofficial RQS of 9.855 on vault and floor, as well as 9.710 on beam. Her averages rank second in the MAC on vault (9.857) and floor (9.854), and her vault average is 27th out of 640 gymnasts nationally. East has 11 wins in 2018 and 23 in her career, as well as a total of 35 top-three finishes. She has at least one win in 17 of 20 career meets and a 9.800 or above in 47 of 54 career events (.870).

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 continues to provide consistent contributions in three events. At New Hampshire, she tied a season high and placed fourth with a 9.850 on beam. She also placed fifth on bars (9.775) and scored a 9.700 on the floor. She has earned 9.7+ in 19 of 20 routines in 2018. Mitchell ranks second on the team in all three of her events, and her 9.789 average on bars is fifth in the MAC. This weekend, she will attempt the vault and complete the all-around for the first time.

McPeak added another 9.775 on the beam last weekend at New Hampshire and added a 9.700 on the floor. She averages a 9.800 on the beam and owns an unofficial 9.795 RQS. Her average ranks fourth in the MAC and 15th in the Central Region. She's also added a pair of routines on the floor which received a 9.8.

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. Since that time, she has joined the vault lineup; last week at New Hampshire, she posted a season-best 9.700 and tied for sixth place.

OUR ROSE HAS NO THORNS
BGSU junior Kayla Rose tied for fifth place and tallied a 9.750 last Sunday at New Hampshire. She has scored 9.75+ in 15 of her last 16 meets, including a third-place finish and a 9.800 against Utah State. That was her eighth career top-three score. She began the season with a 9.750 at Michigan State. Rose has also posted a 9.675 at Western Michigan, improved to a 9.775 at Denver, and added a 9.750 at Ball State.. Rose was the 2017 MAC floor exercise co-champioin and served as an NCAA Regional alternate in the floor exercise.

IT FEELS LIKE AUGUST-INE IN WINTER
Lexi Augustine has become invaluable to the Falcons in her sophomore season. She starts in three events and currently own an unofficial RQS of 9.800 in the floor exercise. At New Hampshire, she did not set a PR for the first time in 2018, but she scored 9.775 or above in all three events. Her 9.800 on the floor earned a tie for third place, her fifth top-three finish of the season. On bars, she scored a 9.800 for her third straight meet with a 9.8+ in that event. She has earned 9.75+ in 13 of 21 events, including 10 of her last 15.

FANTASTIC FRESHMEN
Four members of BGSU's 2018 freshman class have been weekly contributors early in the season. Nacaida Kearns leads off the Falcon lineup on vault, beam, and floor. She has earned a 9.750 or above in at least one event five times in seven meets. Elena Lawson (vault) and Grace Logan (bars) have started in each meet, and Alex Fochler has also been a fixture on bars. Fochler followed a win on bars at WMU with a new personal record (9.875) and top-three finish at Denver. The 9.875 is tied for sixth-best in BGSU history. Lawson's vault PR is 9.775, while Logan has reached 9.750 on the bars.

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.

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.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Lexi Augustine

Jovannah East

Lauren Feely

Shannon Goniwiecha

Nacaida Kearns

Elena Lawson

Grace Logan

India McPeak

Laura Mitchell

Kayla Rose

Upcoming Events

Recent Results