BGSU gymnastics (0-1) (0-1 in MAC) lost the 2025 season opener to Eastern Michigan (1-0) (1-0 in MAC) 193.100 to 194.925 Sunday afternoon in Ypsilanti.
It wasn’t necessarily shocking that the meet was so close, as the Falcons were picked to finish 6th in the 2025 MAC preseason poll and the Eagles were picked to finish in 5th.
The close contest came down to the wire with impressive performances by gymnasts on both sides.
Vault
Vault was slightly won by the Eagles with a final score of 48.850 to 48.575. Eastern Michigan also had four of the top five scoring vault gymnasts.
EMU sophomore Genae Daniel finished in first with a score of 9.825. Alana Fisher, Abby Brushwood and Gwendelyn Cantu also finished in the top 5 for the Eagles.
Junior vaulter Madison Coburn was the top vaulter for Bowling Green and the only one to place in the top five, finishing tied for third with a 9.75.
Uneven Bars
The uneven bars were another slim victory for Eastern Michigan with a final score of 48.800 to 48.300.
It was a tie for first place on the uneven bars with EMU grad student Raisa Boris and Bowling Green sophomore Love Akpan each getting a score of 9.825.
Bowling Green junior Megan Bingham also performed well, finishing in fifth place with a score of 9.75.
Balance Beam
The balance beam was the largest margin of victory for Eastern Michigan in the meet with the Eagles beating the Falcons 48.600 to 47.725.
Despite the team loss, Bowling Green’s Akpan won the balance beam event with a score of 9.775. This was the only stand-alone event winner for a Bowling Green gymnast in the meet.
Although Akpan won the event, the second through fifth-place scorers were all Eagles. Megan Bingham was the next highest-scoring Falcon, finishing in sixth place with a score of 9.7.
Floor Exercise
The floor exercise was the closest event of the meet, but it was still slightly won by EMU with a score of 48.675 to 48.500.
Eastern Michigan’s Raisa Boris won the floor exercise with a score of 9.875; this was the highest score of any event at the meet.
The Orange and Brown had gymnasts finish from the second to sixth place spots, including freshman Kayla Shaw, who finished in sixth with a score of 9.725.
Top Gymnasts
Overall, Eastern Michigan’s Raisa Boris took over the meet. She finished with an overall score of 39.075 and finished in first place in both the uneven bars and the floor exercise.
Bingham and Akpan led the way for the Falcons with Bingham finishing with a total score of 38.950 and Akpan finishing with a score of 38.525. Bingham finished in the top five for the floor exercise and the uneven bars. Akpan won the balance beam, was tied for first in the uneven bars, and finished in fourth for the floor exercise.
It was a solid effort for the Orange and Brown for their opening meet. Akpan and Bingham’s scores were encouraging and freshman Shaw was definitely a bright spot.
Despite losing every event, they were close enough in each of them that they only lost the overall meet by 1.825. This should give the Falcons hope going into the future as a couple of higher scores could’ve given them a win.
Bowling Green’s next meet is at Central Michigan on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7:00 p.m.
