Falcons Shine at NCAA Regionals, East Qualifies for National Championships

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MEET RESULTS (PDF)

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Bowling Green State University gymnastics season lives on. At the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Central Regional, sophomore Jovannah East dazzled the St. John Arena crowd through four events and tallied an all-around total of 39.250. That result earned her a berth as an all-around competitor at the national championship meet. East becomes the first BGSU gymnast ever to compete in all four events at nationals and only the second to reach the season's final meet. Marny Oestreng reached the NCAA Championships in the floor exercise and ultimately won the national championship in that event during the 1999 season.

East joined teammates Lauren DeMeno, India McPeak, Laura Mitchell, and Kayla Rose at the regional, held in Columbus, Ohio on Saturday (April 7). DeMeno competed on the vault, while Rose traveled as the first alternate for the floor exercise. McPeak and Mitchell wrapped up their BGSU careers with performances on the balance beam.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH KERRIE TURNER AND JOVANNAH EAST

HOW EAST MADE IT HAPPEN

East rotated with UCLA, who is ranked third nationally, and competed in this order: floor, vault, bars, beam.
She began the meet with her usual high-scoring floor routine, which includes her signature side pass, earning a 9.850 and a tie for 11th place. She has scored that well or better on floor in 11 of her 14 meets.
East moved to the vault for the second rotation and tallied a 9.825. She placed in a tie for 15th in the event, but more importantly, reached the halfway point with a 19.675 total.
After a bye, she switched to the uneven bars. East began competing on bars midway through this season and continues to grow, posting a 9.725 on Saturday. Since taking a one-week break at Kent State, she has scored 9.7 or better in three consecutive meets.
East concluded the meet on the balance beam, where she has been on fire over the last two months. She earned an eighth-place tie by scoring 9.850 and solidified her nationals credentials by completing the all-around with a total of 39.250. She has featured a 9.850 or better on beam in six of her last eight tries.

WAITING IS HARD TO DO

Despite her strong performance, East had to wait through a tense final rotation as gymnasts from Boise State and Ohio State completed their all-around performances. With UCLA and Arkansas clinching the two team spots at nationals, East needed to defeat three of the four competitors from BSU and OSU in order to advance.
On the vault, the Buckeyes' Alexis Mattern scored a 9.800 to finish with 39.225, just 0.025 behind East.
On the beam, the Broncos' Courtney McGregor faltered with a 9.725 to finish at 39.200, while Shani Remme earned a 9.875 to tie for the all-around title at 39.425. That left only Sandra Collantes, whose beam routine was given a 9.800. Collantes ended the meet tied with East at 39.250, requiring a tiebreaker.
The tiebreaker is highest individual event scores. Both East and Collantes' best score in an event was 9.850, which moved the tiebreaker to the second-highest event scores. East earned a second 9.850, while Collantes' second-best score was 9.825. As a result, East won the tiebreaker and the berth at nationals.

SWEET SATURDAY FOR BGSU

Lauren DeMeno nailed her landing on the vault and was handed a 9.700 from the judges. Her score is a jump from her result at her last Regionals appearance in 2016, when she posted a 9.600.
Laura Mitchell successfully completed her double turn on the beam and finished her career with a top-20 finish at Regionals. After a 9.625 on beam in 2016, she improved to a 9.800 and a tie for 15th place in her final meet. Her beam routine earned 9.800 or better in each of her last nine meets.
India McPeak chose to add a very difficult standing back tuck full for her Regionals appearance, and when she landed it, she drew a loud cheer from the fans at St. John Arena. Despite a small stumble on the dismount, she took home a 9.700 and one of the most memorable moments of the evening.

FINAL MEET RESULTS
TEAM STANDINGS
1. UCLA – 197.650
2. Arkansas – 196.775
3. Ohio State – 196.500
4. Boise State – 196.225
5. Pittsburgh – 195.125
6. Kent State – 194.900

INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS

VAULT (9.900)
- Jamie Stone, Ohio State; Anna Glenn, UCLA; Pauline Tratz, UCLA; Braie Speed, Arkansas
BARS (9.975)
- Kyla Ross, UCLA
BEAM (9.950)
- Kyla Ross, UCLA
FLOOR (9.925)
- Katelyn Ohashi, UCLA
ALL-AROUND (39.425)
- Shanni Remme, Boise State; Amanda Wellick, Arkansas

TEAMS ADVANCING TO NATIONALS

UCLA
Arkansas

INDIVIDUALS ADVANCING TO NATIONALS

Jamie Stone, Ohio State (Vault)
Shanni Remme, Boise State (All-Around)
Jovannah East, BGSU (All-Around)

Jovannah East from @FalconGymn. Isn't she awesome?! https://t.co/jUBVs8S85A
— UCLA Gymnastics (@uclagymnastics) April 7, 2018

UP NEXT

Jovannah East will represent Bowling Green at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships in St. Louis, Mo. on Friday, April 20. The meet will be held at Chaifetz Arena and will be broadcast live on ESPNU. There will be two separate six-team semifinals on that date, and East will rotate with one of the competing teams. More details will be forthcoming about the championship meet in the coming days.

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