The Ball State University gymnastics team will face its second-straight top-25 team when it travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich. to face No. 23 Central Michigan University.
Ball State coach Nadalie Walsh had a couple of unique scheduling choices Friday. Freshman Emily Wehrle and sophomore Ellie Carrico were held out of the meet due to nagging injuries.
The gymnastics team will head to Gainesville, Fla., ready for its toughest matchup of the season. Ball State University will face No. 4 University of Florida and the University of North Carolina at 7 p.m. Friday.
Ball State (5-7, 0-4 Mid-American Conference) was able to count 20 clean routines in Sunday's meet, allowing the Cardinals to get their second-best score of the season.
Ball State is more than halfway through its regular season, and the wear and tear of the sport has started to take its toll on the gymnasts. Coach Nadalie Walsh said she may rest some gymnasts so they are in peak shape come the MAC Championships.
Bibiana Rodriguez was named the Mid-American Conference co-Specialist of the Week on Tuesday. She is the fourth Ball State University athlete to earn an award from the MAC this week.
Halfway through the season, the Ball State University gymnastics team now knows where it stands in regard to advancing to the NCAA Central Regionals on April 10.
If the Cardinals are going to win today, they place they will need to minimize mistakes is on the balance beam. Ball State had three consecutive falls on the beam last week, which caused its loss to Bowling Green State University.
In what was a very competitive meet, Ball State won the vault with a season-best 48.525 along with the floor Sunday. Illinois State took the beam honors and Texas Woman's triumphed on the bars.
Planning the music is important. When the gymnast, coach and arranger are preparing the music, they want to plan the music for tumbling passes. After those passes, it is common to have a little down time in the music so the gymnast can catch her breath.
Successive falls on the balance beam cost Ball State as it lost to Bowling Green State University 191.575-190.475 Sunday at Worthen Arena.
This is another meet where either team could conceivably pull out the victory. Bowling Green has the higher average score on the season, but the Cardinals have the momentum by outscoring the Falcons last week.
Brittney Emmons and the Cardinals return to action at 1 p.m. Sunday when they host Bowling Green State University at Worthen Arena.
Emmons' all-around score is the third-best all-time at Ball State, and the highest score ever recorded in a regular season meet.
This will be the first meet of the season for Ball State not on a Sunday. Coach Nadalie Walsh said that she thinks the short week will not affect her team, adding that the gymnasts have been efficient in practice to be prepared for the meet.
Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. In gymnastics, close is the difference between winning and losing. The Ball State University gymnastics team learned that lesson the hard way yet again. The team was one fall on the balance beam short of a perfect meet – being able to count 20 clean routines – as it lost to Illinois State University (194.15-193.925) Friday night.
Ball State posted a score of 192.85. However, the Cardinals' season-high team score was not enough to overcome the host Wildcats, who had a near flawless day to win the event with a score of 195. New Hampshire won each event to take the team title. Ball State finished in second in the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor exercise.
At approximately 950 miles away, the trip to Durham, N.H. from Muncie represents the farthest that the squad will be away from its nest this season. The extended travel will be unique for the team. The Cardinals will fly to the meet, which allows the team to take only its competitors, coach Nadalie Walsh said.
Coach Nadalie Walsh is trying to answer one question."It's still early, but where are we as a team?" she said.Walsh hopes to find answers this Saturday when the Ball State University women's gymnastics team hosts the University of Kentucky in an exhibition meet at 1 p.m. in Worthen Arena. This will be the first exhibition meet that the Cardinals have held during Walsh's tenure. In previous seasons, the team has held an intrasquad exhibition to prepare for the regular season, she said.
