Cardinals finish 4th at MAC Championships, Pfister wins Specialist of the Year

Sophomore Suki Pfister performs her vault routine Jan. 23 at Worthen Arena. Pfister earned a score of 9.900 for this event. Rylan Capper, DN
Sophomore Suki Pfister performs her vault routine Jan. 23 at Worthen Arena. Pfister earned a score of 9.900 for this event. Rylan Capper, DN

After six rotations, sophomore gymnast Suki Pfister was named the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Specialist of the Year at the MAC Championships March 19.

“It was a crazy feeling," Pfister said. "I had so many butterflies. I couldn’t have done it without the support from my teammates.”

Ball State (6-10-1, 2-4 MAC) placed fourth out of seven competitors with a score of 195.900 points. Central Michigan claimed first place with 196.275 points. Head coach Joanna Saleem said the Cardinals displayed concentration throughout the meet despite a few errors.

“These guys all just kept their focus so I’m really proud of them for finishing strong,” Saleem said. “We had a couple [of] mistakes but we were really defiant as a group and I’m very proud of them.”

In the first rotation, Pfister and sophomore Victoria Henry each scored 9.850 points on vault to give the Cardinals a total of 48.900 points. Junior Alivia Ostendorf scored 9.750 points on vault.

On bars, senior Sandra Elsadek led the Cardinals with a career-best 9.850 points. Senior Marissa Nychyk, junior Megan Teter and freshman Grace Sumner each scored 9.800 points. After registering a career-best score, Sumner said she relied on her confidence and trusted her teammates.

“I stayed confident in myself," Sumner said. "Our team is really good. I just stayed in the moment and I feel like I really did well.”

Sumner and junior Taylor Waldo each scored 9.850 points on beam, while Ostendorf and sophomore Hannah Ruthberg contributed scores of 9.825 each. The Cardinals totaled a team-high 49.150 points on beam.

In the final rotation, Ball State was led by Teter and Henry, who each scored 9.900 points on the floor. Freshman Erica Cooper scored 9.850 points to give the Cardinals 48.975 points on the floor. 

Ball State awaits to see if it qualifies for the NCAA Regional Championship March 31-April 2. The NCAA Selection Show is March 22 at noon.

Contact Corbin Hubert with comments at cchubert@bsu.edu or on Twitter @corbin_hubert_

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