Gymnastics distances itself in MAC standings with win at Western Michigan
Another clean sweep of all events was achieved Sunday by the gymnastics team as it defeated the Western Michigan with a score of 194.375-192.200 in Kalamazoo.
Solidifying their spot as the No. 1 team in the league, the Chippewas (11-1, 4-0 Mid-American Conference) distanced themselves even further from second place teams WMU (3-1 MAC) and Kent State (1-1 MAC).
The Chippewas got to work early in front of a crowd of 432 people, posting wins in all four events. CMU started off strong, winning the uneven bars with a final score of 48.700.
Leading the squad was freshman Brittany Petzold, who totaled a 9.825. Freshman Alyssa Wilson would follow in second place with a 9.775. Petzold provided the squad with a boost as she also won the all-around with a 39.050.
Head coach Jerry Reighard said that his freshman is on the verge of eclipsing the 39.1 mark and that he expects her averages to continue to rise throughout the remainder of the season.
“She has been able to really put together a string of meets, and as a freshman that is an outstanding accomplishment,” Reighard said.
A breakout performance was delivered by redshirt freshman Megan McWhorter, who claimed the overall victory on the vault with a 9.800. McWhorter was awarded the MAC Specialist of the Week award on Thursday, after a career on the vault (9.875) last weekend against Kent State.
Reighard was very pleased with McWhorter’s repeat performance this weekend, as her consistency is starting to show in her scores.
“The hard work she is putting into the gym and the conscientious effort to make herself better is paying off week after week,” Reighard said.
The team would claim the beam (48.725) win behind senior Cheryl Conlin’s 9.850. Petzold would finish in second in the event with a 9.775.
Sophomore Britney Taylor would tie with Conlin for the win on the floor with scores of 9.825. Senior Andrea de la Garza would come in third place in the event with a 9.750.
CMU claimed the top four spots in the all-around category, with de la Garza finishing in second with a 38.875 and junior Kristin Teubner in third place with a 38.375. Taylor finished in the fourth slot with a 38.150.
The Chippewas will return to McGuirk Arena at 7 p.m. Thursday when they compete in a quad meet against Eastern Michigan, Alaska-Anchorage and Southeast Missouri State.
Although the squad will only have three days to prepare for the home meet, Reighard said that they will maintain their regular schedule and practice everyday.
“This is uncharted territory for all of us, this is just not done very often in gymnastics,” Reighard said. “We’re not going to rest a day, we’re just going to attack this thing and go after it.”
