KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- A record-setting afternoon from
Payton Murphy powered the Western Michigan gymnastics team to its second-consecutive team score over 196 and a victory over Eastern Michigan on Sunday afternoon at University Arena.
Murphy set the school record in all-around while tying a 17-year old school record on beam to power the Broncos to a final score of 196.025. It took everything Western Michigan had, as Eastern Michigan posted a team score of 195.975.
Head coach
Penny Jernigan's squad went over 196 just three days ago in a win at Kent State (196.050). Before exceeding the 196-point plateau twice this week, the mark had only been reached four times in school history.
Murphy broke the school record in all-around competition, posting a score of 39.375. She topped the mark previously held by Rachel Underwood, who scored a 39.350 against Ball State in 2018. En route to the all-around record, Murphy tied the school record on balance beam. Her score of 9.950 matched former Broncos Julia Haines-LaPenta and Christy Sassic, who both posted the score during the 2004 season.
The Eagles held a narrow lead after the first rotation with a team score of 49.050 on bars, paced by 9.875 from Jada Rondeau. That was just ahead of WMU's 48.925 on vault. WMU moved into the lead after the second rotation, scoring 48.900 on uneven bars to reach 97.825 at the midway point of the meet. That moved them ahead of EMU's 97.650 after scoring 48.600 on vault.
The Broncos maintained a lead through three rotations, with a 49.025 on beam running the team total to 146.850. That was just ahead of EMU's 146.625 following a 48.975 team score on floor. The final rotation saw WMU go for 49.175 on floor, powered by 9.925 scores from Murphy and
Carissa Ludwig. That was enough to push the hosts to 196.025 and past Eastern's final score of 195.975 (49.350 on beam in the final rotation).
Vault competition saw Broncos finish in the top five spots, with
Sarah Moravansky pacing the group at 9.825.
Stacie Harrison, Murphy and Ludwig all tied for second at 9.800. Eastern took the top two spots on bars, but Moravansky and Harrison tied for third at 9.825. Murphy's 9.950 tied for the top spot on beam with EMU's Jada Rondeau. Murphy and Ludwig tied for the top two spots on floor.
The meet marked Senior Day for a trio of Broncos in
Stacie Harrison,
Alexis Olivier and
Sarah Shirley. The group was recognized following the meet. Harrison recorded a 9.825 on bars while adding 9.800 on both vault and floor. Olivier posted 9.800 on bars.
| Penny's Thoughts
On eclipsing 196 for the second time this week...
"It's amazing. We knew this team had the potential to be a 196 team and to see them fulfilling that potential is an amazing feeling."
On the final rotation...
"I wasn't watching Eastern (on beam), but I know they are a strong team and that they were going to close strong, so I had my back to them. But our first competitor went out-of-bounds and I thought 'Wow, the drama.' But everyone after came through. I'm so proud of them closing like they did and hats off to Eastern."
On Murphy's record-breaking performances...
"I'm not surprised at all. I've been saying since she showed up that she is going to be a legend here. She's following in the footsteps of Rachel Underwood, who was a phenomenal all-around gymnast for us for four years. They're both from Illinois, so our recruiting is getting really lucky in Illinois. Payton's a rock star. She's just going to continue to improve and improve."
On the senior class...
"They've meant so much to our program. They've been part of a huge culture change for us. They're really positive and happy. They bring joy to the gym every single day and I can't tell you how important that is. They've been incredible students, incredible leaders on the team and I can't say enough good things about them."
| Leaderboard
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*-Set or tied collegiate-best; ^-Set or tied school record
| Up Next
The Broncos have a pair of meets remaining before hosting the 2021 MAC Gymnastics Championships in Kalamazoo on March 20. WMU travels to Ball State for a dual meet on Sunday, Feb. 28, before joining both Eastern Michigan and Ball State for a quad meet at Central Michigan on Saturday, March 13.
