Kent State Tabbed as Favorite in MAC Gymnastics Preseason Poll
12/20/2016 3:25:00 PM | Gymnastics
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Kent State gymnastics team has been selected as the Mid-American Conference favorite in the 2017 preseason coaches poll, which was released by the league office on Tuesday (Dec. 20). The Golden Flashes were ranked 32nd in the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches/Women (NACGC/W) preseason coaches poll last week.
Brice Biggin enters his 26th season as head coach with a veteran roster that features 11 letterwinners from last season's squad that posted an undefeated (6-0) record to capture the program's 8th Mid-American Conference regular season championship in the past 11 years and qualified for NCAA Regional competition for the 8th time in the past 9 years.
Junior Rachel Stypinski is the reigning MAC Gymnast of the Year and senior Jordan Hardison earned All-MAC Second Team and MAC Championship All-Tournament Team honors last season. Sophomore Dara Williams (vault), junior Brooke Timko (uneven bars) and junior Ali Marrero (balance beam) each posted a team-best average on an apparatus last season.
Kent State begins the 2017 season with a challenging quad meet in Columbus, Ohio against No. 7 Michigan, No. 20 Washington and No. 27 Ohio State on January 14. The Flashes will host Western Michigan on January 20 for the home opener.
The 2017 MAC Gymnastics Championship will be held inside of the Stroh Center on the campus of Bowling Green State University on March 18.
Season ticket flex passes are currently on-sale for just $15Â and can be purchased by calling the Kent State Ticket Office at 330-672-2244. Â
For complete news and updates on the Kent State Gymnastics program, go to KentStateSports.com. Breaking news, behind-the-scenes updates and more can be found by following @KentStGym on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
2017 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Poll
1. Kent State (1 first-place vote)
2. Central Michigan (1)
3. Eastern Michigan (1)
   Bowling Green (1)
5. Northern Illinois (1)
6. Western Michigan (1)
7. Ball State (1)
Players Mentioned
