The Ball State Gymnastics team claimed a second place finish out of four teams at the inaugural Circle of Stars meet Friday evening in Indianapolis. The event was held downtown at the Convention Center.
Michigan State edged the Cardinals by less than a point to win the meet. The Spartans finished with a team score of 193.375, just ahead of the Cards score of 193.300. Eastern Michigan followed in third place with 192.325 points, while Ohio State rounded out the scoring at 190.450.
BSU trailed the field after two rotations but rebounded with its second-best beam score of the season, posting 48.325. The squad also posted its top floor score of the year with a mark of 49.200, ranking third best in school history.
Sophomore Quiana Williams led Ball State by winning the vault competition with a 9.775 and tying with a 9.875 for first place on the floor. Williams' floor score was a career best. She still ranks in the top 100 nationally, holding on to no. 83 on the vault.
With the second place finish at the Circle of Stars, BSU improves its overall record to 10-4 and its Mid-American Conference record to 3-2.
Kentucky is 5-4 overall and ranked 23rd. The Wildcats Aronda Primault is the 35th ranked all-arounder in the country.
The Cardinals will return to the road Friday, travelling to Lexington to face the University of Kentucky at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, the Cards travel to 18th-ranked Missouri. The Tigers, 2-4 overall, boast the nation's no.1 all-arounder in the country.
Head coach Mary Roth spoke about competing with nationally ranked opponents. "Our coaching goal is to have our gymnasts compete with the highest level of difficulty. We are capable of doing this, but we need to show our spectators, judges, and other programs that we can compete with anyone. There is a great degree of parity across the country and the most important thing is to be recognized as a good team with great competitors."
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