It has been six years and there have been two head coaches since the Ball State University gymnastics team has appeared in the NCAA Regional gymnastics competition.
In 2003, Ball State's Quiana Williams placed 10th in the all-around competition, Amy Bodus placed 13th in the all-around and Cassie Anthony competed on the uneven bars and the balance beam in the NCAA Central Regional under then-head coach Lisa Simonton.
Current Cardinal gymnasts - Teresa Phipps, All-Mid-American Conference First Team selection Bibiana Rodriguez and freshman Brittney Emmons - will be afforded a similar opportunity at 4 p.m. Saturday when they travel to Columbus, Ohio, for a meeting with six of the top programs in the country.
Phipps will compete in the all-around competition, Rodriguez on the uneven bars and Emmons on the vault and floor exercise, with selections based on scores amassed throughout the regular season.
With a customized focus on the events in which head coach Nadalie Walsh's gymnasts will compete, preparing for Saturday's meet has been an easier and more direct process, Walsh said.
"Each day they go in and do what makes them feel like they're accomplishing things that make them feel confident," Walsh said. "It's been really good to individualize the workouts and not have to worry about drilling events they won't compete in [Saturday].
"They are excited and the quality of their training has gotten even better since conference. They've been getting into a really good mental mode of knowing what they need to do for themselves."
Practice and preparation for regional competition began March 25 after Walsh allowed her qualifiers time to rest their joints and emotions following the MAC Championships.
The atmosphere in the team's Field and Sports Building practice facility, however, has not been the same since the conclusion of the regular season, Rodriguez said.
"To be honest, it stinks," Rodriguez said. "We don't have the same energy without all of our teammates there, so it's been a little different than what it's been like [all season]."
Rodriguez and her two fellow teammates look forward to the opportunity of representing Ball State with pride and joy, she said.
"It's such on honor; I never thought we would actually get here," Rodriguez said. "For some reason, I see regionals as something bigger than any other meet I have ever been in. When you get to college, gymnastics is so fun - I guess that's why it was such a shock to me."
As a first-year member on the gymnastics team, Emmons has taken much of her early success and effect on Ball State gymnastics in stride with grace, Walsh said.
"She is proud of herself for being so consistent," said Walsh of her freshman's abilities. "This is a huge accomplishment for her personally this year. We're really proud of her, and I think she'll be a great leader [for the girls] next year."
Much of the leadership qualities Walsh sees in Emmons are founded on the personal confidence that has been evident since day one.
"I know that I can make my routines because I have done it all season long," Emmons said. "It's just those little things that make the difference between a 9.800 vault and a 9.900 vault, and a 9.800 floor routine and a 9.900 floor routine.
"[Walsh] has told us we've worked all season long for this, and we still made it as individuals. She says that we have great skill and have been trained well. If I go out there and give 100 percent and say that I've left everything on the floor, I couldn't ask for anything more."
Praise and respect have been solicited to Walsh from her gymnasts all season long. It is a knowledge of the sport of gymnastics and an understanding of how to communicate, Emmons said, that has allowed her and her teammates to perform as well as they have under Walsh's guidance.
"She knows how to coach and how to deal with us in every state," Emmons said. "Her experience has helped us to be able to grow and to see what goals she sees [for our program]. We want to go to the gym to work hard everyday and get a ring on our finger like she earned [at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh]."
Louisiana State University, Oregon State University, Ohio State University, Kent State University, the University of Kentucky and Michigan State University are the opponents Ball State will face in the Central Regional.
The Southeastern Conference, Pacific 10 Conference and Big Ten Conference have won 18 of the NCAA Championships since 1982. . The 2009 MAC Champion, Kent State, won its second consecutive conference title at the MAC Championship Meet in March..
Rodriguez said she liked she and her team's chances of executing routines in the regional.
"I know we're going to do really well," she said. "I expect high scores and better routines than what we did at MAC.
"It's going to be kind of hard because everybody is going to be doing bigger skills than what we're used to. But it's all about staying focused on our skills."
Carrying themselves in a cool and collected manner, the Cardinals' presence in the post-season could be summed up in three words.
"We're still alive," Emmons said.
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