KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan gymnastics team takes a break from Mid-American Conference competition, traveling to Illinois State for a tri-meet against the RedBirds and Alaska Anchorage on Friday at 8 p.m. ET.
The meet can be watched live on ESPN+.
LAST WEEK
WMU narrowly edged Ball State, 196.050-195.950, at home last Saturday. The win left the Broncos as the lone undefeated team in the MAC, currently with a 4-0 record. Western Michigan improved to 11-1 on the season.
DRAMATIC FASHION
Western Michigan's meet against Ball State went down to the very last competitor. BSU had just finished up beam and tied the meet at 195.950-all. That last competitor was WMU's junior
Ally Schaupp on floor. Schaupp needed to finish with a score of 9.800 or higher to break the tie and she finished with a 9.850 to give the Broncos the victory.
The floor specialist had not seen official action until this season and in the five times she has competed in the event, she has not posted a score lower than 9.775. The Algonquin, Ill., native also posted a career-high of 9.900 in a win over Bowling Green.
A NEW NAME AT THE TOP
There had been a three-way tie for the top score on vault for most of the season.
Payton Murphy,
Cassie St. Clair and
Halle Faulkner all posted 9.875's to lead the team. However, senior
Sarah Moravansky bested them with her career-high performance in WMU's win over Ball State. Moravansky earned a 9.900 to help the team tie its season-best marks in the event with a 49.175.
WINDING DOWN
Western Michigan has its final non-conference meet of the season next Sunday, traveling to Morgantown, W.V., for a quad meet against West Virginia, Towson and Pitt. The meet can be watched live on ESPN+.
After that the Broncos host Kent State for Senior Day on Sunday, March 10, at 1 p.m. and then wraps up the regular season at Central Michigan on Friday, March 15 at 5 p.m.
