The gymnastics team only had to count one fall Friday at Kentucky, but only managed to finish fourth.
Ball State (2-10, 0-3 Mid-American Conference) posted a score of 191.025, finishing closely behind George Washington (191.150).
The host Wildcats (4-3) won the event with a 195.525, while Ohio State tallied a 193.000 to place second.
"Counting one fall was great, but we still need to make changes," head coach Mary Roth said.
Jessica Surridge led the Cardinals on bars, finishing fourth with a score of 9.825. She also finished fifth in the all-around (38.150).
Quiana Williams was the top BSU finisher on beam with a 9.725, finishing fifth.
Kelli Davis led the Cards in the all-around for the third consecutive meet, placing second overall with a 38.575. She registered scores of 9.675 on floor, 9.650 on vault and 9.625 on bars and beam.
"Kelli had some really tough all-arounders to compete against," Roth said. "She was really consistent."
Kentucky's Michelle Gales took the all-around title, tallying a 39.250.
Ball State finished with scores of 47.925 on bars, 47.825 on vault, 47.775 on floor and 47.500 on beam.
"The scores were lower than expected for full routines with no falls," Roth said.
The reason for the lower scores is that the Cards are still working on making adjustments to the way the judges are scoring their routines, Roth said.
Jenna Tarkington tied for team-high honors on vault with a score of 9.750. She also competed on beam and floor despite not missing three days of practice due to an injury.
"Jenna did great on beam and vault," Roth said. "She didn't have the endurance on floor; she's probably not physically ready for it. But she did really well for three days no practice."
The Cardinals have now competed in five meets this season, with five more remaining before the MAC Championship. The meet allowed Roth another opportunity to see how to handle her team's depth.
"The lineup is getting more finalized," Roth said. "We're halfway through the season. I probably know who to put up now."
Although the Cards only counted one fall, Roth knows the team still needs to continue to improve.
"There were a lot of good things, but still work needs to be done," she said. "We need to get over the hump."
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