Flashes Unveil 2018 Gymnastics Schedule
10/9/2017 5:02:00 PM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio – Kent State gymnastics head coach Brice Biggin officially announced the team's 2018 schedule on Monday (October 9).
The Golden Flashes are slated to compete in 10 regular season meets leading to the 2018 Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships, which will be held Saturday, March 24 in Mt. Pleasant Michigan
"We're really excited about the schedule we have ahead of us in 2018," said Biggin, who enters his 27th season guiding the Flashes. "In the non-conference, we'll compete with some really strong teams who are competitive on the national level, and those meets will help us prepare for some of the challenging competition we'll see from our conference opponents."
Fans will have their first opportunity to see this year's squad at the annual Blue and Gold Meet on December 9 inside of the M.A.C. Center.
The Flashes will open the regular season with back-to-back home meets against Centenary College on Jan. 14 and Northern Illinois on Jan. 19. Kent State will host three additional home meets against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 25, Bowling Green on March 7 and a tri-meet with George Washington and Temple on March 16.
"We're lucky to have some of the best gymnastics fans in the country in Northeast Ohio, and we feel like our home schedule really will provide an opportunity to see some great competition and exciting meets," Biggin added.
Beginning with a trip to Ball State on Jan. 28, the Flashes will have an opportunity to improve their RQS with four straight road meets. Kent State will compete in a quad meet at George Washington on Feb. 4, followed by conference duals with Western Michigan and Central Michigan on Feb. 11 and Feb. 18, respectively.
The Flashes will get to see how they stack up with the nation's best when they travel to Lincoln, Neb. for the Masters Classic on March 4. The 28th annual Masters Classic will feature UCLA, Iowa State and host Nebraska. The Bruins return five All-Americans from last year's squad that placed fourth at the NCAA Championships and feature three former Olympians. The host Huskers are coming off a seventh-place finish at the NCAA Championships.
"Competing at the Masters Classic is a great opportunity for our program," said Biggin. "The quality of competition will be similar to what we see at a NCAA regional or national meet."
The 2018 MAC Championships will be held at McGuirk Arena on the campus of Central Michigan on Saturday, March 24. Competition will begin at 2 p.m. Two weeks later on Saturday, April 7, NCAA Regionals will take place at six predetermined sites with the top two teams and the top two all-around competitors who are not on an advancing team advancing to the 2018 NCAA Championships April 20-21 in St. Louis, Missouri.
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.
Date           Opponent                                                                     Location
12/9 Â Â Â Â Â Â BLUE AND GOLD MEET^ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent, Ohio
1/14 Â Â Â Â Â Â CETENARY COLLEGE* Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent, Ohio
1/19 Â Â Â Â Â Â NORTHERN ILLINOIS* Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent, Ohio
1/28       at Ball State                                    Muncie, Ind.
2/4        at George Washington                          Washington, D.C.
                   with William & Mary and UW-Oshkosh
2/11 Â Â Â Â Â Â at Western Michigan* Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kalamazoo, Mich.
2/18       at Central Michigan                             Mount Pleasant, Mich.
2/25 Â Â Â Â Â Â EASTERN MICHIGAN* Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent, Ohio
3/4 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â at Nebraska (Masters Classic) Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Lincoln, Neb.
                   with Iowa State and UCLA
3/9 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â BOWLING GREEN* Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent, Ohio
3/16 Â Â Â Â Â Â GEORGE WASHINGTON AND TEMPLE Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Kent, Ohio
3/24       MAC Championships                           Mount Pleasant, Mich.
4/7        NCAA Regionals                                TBD
4/20-21    NCAA Championships                          St. Louis, Mo.
Home meets in BOLD caps
* Mid-American Conference meet
^ Blue and Gold meet
