CMU preps to host MAC championship Saturday
The Central Michigan gymnastics program will look to repeat as Mid-American Conference champions on Saturday when it hosts the conference tournament at McGuirk Arena.
The Chippewas (17-1, 6-0 MAC) will take the floor at 2 p.m. in search of its 12th MAC championship in program history.
Junior Kristin Tuebner said the last week of practice in the arena has helped alleviate some of the pressure the team faces entering the weekend as the No. 1 seed.
“I think it brings pressure, but it is also kind of a reliever because it's our equipment and our house," she said. "So it almost takes a little bit of the pressure off because we will be used to everything."
Head coach Jerry Reighard corroborated that feeling, saying that the coaching staff has accepted the pressures of reality since the ranking was released. For Reighard, the added week in the home arena should also help to benefit his gymnasts with the equipment and placement of things on the floor.
“The biggest advantage is that we're using the equipment and we’re experimenting with all of the logistics of the meet,” Reighard said, "so nothing will be haphazard (during) the day of the competition."
The Chippewas will look to senior Cheryl Conlin and Teubner, who paced the squad the previous weekend in the floor exercise (season-high 49.225), tying for the top two spots with a score of 9.875. Conlin won the championship in 2010 in the floor exercise with a score of 9.850, while Teubner claimed a championship in 2009 on the same event with a matching score.
Senior Andrea de la Garza ended the day with four top-three finishes, including a second-place finish with a 39.150. De la Garza is also in search of her third MAC title, as she won the all-around in 2008 and tied for first in the floor exercise in 2010.
Also hoping to return to the podium will be sophomore Britney Taylor, who won the championship last season on the vault with a 9.825.
Tough marks from judges is something Reighard said has followed his team throughout the season, but he feels with the added scoring scrutiny on Saturday, his team should be more than apt to handle it.
With a judging panel consisting of members from Florida, Louisiana, Utah and New England, Reighard said his team will be prepared for any possible differences in marks.
“The fact we have been every place and that different judges may have different looks at the way things are done (should be a positive),” Reighard said. “For the most part, we have been able to please every different set of judges we have encountered.”
