BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — After the Mid-American Conference Championships on Saturday, Ball State University gymnastics coach Nadalie Walsh said it was "looking good" for her team to send three gymnasts to the NCAA Central Regionals.
The coach and the trio — Bibiana Rodriguez, Brittney Emmons and Tiffany Brodbeck — will find out if Walsh's prognosis was correct today when the regional fields are announced.
The top 36 teams nationally qualify for regionals, including MAC schools Central Michigan University (No. 24) and Kent State University (No. 28). Those teams and their respective regional sites will be announced at 2 p.m.
Individual qualifiers — top scorers not on a qualifying team — in each region will be announced later in the day. All information will be available on the NCAA Web site at ncaa.org.
Five gymnasts qualify for the all-around, along with one specialist in each event. Alternates for each event and the all-around will also be announced.
Based on GymInfo data released Sunday night, Emmons, who was named to the All-MAC Second Team on Saturday, should make it in the all-around as the No. 3 gymnast in the Central Region not yet qualified. Rodriguez (bars) and Brodbeck (floor exercise) should be announced as specialist qualifiers and junior Katelyn Busacker should be named as the bars alternate. Busacker will just miss out being the beam alternate as well.
The Central Regionals competition will be held April 10 in Lexington, Ky.
MAC Championships - Final Team Results
1. Central Michigan 195.6
2. Kent State 195.025
3. Eastern Michigan 193.625
4. Northern Illinois 193.2
5. Ball State 193.1
6. Western Michigan 192.875
7. Bowling Green 191.85
Ball State Finish by Event
Event Score Place
Vault 48.125 6th
Bars 48.425 3rd
Beam 48.3 4th
Floor 48.25 6th
Total 193.1 5th
Top Ball State performances in MAC Championships
Vault
9 Brittney Emmons 9.775
Uneven Bars
2 Bibiana Rodriguez 9.8
5 Julie Cotter 9.75
Balance Beam
17 Emily Wehrle 9.675
17 Katelyn Busacker 9.675
17 Brittney Emmons 9.675
17 Julie Cotter 9.675
Floor Exercise
10 Brittney Emmons 9.8
All Around
5 Brittney Emmons 38.85