Team Competitors
University of Alabama
National Ranking: 1
Highest Score: 197.575
Average Score: 196.877
Best Event: Vault
Top Gymnast: Ashley Priess, sophomore
What You Need to Know: Alabama has won four national titles, most recently in 2002. The Crimson Tide has qualified for the NCAA Championships for 27 consecutive years.
University of Nebraska
National Ranking: 12
Highest Score: 196.625
Average Score: 195.896
Best Event: Vault
Top Gymnast: Maria Scaffidi, junior
What You Need to Know: The Cornhuskers won four individual titles in the Big 12 Championships on March 27, including three gymnasts that were part of a seven-way tie for the vault crown.
University of Illinois
National Ranking: 13
Highest Score: 196.65
Average Score: 195.281
Best Event: Floor exercise
Top Gymnast: Allison Buckley, junior
What You Need to Know: The Illini have qualified for regionals for seven straight years. Ball State and Illinois squared off in Lexington, Ky., on Feb. 27, 2009. The Illini defeated the Cardinals 194.2-193.35.
University of Kentucky
National Ranking: 20
Highest Score: 196.05
Average Score: 195.358
Best Event: Floor
Top Gymnast: Andrea Mitchell, freshman
What You Need to Know: As the host of the regional meet, the Wildcats will have the advantage of a home crowd in Memorial Coliseum. Kentucky comes into this meet on a down note, finishing in last in the Southeastern Conference Championships on March 27.
Central Michigan University
National Ranking: 24
Highest Score: 196.35
Average Score: 194.363
Best Event: Floor
Top Gymnast: Katie Simon, senior
What You Need to Know: Central Michigan won its first Mid-American Conference Championship since 2004 this season. The Chippewas defeated the Cardinals 194.325-193.275 on March 13.
Michigan State University
National Ranking: 27
Highest Score: 195.95
Average Score: 194.6
Best Event: Floor
Top Gymnast: Nicole Curler, senior
What You Need to Know: Curler and Rochelle Robinson are the first four-time All-Big Ten selections in their school's history. Michigan State holds the largest margin of victory over a Nadalie Walsh-coa\ched Ball State team – a 196.05-189.375 Spartan win on March 2, 2007.
All-Around Competitors
Kristine Garbarino, junior, Western Michigan University
National Ranking: 74
Highest Score: 39.075
Average Score: 38.615
Best Event: Floor
What You Need to Know: Garbarino and Ball State's Brittney Emmons are 1-1 in head-to-head competition this season. Garbarino bested Emmons in the first meet of the season, but Emmons finished with the better score in the MAC Championships.
Kaylyn Millick, freshman, Eastern Michigan University
National Ranking: 82
Highest Score: 39
Average Score: 38.583
Best Event: Balance beam
What You Need to Know: Coming into the MAC Championships, Millick had not missed a vault or uneven bars performance all season. Her streak continued on the vault, but her fall on the bars was the blemish on an otherwise solid performance.
Brittney Emmons, sophomore, Ball State University
National Ranking: 83
Highest Score: 39.3
Average Score: 38.444
Best Event: Floor
What You Need to Know: Emmons competed in her only all-around meet of 2009 in Memorial Coliseum, scoring a 38.5. She holds the third-best all-around score in Ball State history with a 39.3.
Breanne Guy, senior, Bowling Green State University
National Ranking: 84
Highest Score: 38.925
Average Score: 38.33
Best Event: Bars
What You Need to Know: Guy was probably the brightest point of a disappointing MAC Championships for the Falcons. Bowling Green finished in the last place overall as the host, but Guy put up a 10th-place finish in the all-around.
Kasey Fillmore, sophomore, Bowling Green
National Ranking: 106
Highest Score: 38.7
Average Score: 38.075
Best Event: Bars
What You Need to Know: After missing 2009 with an injury, Fillmore has rebounded to qualify for regionals in her first season as a college gymnast. This is the first time Bowling Green has sent three gymnasts to regionals since 1982.
Event Competitors
Danielle Wishart, vault, freshman, Bowling Green
National Ranking: 109
Highest Score: 9.875
Average Score: 9.671
What You Need to Know: Wishart tied for first in Bowling Green's meet against Ball State on Feb. 14. Nadalie Walsh was Bowling Green coach Kerrie Beach's assistant at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh from 2001 to 2003.
Bibiana Rodriguez, bars, senior, Ball State
National Ranking: 99
Highest Score: 9.875
Average Score: 9.61
What You Need to Know: Rodriguez is capable of surprising a field. She came into the 2009 MAC Championships seeded 20th in the conference on the bars. She put up a 9.85 to win the conference title. Rodriguez is the No. 17 seed in Saturday's meet.
Nikole Viltz, beam, junior, Eastern Michigan
National Ranking: 201
Highest Score: 9.8
Average Score: 9.533
What You Need to Know: Viltz has outperformed Ball State on the beam in both meetings the Eagles and Cardinals had this year. She won the beam in their dual meet on March 21 with a season-high 9.8, and she bested all the Cardinals in the MAC Championships with a 14th-place 9.7.
Tiffany Brodbeck, floor, freshman, Ball State
National Ranking: 101
Highest Score: 9.9
Average Score: 9.777
What You Need to Know: Brodbeck is following in Emmons' footsteps; this is the second-straight year for Ball State to send a freshman to regionals on the floor. Brodbeck earned her first college event victory with a career-high 9.9 in Ball State's win over Eastern Michigan on March 21.
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