Gymnastics upcoming schedule
Feb. 2 - at Southern Utah - 7 p.m.
Feb. 8 - at Bowling Green - 2 p.m.
Feb. 13 - vs. Western Michigan - 7 p.m.
Feb. 22 - at Eastern Michigan - TBA
Feb. 27 - vs. Northern Illinois - 7 p.m.
Four days before the Ball State gymnastic team's first Mid-American Conference meet, head coach Joanna Saleem discovered that Jordan Penny, who is currently second in the all-around in the league, would have to miss the meet.
Instead of having to find one person to fill in for freshman Penny, who was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her back, Saleem added four routines to the line-up to fill in for her four events.
Despite the team's loss to Central Michigan, Saleem is confident the team can hold its own without Penny.
“I think that because we have such a large team, we have that ability to fill those spots,” she said. “I don't know if we can fill them quite to the level that Jordyn was competing, but my hope is that the girls from the team will be able to step up and show them, while we might be down a little bit, we're definitely not out.”
Although Penny competed the weekend prior to her doctor's visit and score well, the pain in her back kept building.
Penny competed all-around at her first two meets and was second in the all-around for the MAC. She also placed third on uneven bars for the conference and was Ball State's second-highest scorer on vault.
Saleem was happy with the performance of the athletes who filled in for Penny, and said most of the team's problems were on the beam.
“Gymnastics is such a dynamic sport that injuries are just part of it,” Saleem said. “We have to be prepared to be able to compensate and have other team members step in."
Losing Penny is a difficult blow for a team at 0-4, because she can compete in four different events, which she was recruited to do.
Saleem said if the healing process goes well, Penny could return toward the end of the season.
Despite initially taking the news of her injury hard, Penny said she was happy she found out about the injury now instead of later on in her gymnastics career.
After all, she still has three more years of college eligibility.
“I cried about [the injury] at first, but now I'm playing a different role," Penny said. "I'm being a cheerleader for the team. It's not something I can't come back from.”
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