Falcons Head To Tuscaloosa For Season Opener

The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team opens the 2019 season Friday at Alabama. The Falcons join Michigan and Denver in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a four-way meet, beginning at 8:30 pm ET. For BGSU and Denver, the meet will serve as the season opener, while Alabama and Michigan both have one meet completed this year. Michigan scored 196.050 in defeating Iowa State, Rutgers and West Virginia in Cancun over the weekend, while Alabama scored 194.750 to defeat Northern Illinois, Temple, and SEMO.

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BREAKING DOWN THE HISTORY

Bowling Green is 1-2 against Alabama, 3-8 against Michigan and 1-3 against Denver all-time. The Falcons have not faced Alabama since 1996 and posted their only win over the Crimson Tide in 1979. BGSU won the first three meetings in the all-time series against Michigan (1979-81), but the Wolverines have bounced back since, most recently defeating the Falcons just a year ago. Denver also posted a victory over Bowling Green last year and the Falcons' lone victory over Denver came in 1991.

HISTORICALLY GREAT

Bowling Green has placed in the top three at the MAC Championships in each of the past three seasons, peaking with a runner-up finish in 2017. For the Falcons, it is the first time the team has placed that high in three consecutive years since doing so for eight straight years from 1981-88.

FALCONS PICKED SECOND IN PRESEASON POLL

The Mid-American Conference coaches have selected Bowling Green as the MAC runner-up in the preseason coaches poll. The Falcons earned one first place vote and 37 total vote points. Northern Illinois was selected to win the MAC with 42 vote points and three MAC Championship votes. Defending MAC champion Central Michigan is third, followed by Eastern Michigan, Ball State, Kent State and Western Michigan.

Get to know three of the @FalconGymn freshmen as the team opens the season this weekend at Alabama. #AyZiggy pic.twitter.com/6XngvvPKfG
— BGSU Athletics (@BGathletics) January 9, 2019

JOVANNAH EAST GOING WHERE FEW HAVE GONE BEFORE

As a sophomore a year ago, Jovannah East became just the second Falcon gymnast to qualify for the NCAA Division I National Championships and the first to do so in the all-around competition. Her 39.250 score in Columbus was the greatest all-around performance ever by a BGSU gymnast in a regional meet, tying for fourth place. She scored identical scores of 9.850 on beam and floor, added 9.825 on vault and had a 9.725 on bars. She won the tiebreaker and advanced to the national championships.

EAST'S OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Jovannah East became the first Falcon to advance to the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships since Marny Oestreng reached nationals in 1999 on the floor. Oestreng went on to win the national championship with a 9.925. East's career accomplishments include the following:

Two-time First Team All-MAC (2017, 2018)

Academic All-MAC (2018)

MAC Vault Co-Champion (2018)

MAC All-Tournament Team (2017, 2018)

NCAA Regionals Qualifier (2017, 2018)

NCAA Nationals Qualifier (2018)

MAC Gymnast of the Week (2x in 2018)

MAC Specialist of the Week (2017)

IN THE RECORD BOOK

Junior Jovannah East has posted two of the five highest single-meet all-around scores in program history (39.425 and 39.400), as well as the third-highest vault score in program history (9.925) and third-highest beam score (9.925). East is also among the top 10 on floor (9.925). Alexandra Fochler has a pair of the top 10 uneven bars scores in school history (two identical 9.875 scores). On floor, Kayla Rose recorded a 9.950 in 2017, tied for the second-highest score ever by a Falcon on the event.

NEWCOMERS SET TO MAKE AN IMPACT

BGSU has three freshmen in its projected lineup for Friday night. Tess Muir is slated to compete in three events -- vault, beam, and floor. Katelyn Goldstrom is scheduled to debut on the uneven bars and Paige Bachner will begin her collegiate career on floor.

(ALMOST) A FULL LOAD

No Falcon is scheduled to compete in all four rotations Friday night, but three Falcons are slated to compete in three events. Senior Lexi Augustine will do beam, bars and floor. Junior Jovannah East, who qualified for the NCAA National Championships a year ago as an all-arounder, will handle vault, beam and floor, while freshman Tess Muir will make her debut on vault, beam and floor as well.

STARTING SCORES

A year ago, Bowling Green won its season opener over Michigan State by posting a 194.000 team score to kick off the year. That was the program's best season-opening score since a 194.775 to also beat Michigan State to start the 2015 season. The school record for a season-opening meet came all the way back in 2001 when the Falcons posted a 194.825 to beat Kent State and Illinois Chicago.

FROM COACH TURNER

"As we get started with the 2019 gymnastics season, I feel our team is well prepared on all four events. We have focused heavily on practicing line-ups over and over again in the weeks leading up to this first meet and I have seen great progress and passion from the team. Vault and beam have been ready for some time but we needed a few gymnasts to step up on bars and floor. It has been an incredible team effort and amazing to see some gymnasts get ready in a short period of time on those events. We have a few gymnasts out with minor injuries and I expect our depth will only grow in the weeks to come." -- Kerrie Turner

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Lexi Augustine

Paige Bachner

Jovannah East

Alex Fochler

Katelyn Goldstrom

Tess Muir

Kayla Rose

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