KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan gymnastics team returns to Mid-American Conference competition as it heads to Central Michigan for a 7 p.m. Friday meet. With two MAC meets remaining, the Broncos top the league standings with a 4-0 ledger while Central Michigan sits in fourth with a 2-2 mark.
 
The Broncos are looking to improve to 5-0 in MAC competition for the first time since 2006, when they recorded victories against Kent State, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois, Bowling Green and Ball State. The five league victories would tie the 2006 squad for the most in program history.
 
This winter, Western Michigan is 5-1 in dual meets with the lone loss at No. 23 Illinois on February 14 by a 195.900-194.850 final.
 
WMU has dropped 12 consecutive meets to the Chippewas, last downing CMU 192.600-190.375 on February 18, 2007. Western Michigan's last victory in Mount Pleasant was a 170.650-170.300 triumph on January 16, 1988. A year ago in Kalamazoo against CMU, the Broncos fell, 193.675-192.700. Rachel Underwood had the top finish for WMU, winning the balance beam with a career-high 9.875. Morgan Spence placed second on the floor with a 9.800 while Stacie Harrison took second on the vault with a 9.800.
 
Last weekend, Western Michigan traveled to the West Virginia Quad Meet and tallied a final score of 195.075. Overall this season, WMU has surpassed 195.000 four times. Individually in Morgantown, W.Va., freshman Ronni Binstock and sophomore Carissa Ludwig had the highest finishes as Binstock claimed third on the floor and Ludwig tied for third on the vault. Spence, a junior, finished third in the all-around with a 38.350.
 
Entering the seventh week of the 2020 season, the Broncos are 36th in the country with a 195.060 national qualifying score (NQS). The mark paces the MAC, edging Central Michigan (194.995). Qualification for the NCAA Championship is based on a team's and an all-around competitor's six best regular-season meet scores, of which three must be away. To obtain the NQS, the high score is eliminated and the remaining five scores are averaged.
 
Individually for the Broncos, senior Amelia Mohler is second in the MAC on the beam with an NQS of 9.835 and fourth on the bars with an NQS of 9.810. Binstock is tied for fourth in the league on the floor with an NQS of 9.835. Freshman Amanda Gruber is tied for seventh on the beam with an NQS of 9.795.
 
Following the meet at Central Michigan, WMU returns home for its Senior Day meet against Kent State at 1 p.m. on March 8.
 
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