After steadily improving its overall score with recent meets, the gymnastics team suffered a setback, posting its lowest score of the season at Kent State on Friday.
Ball State (2-7, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) took the top two spots on vault, but struggled with falls on bars and beam in a 194.775-190.225 loss to the Golden Flashes.
Jenna Tarkington won the vault with a score of 9.800. It was the second straight time that Tarkington has led the Cardinals in vault, as she registered a 9.750 at the Cardinal Classic.
Jessica Surridge finished second on vault, tying a season high with a 9.775.
Kelli Davis finished second in the all-around, tallying a season-best score of 38.800. Davis posted marks of 9.800 on floor, 9.700 on beam and 9.650 on both bars and beam.
"We had highs and we had lows," head coach Mary Roth said. "The highs were that Jenna won and that Surridge got second."
The lows were the Cards' poor performances on beam and bars. Ball State counted three falls on each, scoring only 46.625 on bars and 46.325 on beam. Roth said the falls on bars were the results of poor dismounts.
"Bars and beam were not good," she said. "We had a lot of falls, more than we've had all season."
The other two events (floor and vault) were great, she said. BSU posted a season high on floor (49.050) and scored a 48.400 on vault.
Freshman Brittany George scored a season high on floor (9.850), tying with Tarkington for team-high honors.
In the end, the falls were too costly for Ball State to compete with last season's MAC runner-up. Kent improved its record to 2-1, 1-0 in the MAC.
Ball State's 190.225 was its lowest score since the first competition of the season at Michigan State when Ball State also failed to score a 191 or better.
"I hope that's our one and only meet like this," Roth said.
The team continues its season Friday when it travels to Kentucky for a four-way meet in Lexington.
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