Seniors 
Ronni Binstock, Severna Park, Md., vault, beam, floor exercise; Amanda Gruber, Riverside, Ill.; vault, beam floor exercise; Payton Murphy, Carol Stream, Ill., all-around; Josephine Thomas, Adamstown, Md., all-around. 

Juniors 
Sarah Moravansky, Mount Airy, Md., all-around; Dani Petrousek, Rockford, Ill., all-around; Breckin Quoss, Ada, Mi., bars. 

Sophomores 
Halle Faulkner, Canton, Mi.; all-around; Molly Freeman, Portage, Mi., bars, beam, floor exercise; DonnaKathryn Roy, Rockhill, S.C., all-around; Ally Schaupp, Algonquin, Ill., all-around; Abby Singh, Sarasota, Fla., all-around; Gigi Singh Sarasota, Fla., all-around; Cassie St. Clair, Plainfield, Ill., vault, beam, floor exercise. 

Freshman 
Agenais Abeyta, Tuscon, Az., bars, beam; Makenna King, Hanna, Ind., all-around; Brenna Woodruff, Laporte, Ind., bars, beam. 

Head Coach – Penny Jernigan; Assistant Coaches – Don Houlton, Al Scharns; Volunteer Assistant Coach – Joshua Langdon; Student Assistant Coaches – Charlotte Tishkoff, Rylee Gallmeyer. 

Western Michigan University's women's gymnastics team can't wait for another shot at a Mid-American Conference championship this season. 

Because last year, the Broncos had it, and it slipped away at the end. WMU received one vote to win the MAC Championship in the preseason coach's poll and was voted third overall.  

Western Michigan will open the 2023 season at home on Sunday, with Wisconsin-Oshkosh and Illinois State coming to Read Fieldhouse for a 1 p.m. meet. This will be the first official competition of the season. WMU competed in a scrimmage at the University of Michigan back on Dec. 10. Admission to all WMU gymnastics home meets is free. 

''I still think about the MAC meet, but I try to get it out of my head because it was so frustrating,'' senior Payton Murphy, a captain along with junior Sarah Moravansky, said. "It's more motivation for us now to win every single event in the meet. That's our goal.'' 

That lofty goal may happen at the end of the season, but at the start, Western Michigan head coach Penny Jernigan will be using a lot of her roster as the Broncos are dealing with injuries, such as another one to Murphy. 

The senior has been through the injury ringer during her life, having broken her back in high school, then suffering a broken neck her sophomore year. The rolled ankles, etc., also fit into the mix. 

Then there is her most recent problem. 

''I have stitches in my thumb because I sliced it cutting a frozen banana last week,'' she said with a sheepish grin. 

''I'm going to tell her roommates that she can't go near any knives from now on,'' Jernigan said. ''She only gets to handle a peeler.'' 

Add that to junior Dani Petrousek's illness and senior Josephine Thomas' broken foot, and the Broncos will be looking to its depth on Sunday.  Thomas broke her foot near the start of the Fall semester, but is expected back on the mat soon. 

''We'd like to get that core group back as soon as possible and get them into a rhythm as quickly as possible,'' Jernigan said. ''With the illness and injuries, it opens up some chances for other athletes to show what they can do. 

''But it seems like every team is dealing with injuries.'' 

Western Michigan returns all but two athletes who scored in last season's MAC championship meet. Murphy, Moravansky and Petrousek were in the all-around. Thomas and sophomores Halle Faulkner and Cassie St. Clair competed in the vault. 

Besides the three all-arounds, competing on the bars were sophomores Molly Freeman and DonnaKathryn Roy and junior Breckin Quoss. The beam competitors were Thomas, senior Amanda Gruber and sophomore Rylee Gallmeyer, who has had to end her gymnastics career because of a medical issue. In the floor exercise, it was Roy, St. Claire and Carissa Ludwig, who has graduated. 

''Floor and vault are our strength,'' Jernigan said. ''Last year, we were ranked first on the beam in the MAC every week of the season, so we will be looking to get back to that, too.'' 

Murphy felt things were going to go Western Michigan's way in last year's championship because the rotation started with the beam. 

''I knew we would hit the beam and we had the best beam rotation we have all season,'' the senior said. ''It gave us so much confidence. 

''Then the floor exercise was like a party and floor is my favorite routine. We just kept going and floor turned great.'' 

Then the problems started. 

''Next was the vault,'' she said. ''We got through the fifth person and had a little mess up, then I was sixth, injured myself and I didn't get as good a score as I'm used to and that got to my nerves. 

''The bars were last. The first four hit their routines, and I was injured, but I went for my dismount and fell, Then the next person hit the bar during her dismount and fell.'' 

The difference between Western Michigan's third place and first place Central Michigan was two-tenths of a point, 196.275 for CMU to 196.075 for WMU.  

However, in a consolation, because of their achievements during the season, Western Michigan did qualify for the NCAA regionals for the second straight year. But, there is nothing like being close and not getting your hands on the trophy that motivates a team. Especially this group of Broncos. 

''This summer, completely on their own, they came to practice and hold each other accountable,'' Jernigan said. ''The coaches could be there for safety reasons, but they can't instruct at all. 

''I'm watching them and they are doing huddles and these weren't from the team captains, but just the athletes who are in town. They drew up a vision board in July and I left it up because it was so remarkable that they were that focused in the summer. We were ready to go by Thanksgiving, then the illness and injuries hit. We are going to start slower and the fact we don't have conference meets right away helps.'' 

The early season has helped the three freshmen become acclimated to team gymnastics, which sounds strange. But according to both Murphy and Jernigan there is a huge difference between what gymnasts do for the first years of their competitive lives and college. 

''Growing up, it's all individual results,'' Murphy said. ''It's a whole new world in college because you are here for your teammates, doing it for everyone else and not yourself and the pressure is that you don't want to mess up and ruin what your teammates have done. 

''I tell the freshmen to just live in the moment and take it all in. If you just take a second and look at how much fun the team is having, it makes doing gymnastics so much more fun and we are all better at it.'' 

Added the coach: ''We can't be successful as one person. You have to work together as a team. The athletes love it once they get here and do it. I've coached Junior Olympics, elite and college and see extraordinary performances because they don't want to let down their peers. It's incredible how much they grow performing for one another.'' 

The growth for everyone on the team starts on Sunday.