The BG gymnastics team started the season 3-1 for first time since 2008 after recording victories over Alaska Anchorage and Wisconsin-Whitewater at the Ozone Collegiate Classic in Knoxville, Tennessee Jan. 17.
Brigham Young finished the competition in first place with a team score of 193.075. The Falcons posted a score of 191.175 to finish second, followed by Wisconsin-Whitewater’s 189.975 and Alaska Anchorage’s 188.850.
The Falcons improved to 2-0 all-time against both Alaska Anchorage and Wisconsin-Whitewater. The Falcons last defeated UAA in 1997 and UW-W in 1978.
As a team, Bowling Green finished in a tie for first and second with BYU on bars [47.675] and beam [47.200], respectively. The Falcons also recorded second-place finishes behind Brigham Young on floor [48.325] and vault [47.975].
Head coach Kerrie Turner was not satisfied with her team’s performance, despite the two wins.
“Tonight just wasn’t our night. The team started well on floor, but we stumbled a bit on vault and didn’t recover well,” coach Turner said. “The team did stay strong and continued to try to pick up momentum. I appreciate the character they showed.”
Individually, the Falcons performed well.
Freshman Jordan Rae set a new career-high on bars with a 9.775, which placed her tied for third on the apparatus. Senior Jamilah Ali tied for first on beam with a score of 9.65.
Sophomore Lauren Feely recorded a score of 9.825 on the vault to place second. Feely’s score was the second highest individual score across the entire meet. Junior Caroline Ellingboe finished fourth on the beam with a 9.600 and fifth on bars with a 9.750
Although the Falcons did not bring their A-game, Turner stated that several of her players had great individual performances.
“We did see some great performances,” Turner said. “Jordan Rae stepped up with a great bar routine and Jamilah Ali was able to put together a strong finish on beam. Caroline Ellingboe had a solid night.”
The Falcons also got strong performances from freshman Krista Walberer, who finished tied for sixth on floor exercise with a 9.700, and senior Amanda Lievendag, who finished sixth in vault with a 9.725.
Coach Turner expects to see a significantly better Falcons squad next week when they take on Eastern Michigan.
“This is a meet that we will need to learn from and move on from,” coach Turner said. “I have no doubt we will see a different team next weekend as we begin MAC competition at Eastern Michigan.”
Bowling Green will head to Ypsilanti, Michigan on Jan. 24 to open Mid-American Conference competition at Eastern Michigan. The meet is schedule to begin at 4 p.m.
