MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Saturday, Ball State Gymnastics placed fifth at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) meet with 195.075 points, competing against Northern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, Bowling Green, Central Michigan, Kent State and Western Michigan.
Central Michigan placed first with 195.725, Eastern Michigan with 195.525 placed second, Kent State and Western Michigan tied third with 195.300, Northern Illinois placed sixth with 192.925 and Bowling Green was seventh with 191.700.
Individually, the Cardinals did well with graduate student Suki Pfister earning MAC Vault Champion with her hand front-pike with a half-out earning a 9.900. Sophomore Ashley Szymanski earned the MAC Bars Championship scoring a 9.875 and was awarded the MAC Specialist of the Year.
The specialist award surprised Szymanski.
“I'm definitely very, very honored to receive the nomination and the award,” she said. “This award speaks to the team standing behind me [and] pulling me forward.”
With the meet having seven teams, it's a different type of event, Head Coach Joanna Saleem said.
“It's a long meet, and there's a lot of highs and lows and emotions that go into that,” Saleem said. “This team is a team I'm super proud of. We've been through a lot this year, and they stayed in the competition until the very end.”
As she tells her team, she's proud of the performances.
Beginning on the balance beam for their first rotation, the Cardinals scored 48.250; while Central Michigan scored 48.950 on the vault, Eastern Michigan scored 48.725 on the uneven bars, and Western Michigan, on the floor, earned 49.175.
On the second rotation, Bowling Green scored 48.025 on vault, Northern Illinois 46.700 on bars, Eastern Michigan 48.575 on beam and Kent State 49.200 on the floor.
For the third rotation, Ball State scored 49.175 on the floor, Western Michigan 48.750 on vault, Central Michigan 49.000 on bars and Northern Illinois 48.475 on beam.
On the fourth rotation, Kent State earned 48.975 on vault, Bowling Green scored 47.800 on bars, Central Michigan 48.350 on beam and Eastern Michigan 49.300 on floor.
On rotation five, Ball State scored 48.875 on vault, while Western Michigan scored 48.575 on the bars, Bowling Green 46.925 on beam and Northern Illinois 49.175 on the floor.
Scoring her 9.900 and winning vault champion felt like a perfect ending for Pfister's last MAC Championship meet, she said.
She felt her determination helped her win the event, especially coming back from a fall on vault the meet prior.
“I really wanted to come back strong, and I was working hard at practice for that, not putting too much pressure on myself, but still staying determined and gritty,” she said. “Then in the moment, everyone was cheering, and I knew everyone had my back, and they were there to support me in it, and I knew I was going to hit that vault.”
The sixth rotation had Eastern Michigan scoring 48.925 on vault, Kent State 48.450 on bars, Western Michigan 48.800 on beam and Central Michigan scoring 49.425 on floor.
Ending on bars, Ball State scored 48.775 on the seventh rotation, while Northern Illinois scored 48.575 on vault, Kent State 48.675 on beam and Bowling Green 48.950 on floor.
Szymanski — who's ranked first on bars and is the reigning MAC champion — was excited and ready to compete. Beyond the physical practice, she prepares herself with mental toughness training.
“Going into the meet as reigning champion, kind of trying to defend that,” she said. “I didn't really think about it too much. It was a thought, and I was like, ‘Okay, that was last year. This is where my feet are, and this is where I'm going to stand,’ and so it is all wrapped up into that.”
With the MAC meet finished, Saleem is looking toward the future. It provided a learning experience for the team, she said.
Saleem wants to continue working on team bonding, along with handling loud environments, exciting venues and pressure.
“It's just been a phenomenal group of young women that have worked together,” she said. “We've been through a lot of adversity and a lot of things that were out of our control this year, and they never once gave up, and they never once got negative.”
“They stayed together, and they stayed positive and they stayed determined … It's a testament to the culture of the standards that they've set for each other, and so, I'm excited to keep building on that as we move forward into the future.”
Contact Hannah Amos via email at hannah.amos@bsu.edu or on X @Hannah_Amos_394.
Read More
The Ball wives fought for Women's Suffrage, joining Muncie's strong and diverse suffrage community
By Hannah Amos / 9 minutes agoThrough the Woman's Franchise League of Muncie, the Ball wives financially supported and represented the organization at state level for the Women's Suffrage Movement.
Pleasant spring weather interrupted by thunderstorms later
By Ian Kowalski / 11 hours agoWeather Forecaster Ian Kowalski tracks average conditions before a late-week warm-up accompanied by showers
What you need to know for Admitted Student Day
By Newslink Staff / 14 hours agoA student's guide for making the most of Ball State’s Admitted Student Day.
