Gymnastics for a strong start with the best opening point since 2018

COLOMBIA, MO – – To be considered one of the best, you have to fight with the best. The Ball State gymnast team did just that Friday night and opened the season with a strong performance in the No. 3 trio. 16 at the Missouri’s Hearnes Center.

Overall, behind the solid teamwork, the Cardinals made their best season opening point since 2018 with 193,775 points. While the score was behind the host and nationally ranked Tigers (196,600), it was good enough to win the Illinois State (191,600), which won votes in the Preseason WCGA National Poll.

“There were some really great moments tonight that were exciting and fun to watch,” head coach Joanna Saleem said. “We also had some learning moments. It’s exciting to get out and get started, and what we all wanted to do. Although we did well, we had some inconsistencies that we can learn from, grow and do better from next week onwards.”

Ball State opened the match with bars and the team scored 48,450. The leader was a junior Megan Teter with a rating of 9,800. It was his ninth career 9,800 or better effort at the event, and his best point to start the season at the bars. It was also strong enough to earn in the third meeting.

Freshman Grace Sumner also made an impact in his first college event and finished second on the team with 9,725 points.

Next up for Ball State was a beam in which five of the six Cardinals scored at least 9,600 points and the team 48,600. This time it was older Lauren Volpe which would lead the way and get the best point of his career at 9,850. It was the Ball State gymnast’s highest score in the evening and finished fifth in the overall competition for the event.

“Lauren’s bar routine was awesome,” Saleem said. “It was so much fun to watch him get up there and be rock solid and smooth.”

Sumner also shone in his second and final event of the day, finishing second at the Cardinals on field 9,775.

“Grace shocked both of her events,” Saleem said. “Coming out and being competitive right outside the gate was really fun to follow. I also liked the commitment of the whole team. The way they stayed together and continued to fight throughout the meeting certainly says something positive about this group.”

Ball State’s best overall event was the floor, with four student-athletes reaching the routine with an event score of 9,700 or better at 48,650. This time it was a second course Hanna Ruthberg which would be the pioneer with a score of 9.775. It was the best of four event results for Ruthberg, who finished second among all-time competitors at 38,150.

Adding layer routines to the 7950 BSU was older Sandra Elsadek and Teter. It was also the highest of the four points in the event for Elsadek, who finished third in the overall race with 37,900 points.

The Cardinals finished the race in the vault and scored 48,075. Senior Stefanie Schweikert accelerated the team by 9,800 points in his career to 19 points by 9,800 points or better.

BSU 2021 NCAA Regional Vault Qualifiers, sophomore Victoria Henry, did not lag far behind by 9,750.

The Ball State gymnastics team is aiming to build on tonight’s performance next Sunday (January 16) as it travels to Western Michigan at 1 p.m.

“While it was stable, we won’t be content with this performance tonight,” Saleem concluded. “This was a start, and our team identified areas we need to grow and learn from. We’re better than what we showed today, and I think our student-athletes will take that experience and use it to move forward.”