The Ball State gymnastics team played host to six other teams in the annual Cardinal Classic Friday night.
That Classic gives Ball State a chance to compete against some Division III schools, and at the same time face some tough Mid-American Conference competition. The Cardinals got exactly what they wanted.
Ball State (192.975) finished a close second behind MAC foe Central Michigan (193.200), but defeated third-place finisher Southeast Missouri State (192.425) as well as MAC rival Northern Illinois (192.300). The Cards also placed ahead of Winona State (185.450), Wisconsin-Oshkosh (180.950), and seventh place Wisconsin-Stout (174.900).
Central Michigan is near the top of the MAC standings every year and is one of Ball State's biggest rivals. Senior captain Jenny Taylor said swallowing a close defeat to a conference rival isn't an easy thing to do.
"It's a hard loss, because we could have won," Taylor said. "We had a couple of falls, and that's what made the difference in the match. Central is a really good team. They've won the MAC numerous times. To lose a match that was that close is rough."
Ball State was able to defeat Northern Illinois for the second time in two weeks. Another plus for the Cardinals was edging the Southeast Missouri State Otahkians, a team that featured all-around champion Ashley Godwin.
The Cardinals were able to put in some good performances of their own. All year the team has been led by junior Quiana Williams, and the Classic was no different. Williams won the balance beam with a personal best of 9.875. Williams also tied for third on the vault (9.725), while taking fourth in the all-around (38.425).
"Quiana's been great all year, and this is the first year she's competed in the all-around," said Taylor.
Other notables for the Cards include sophomore Jessica Surridge, who tied for first on the uneven bars with a personal best of 9.825. Surridge also finished third on the vault with a 9.725. Junior Cassie Anthony and senior Amy Bodus took second (9.825) and third (9.800) on the beam, respectively.
The Cardinals will travel to Kent State to meet up with the Golden Flashes in a dual meet on Jan. 31. Ball State will be out for revenge - the Cards suffered a one point loss to Kent State on Jan. 11.
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