YPSILANTI, Mich. – Western Michigan junior Payton Murphy won the beam and was co-champion  on the floor, while freshman Halle Faulkner was co-champion in the vault as the Bronco gymnastics team took third place at the 2022 Mid-American Conference Championship at Eastern Michigan University on Saturday.
 
Murphy, Faulkner and Amanda Gruber were all named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
 
Central Michigan took first place with a 196.275, followed by Northern Illinois at 196.15. The Broncos finished with a score of 196.075.
 
"That was a heart-breaker," said head coach Penny Jernigan. "We were leading the whole meet. We knew this meet would be competitive and go down to the very last routine. We're very proud of what the team has accomplished this year."
 
Murphy claimed her MAC title on the beam with a score of 9.925, with Gruber tying for second place after a score of 9.900. Rylee Gallmeyer finished tied for sixth place on the beam with a score of 9.850. Murphy then tied the second-highest score in program history on the floor with a 9.950 to share the MAC title with NIU's Tara Kofmehl. Cassie St. Claire finished tied for seventh with a score of 9.875.
 
Faulker shares the MAC title on the vault with CMU's Katie Kowalski after both posted scores of 9.875. Sarah Moravansky finished tied for third after posting a 9.850 for the Broncos. Dani Petrousek took third overall in the all around after posting a score of 39.150, while Donnakathryn Roy had the team's top score on the bars, tying for third with a 9.850.
 
Western Michigan now waits to see where it will head for the NCAA Regional Championships. The NCAA Selection show takes place live at noon on Tuesday at NCAA.com.