KALAMAZOO, Mich.- The Western Michigan gymnastics program captured its fourth Mid-American Conference championship in school history Saturday, sharing the 2013 title with Central Michigan.
Both the Broncos and Chippewas totaled a 194.800 to finish as co-champions, ahead of regular season winner Kent State, with a 194.775.
Northern Illinois (194.050) took fourth, followed by Bowling Green (193.750) in fifth. Eastern Michigan (193.675) and Ball State (192.500) rounded out the field.
The end of the meet came down to the wire, as Central Michigan sat the seventh rotation with a bye, alreading owning a 194.800, while Western Michigan performed on the uneven bars and Kent State went up on balance beam. The Broncos scored a 48.725 to pull even with CMU, while Kent State watched its title hopes fade away with falls on beam.
Western Michigan freshman Jessi Buis took home an individual title on vault, tying for first with Bowling Green's Jamilah Ali. Buis' score of 9.875 went down as a career high. She joins her mother, WMU Athletic Hall of Famer Bonnie (Boggianio) Buis as a MAC champion. Bonnie won the floor exercise on the 1987 WMU MAC championship team.
Jessi becomes the fourth vault champion in school history, joining Jennifer Sturgis (2006), Natalie Leach (1992) and Jackie Klein (1987).
Senior Caroline O'Brien closed out her career in Brown & Gold with a runner-up finish on the uneven bars, scoring a 9.850. Also reaching the podium for bars was junior Shelby MacDonald, placing fifth with a 9.800.
Kayla Weber was this year's recipient of the conference's Freshman of the Year Award and was recognized as First Team All-MAC. She becomes just the second Bronco to earn the Freshman of the Year honor, joining Andrea Ruhe, who won the award in 1998.
Weber competed as an all-arounder and placed sixth with a 38.575. She and junior Lauren Bledsoe had the team's best total on floor, tying for eighth with a 9.850. O'Brien turned in WMU's highest score on beam, tying for 13th with a 9.725.
The host of this year's meet, Western Michigan has now won a title each of the last two times it has hosted the MAC Championships. The Broncos add the 2013 trophy along to their hardware from the 2006, 1987 and 1986 seasons.
The team's total of 194.800 is the second best ever at the MAC Championships, second only to the 195.000 scored at last year's meet in DeKalb, Ill. It the sixth-best score overall in program history.
2013 MAC Gymnastics AwardsFreshman of the Year –
Kayla Weber, Western Michigan
Specialist of the Year – Rachel Guida, Kent State
Senior Gymnast of the Year – Brittney Emmons, Ball State
Co-Gymnast of the Year – Brittany Petzold, Central Michigan and Marie Case, Kent State
Coach of the Year – Kerrie Beach, Bowling Green
All-MAC First TeamBrittney Emmons, Ball State
Brittany Petzold, Central Michigan
Marie Case, Kent State
Rachel Guida, Kent State
Kim Gotlund, Northern Illinois
Kayla Weber, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second TeamJamilah Ali, Bowling Green
Megan Harrington, Bowling Green
Halle Morraw, Central Michigan
Taylor Noonan, Central Michigan
Khadijah Hudson, Eastern Michigan
Anna Willette, Eastern Michigan
