Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan Outlasts BGSU in Season Opener, Thornton Wins Floor
January 11, 2026 | Gymnastics
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University (BGSU) gymnastics team dropped the season opener against the Eastern Michigan Eagles 192.925-191.900.
The Falcons opened the 2026 at the Stroh Center. Keira Thornton tied for first on the floor with a score of 9.750, while Kayla Shaw placed third with 9.725. Nadia Parente placed third on bars with a 9.700. It was her first collegiate appearance in the event. Kayla Shaw placed fourth on bars with a 9.675.
INSIDE THE SCORESHEET
• BGSU opened the event on vault, putting up a 48.000 on the scoreboard.
• Thornton finished the highest team overall score for the Falcons with a 9.750 on the floor.
• Madison Coburn led the team with 9.700 on vault.
• The Orange and Brown posted a 48.050 team score on the bars.
• Nadia Parente surged the Falcons with a team best 9.700 score in her first ever bars routine.
• The Falcons scored a 47.625 on the beam.
• Shaw matched her career-high on the beam, scoring a 9.675 on her first routine of the year.
• Emily Gianfrancesco led Bowling Green on the beam, scoring a 9.700.
• Gianfrancesco also posted a career high on the on floor, scoring 9.575.
• Natasha Lopez made her collegiate debut with the Falcons on the beam, scoring a 9.675.
• The Falcons scored a 48.225 as a collective on the floor.
Keira Thornton led BGSU on Floor with a 9.750 to close out the meet. You can watch her routine 🎥⬇️ pic.twitter.com/2Ak7Quv3hz
— BGSU Gymnastics (@BGSUGymnastics) January 11, 2026
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
"I'm super proud of this team. One thing we talked about this week was that we are someone that is building, growing, redeveloping ourselves right now and I wanted that presentation piece to be able to shine within this sport, within this gymnastics, within this arena right now. I wanted these athletes to have that cohesiveness, have that unit piece and have that confidence we've been working on all fall, the gymnastics will take care of itself and I think we've figured out some things today that will help us prep for the rest of the season but I hope you have this feeling of looking at us that we are going to be competitive, we're going to figure things out, we're going to step up and step in when we need to. -Brittney Emmons, BGSU gymnastics head coach
UP NEXT
• BGSU hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Muncie, Ind., to continue MAC play in a dual meet against the Ball State Cardinals.
Players Mentioned
