Low placement leads to Ball State gymnastics' loss to Central Michigan

<p>Junior Kaitlyn Menzione ties for second place on the bars against Bowling Green at John E. Worthen Arena Feb. 11. Menzione got a 9.825 score and went on to claim the all-around title of the meet with a 38.4. &nbsp;<strong>Rebecca Slezak, DN File</strong></p>

Junior Kaitlyn Menzione ties for second place on the bars against Bowling Green at John E. Worthen Arena Feb. 11. Menzione got a 9.825 score and went on to claim the all-around title of the meet with a 38.4.  Rebecca Slezak, DN File

Rolling off some late momentum as the season nears its end, Ball State gymnastics (9-9, 3-4 MAC) closed out the regular season at Central Michigan (9-7, 5-1 MAC). The Chippewas currently sit atop the Mid-American Conference and will host the championships this weekend.

The Cardinals started the meet out on bars and were looking for some consistency after a successful performance last weekend. Senior Jordyn Penny led the team with a score of 9.850 to take second place. Junior Kaitlyn Menzione followed, tying for fourth place with a score of 9.825. The Cardinals continued to improve on the event as they saw a 0.125-point increase from last weekend.

In the second rotation, the Cardinals continued onto vault. Freshman Arden Hudson and sophomore Bri Slonim tied for second place with a score of 9.825. Junior Sydney Finke followed, taking fifth place with a score of 9.800. The Cardinals saw another improvement on the vault by 0.125 points from last weekend.

The third rotation saw the Cardinals move into floor, an event that has seen a lot of inconstancy this season. Freshman Tia Kiaku continued to lead the Cardinals on floor as she took second with a score of 9.850. Junior Kaitlyn Menzione also tied for second with the same score. Senior Baylee Bell and junior Sydney Finke followed, tying for fifth with a score of 9.800.

The Cardinals closed out the night and the regular season on beam. Bell led the Cardinals on beam for the fifth straight meet, placing fourth with a score of 9.800. Slonim, Menzione and Penny all followed, tying for fifth with a score of 9.725.

While the Cardinals did see continuous improvement, the team failed to see a first-place finish for a second straight meet and were swept out of the beam rankings. The Chippewas walked away from the meet as victors, 196.175-195.125. The Cardinals saw a slight decrease in their overall score from last weekend by 0.275 points.

The Cardinals will return to Mount Pleasant next weekend for the MAC Championships.

Contact Jack Williams with comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter at @JackWilliamsBSU.

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