Despite having four first place finishes in individual events, the Ball State University gymnastics team fell to Western Michigan University 189.2-187.425 Sunday in the Cardinals' first match of the 2009-10 season.
Sophomore Brittney Emmons led Ball State with first place victories in both the vault and floor exercise. Freshman Nicole Allen tied Emmons for first on the vault with a 9.7, while junior Katelyn Busacker tied for first on the uneven bars with a 9.7.
Although Busacker posted a high score, the bars, the Cardinals' first event of the meet, turned out to be the team's downfall. Western Michigan won the bars 47.675-46.375 — the only event in the meet with a discrepancy of more than a point.
Ball State was forced to play catch-up for the rest of the meet.
The Cardinals did temporarily take the lead going into the last rotation. However, Western Michigan's strong scores on the floor and four falls by Ball State on the balance beam clinched the victory for the Broncos.
Ball State coach Nadalie Walsh was unable to be reached for comment Sunday night.
One solace for the team can come from its performance on the vault. It was Ball State's only victorious event for the meet (47.65-47.35), and it represented an increase of more than one point from the exhibition meet held in December.
The Cardinals also had an improvement in the floor exercise, led by a 9.775 from Emmons.
Freshmen Morgan Coslow and Emily Wehrle made their Cardinal debuts against the Broncos. Coslow posted scores of 9.4 on both the vault and bars, and Wehrle had a 9.25 on the beam.
In the all-around, Emmons finished second (37.475) to Western Michigan junior Kristine Garbarino, who notched a 38.55.
The Cardinals total score was relatively consistent to their exhibition meet on Dec. 5, when the team registered a team score of 187.45.
Ball State will attempt to rebound and earn its first victory in a four-way meet Sunday in New Hampshire.
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