Central Michigan (4-1, 2-0) came in first place, with Bowling Green (1-3, 0-3) in second and Southeast Missouri State (SEMO) (4-8, 1-2) in third in Sunday afternoon’s tri-meet at the Stroh Center. The final score was 195.600-192.600-192.375.
The victory over SEMO gave the Falcons their first win of the year.
Meanwhile, the three-point loss to CMU was the Falcon’s second loss in a row to the Chippewas and third-straight Mid-American Conference (MAC) defeat.
This was Bowling Green head coach Brittney Emmons’ first meet at the Stroh Center and an almost three-point improvement over their loss last week.
Vault
Vault was by far the closest event of the afternoon, with CMU coming on top with a score of 48.875, SEMO finishing in second with a 48.850 and Bowling Green finishing in third with a 48.750.
Junior SEMO Redhawk Taylor Inlge tied with CMU freshman Ava Wellmeier for first with a 9.850.
Bowling Green junior Megan Bingham tied with fellow Falcon, senior Katrina Mendez Abolnik, for third place with a 9.800. The vault for Mendez Abolinik was her first event in over a year after having season-ending surgery before the start of her junior year. Her teammates praised her presence and comeback story on Sunday afternoon.
“We’re all really proud of her. We’ve seen her work her butt off in the gym, so it’s great to see that hard work pay off,” sophomore Megan Dzialo said.
Uneven Bars
The Chippewas won the uneven bars with another tight score of 49.050 to Bowling Green’s 48.600. SEMO finished in third with a 48.250.
The top-five finishers were all CMU gymnasts, including senior Hannah Appleget, who finished in first place with an impressive 9.875.
Despite coming in second, this was the Orange & Brown’s best score on uneven bars so far this season. It was almost a full three points better than their 45.925 performance last week against CMU.
Freshman Kayla Shaw, who scored 9.750, led the way for the Falcons. Shaw’s had an impressive freshman season thus far and continues to improve.
“I’m super proud of her for being able to go out and continue to do her gymnastics. She’s starting to find herself within it and just enjoy the sport as well,” Emmons said.
Balance Beam
The balance beam was the biggest difference maker in the meet.
Central Michigan handedly won with a score of 48.725. The Redhawks finished second with a score of 47.150. The Falcons were well behind with a 46.675.
CMU junior Luciana Alvarado-Reid won the event with a 9.800. The Falcon’s top gymnast was senior Emily Castiglia, who finished eighth with a 9.625.
Floor Exercise
The floor exercise was another close event, but Central Michigan’s 48.950 was once again good enough to come in first.
Bowling Green wasn’t far behind with a 48.575. SEMO finished last with a 48.125.
CMU’s Luciana Alvarado-Reid won the event with an amazing score of 9.900. The leader for the Orange & Brown was sophomore Keira Thornton; she came in fourth place with a 9.775.
Thornton’s routine was last in the lineup, and her score edged Bowling Green over SEMO for the win.
“Before I went out, I said, ‘You live for this stuff.’ So, I just went out, enjoyed it and just did my normal,” Thornton said.
Top Gymnasts
CMU’s Luciana Alvarado-Reid had the best overall game of the tri-meet, accumulating 39.275 points. SEMO’s Taylor Ingle had the second most points with 39.150. Megan Bingham once again led the way for the Orange & Brown with 38.300 points.
Overall Thoughts
Beating SEMO for the first victory of the year is huge for Coach Emmons in her first year at the helm of Bowling Green gymnastics.
The team improved drastically in the uneven bars but still needs to improve at the balance beam.
The Falcons will look to build upon Saturday afternoon’s 1-1 outcome and get their first MAC win next Sunday, Feb. 2. They will face off against Coach Emmons’ alma mater, the Ball State Cardinals.
