KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan gymnastics team makes its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1981 on Thursday, April 1, when the Broncos face NC State in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA Gymnastics Championships. The teams square off in a dual meet at 3 p.m. ET in Athens, Georgia, looking to earn the right to advance to the second round and face Central Michigan.
Head coach
Penny Jernigan has piloted WMU to an NCAA Regional for the first time in the modern era. Western Michigan competed in a regional in 1981, an era which saw the NCAA and Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women hold competing championships. That year, current WMU athletics director
Kathy Beauregard was the head coach as the Broncos placed third at an NCAA Regional.
| Scouting the Broncos
WMU enters the NCAA Regional boasting the MAC Gymnast of the Year in
Payton Murphy, as well as the Freshman of the Year and 2021 MAC All-Around Champion in
Sarah Moravansky. Murphy was also a first team All-MAC selection, while Moravansky,
Ronni Binstock and
Dani Petrousek were all named to the All-Tournament Team for their performances at the MAC Championships.
The historic season for WMU has seen the Broncos twice score over 196 as a team (after previously reaching that mark four times in program history), won a dual at Kent State for the first time since 1991 and handed previously 12-0 Ball State its first loss of the year. Western Michigan also scored dual meet wins over rivals Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
Individually, Murphy set the school record for all-around score (39.375) while she also tied a 17-year-old school record on the balance beam (9.950).Â
Â
| Scouting the Wolfpack
NC State has made an NCAA Regional each season since the current championship format was adopted in 2018. The Wolfpack is coming off a second-place finish at the East Atlantic Gymnastics League Championship. Emily Shepard earned a pair of podium finishes for NC State, placing second on vault and tying for second in the all-around competition.
Â
| 2021 Top Wolfpack |
| Vault |
Chloe Negrete
Emily Shepard |
9.900 |
| Bars |
Emily Shepard |
9.900 |
| Beam |
Emily Shepard |
9.900 |
| Floor |
Chloe Negrete |
9.950 |
| All-Around |
Emily Shepard |
39.500 |
| Team |
|
196.900 |
| On Deck
The winner will advance to face Central Michigan in the second round on Friday, April 2. That competition will begin at 7 p.m. ET. The winner of that dual will face the winner of a contest between No. 1 Florida and No. 16 Illinois to advance to the NCAA Championships (April 16-17).
