Gymnastics places last at 2018 NCAA Regionals, Pedrick advances
Sophomore all-around gymnast Danelle Pedrick performs on beam during Central Michigan University Gymnastics' final home meet of the 2018 season at McGuirk Arena on March 15.
Central Michigan gymnastics sophomore Danelle Pedrick will move on to compete in the NCAA semifinals, despite placing last as a team in the 2018 South Central Regional Championship.
After four rotations in this year’s regional championship in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the Chippewas scored a 195.825. Alabama won the meet with a 197.225 score. Georgia finished second with a 196.5, followed by Illinois, University of Michigan and Missouri.
Both Alabama and Georgia move on to compete in the semifinals as a team in St. Louis, Missouri at 1 p.m. April 20.
For the Chippewas, Pedrick will be the only gymnast to advance to the 2018 NCAA semifinals. She will be compete in the floor routine after securing a 9.9 score in the regional meet.
“Hats off to Denelle for advancing, considering there were former Olympians and national team members competing alongside her,” said head coach Jerry Reighard. “I’m extremely proud to see her continue her journey this year.”
CMU finished with its highest away meet score this season thanks to above average scores in all four rotations. The Chippewas finished their performance on floor with a 48.925.
Although sixth place is not what the Chippewas were hoping for, they’re still happy they were able to travel to Tuscaloosa and compete, senior Katy Clements said.
“Although we placed sixth, we knew we were meant to be out there,” she said. “We scored nearly a 196 and if you looked at us compared to the other teams, were earned our spot to be there and we were right there with the rest of them.”
For Reighard, this season has seen a tremendous effort from the senior class to guide the team as far as they could go.
“Today, their leadership showed,” he said. “ They presented well, they were great leaders and examples this whole trip. It’s a testament to what they’ve done all season. They’ve won some championships, and created some memories for themselves that’ll last a lifetime.”
The Chippewas finished as Mid-American Conference Tournament Champions after the regular season. Throughout MAC play, CMU only lost once in a tri-meet with Bowling Green and Ohio State.
Senior Bryttany Kaplan believes she and her teammates made an impact as their final season comes to an end.
“With our senior class, I really hope we left as legends and as leaders,” she said. “I think we’ve taught this team and program a lot about leadership in general. We started out this season making history and we finished in the (MAC) championship making history.”
