KENT, Ohio – Western Michigan's Payton Murphy finished as Co-Mid-American Conference Champion on floor and was named the 2023 MAC Gymnast of the Year as WMU wrapped up the MAC Championship Meet at Kent State University on Saturday.
Murphy earned a score of 9.950 on floor and tied with Central Michigan's Hannah Demers for the MAC title. It was the seventh time in 10 meets this season that she produced a score of 9.900 or higher. She also becomes the first gymnast in program history to win MAC Gymnast of the Year for a second time after previously winning the award back in 2021. Murphy was also named First Team All-MAC for the second time in her career and finished third in the all-around with a 39.425.
The Broncos finished fourth overall with a score of 195.800.
Also earning spots on the podium were Sarah Moravansky and Amanda Gruber. Moravansky tied for third place on vault with a 9.850. Gruber tied for second on beam with a 9.875.
Murphy and Gruber were also named to the MAC All-Tournament Team.
WMU's strongest event on the day was the floor. In addition to Murphy's performance, Cassie St. Clair scored a 9.900, Ronni Binstock had a 9.875, Dani Petrousek had a 9.850 and Sarah Moravansky and Donnakathryn Roy each had a 9.825. The group combined for a team score of 49.400, the second-highest this season.
Western Michigan now must wait for the NCAA Selection Show on Monday at 12 p.m. to find out its destination for the NCAA Regional Championships. The show can be watched live on NCAA.com.
