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Tia Kiaku represents Ball State gymnastics at NCAA Central Regional

<p>Freshman Tia Kiaku high fives her teammates after completing her floor routine during the Red vs. White meet on Dec. 4 in John E. Worthen Arena. Teri Lightning Jr., DN</p>

Freshman Tia Kiaku high fives her teammates after completing her floor routine during the Red vs. White meet on Dec. 4 in John E. Worthen Arena. Teri Lightning Jr., DN

Ball State gymnastics sent two gymnasts to the NCAA Central Regional in Columbus on Saturday. Freshman Tia Kaiku was a specialist on floor. This is the first time the Cardinals have sent a specialist to national competition since 2016.

RELATED: Freshman Tia Kiaku and sophomore Bri Slonim selected to compete in NCAA Central Regional

Kiaku’s performance on floor scored a 9.825 putting her in a three way tie for 20th place. Kiaku's regional score matched her regional qualifying score, which gave her a third place finish on at the Mid-American Conference Championships. 

"Tia did really well and had a great time," head coach Joanna Saleem said in a press release. "This was a wonderful experience for her to take back and lead the team next year."

Kaiku finished this season with a personal record score on floor of 9.900 against Western Michigan and also recorded three of the six top scores on floor this season for the Cardinals. She also tied for 10th for Ball State's season-high finish on floor. 

Outside of Ball State, the MAC was on full display at NCAA Regional competition. Bowling Green’s Jovannah East became the second gymnast in the school’s history to qualify for national competition. Down south at the Tuscaloosa regional, Central Michigan’s Denelle Patrick qualified for national competition on floor.

Contact Jack Williams with comments at jgwilliams@bsu.edu or on Twitter @JackWilliamsBSU.

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