BGSU gymnastics (4-13) (0-6 in MAC) finished last in the MAC Championships with a final score of 191.700 on Saturday.
The result is the program’s third seventh-place finish in the last five seasons and second in a row after 2024’s disappointing ending.
“This season we have had our ups and downs and today may have not been the best, but we did some really great things that we got to be proud of and utilize and build on as we move forward for future years to come,” head coach Brittney Emmons said. “We host the MAC Championship next year and I am ready for that revenge already.”
Central Michigan, the championships’ host team, won the event with a score of 195.725. Here are the rest of the final standings.
1.) Central Michigan: 195.725
2.) Eastern Michigan: 195.525
T3.) Kent State & Western Michigan: 195.300
5.) Ball State: 195.075
6.) Northern Illinois: 192.925
7.) Bowling Green: 191.700
Despite the seventh-place finish, sophomores Akpan, Dubin, Dzialo and Thornton performed extremely well for Bowling Green and should continue to give the Falcons hope for future seasons to come.
Vault
Vault had the closest score in the entire meet. The event was won by Kent State with a score of 48.975. Central Michigan was barely behind with a score of 48.950. Bowling Green finished seventh in the event with a score of 48.025.
Ball State graduate student Suki Pfister won the event with a 9.900. Pfister was a formidable opponent coming into the meet, having scored a program record perfect 10 last season on vault.
Bowling Green senior Katrina Mendez-Abolnik barely missed a medal, leading the Falcons with a fourth-place score of 9.825.
Uneven Bars
Uneven bars were won by the Chippewas with a score of 49.000. Ball State finished a bit behind in second with a score of 48.775. Bowling Green finished in sixth place with a score of 47.800, a full point ahead of last place Northern Illinois.
Ball State once again took the individual crown with sophomore Ashley Szymanski coming in first place.
Second-team All-MAC gymnast, junior Megan Bingham finished in 13th place with a score of 9.750 as Bowling Green’s top scorer of the event.
Balance Beam
Western Michigan – last year’s MAC Champion – won the balance beam after scoring an impressive 48.800. Kent State was barely behind with a score of 48.675. Bowling Green had its worst team performance of the night on the beam with a last-place score of 46.925.
Kent State junior Heidi Schultz barely missed a career-high with her event-winning score of 9.875.
Faye Dubin and Love Akpan led the Orange & Brown with 9.600 on the beam, good for a tie for 26th place for the sophomore duo.
Floor Exercise
The floor exercise was won by Central Michigan with a meet-high score of 49.425. Eastern Michigan finished in second after scoring a 49.300. Bowling Green’s seventh-place score of 48.950 is tied for their third-best floor performance this year.
The Chippewas boasted three of the top five gymnasts on the floor, including junior Luciana Alvarado-Reid, who won the event with a 9.925.
Bowling Green sophomore Keira Thornton finished tied for ninth with a season-high score of 9.850. Meanwhile, fellow Falcon sophomore Megan Dzialo finished tied for 25th with a career-high 9.825 performance.
Top Gymnasts
Central Michigan senior Hannah Appleget won the All-Around title with three top-10 event finishes in the meet.
Dzialo had the best day for the Falcons, coming in 12th in the All-Around after her career-high on the floor.
The 2025 MAC Championships were close with five schools in the 195-point range. Bowling Green dipped just below the pack because of their sub-par team performance on the balance beam.
Bowling Green’s regular season is now over and they will await to see if any gymnasts qualify for the NCAA Regionals.
