KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan gymnastics team defeated Cal, 191.300 to 189.650, picking up its second win of the season Friday at University Arena. Andrea Perini tied as the top all-arounder and Kristine Garbarino placed first in two events.
Western Michigan (2-16) made use of its first home meet in five weeks, earning its first victory since defeating Illinois-Chicago on Jan. 31. The Brown & Gold had the top finisher in three of four events, as Garbarino took first on the uneven bars and floor and Perini recorded the high score on the vault.
Perini started the Broncos off with a 9.775 on the vault, while Garbarino and Liz Prouty tied for third, sticking 9.600's. WMU totaled a 48.100 in the event, taking the lead after the first rotation and hanging on to it the rest of the way.
On the second rotation, Garbarino paced the pack with a 9.750 on the bars and Perini came through with a 9.675, good enough for third. Casey McGranahan also competed on the bars for just the second time after recovering from a broken foot suffered against Eastern Michigan on Jan. 18. She landed a 9.550 to finish fifth.
Cal (0-11) took the top two spots on the balance beam. Sophia Hocini had the high score with a 9.700. She also went on to tie Perini in the all-around, both totaling a 38.825. Perini and Prouty were WMU's top finishers on the beam, going three-four, respectively, with a 9.625 and 9.575.
Garbarino closed out the night with a 9.775 on the floor, taking first. Perini's 9.750 placed third and McGranahan's 9.725 gave her a fourth-place finish. Floor would be the Broncos' best event, totaling 48.200 as a team. "It was good to be back in our gym and get a win," WMU head coach Terry Karwoski said.
"We had a few stumbles here and there, but for the most part held everything together really well. It's great to get Casey back and Garbarino was back at full strength after battling some sickness the last few weeks. We need to fine tune some things for Monday, but this was a well deserved win."
Western Michigan (0-4 MAC) will host its second meet in a four-day span, welcoming Mid-American Conference foe Northern Illinois (4-4, 3-1 MAC) Monday. Competition begins at 1 p.m.
