Kent State University
NCAA
Kent State Travels to Columbus for NCAA Regionals on Saturday
4/5/2018 3:27:00 PM | Gymnastics
NCAA Columbus Regional Championships Central Page
Live Scores | Rotation Order | Tickets | Meet Notes
The Kent State gymnastics team will compete at the NCAA Columbus Regional inside of the St. John Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The Golden Flashes finished the regular season with a Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) of 195.855, which ranked 34th in the country, to qualify for their 10th NCAA Regional in the past 11 seasons.
Of the six teams competing at the Columbus Regional, four are in the top-25. No. 3 UCLA, No. 10 Arkansas, No. 15 Boise State, and host No. 25 Ohio State will join Pittsburgh and Kent State to complete the competition field.
The top two teams and the top two all-around competitors (who are not on an advancing team), as well as all event winners, will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA National Championships in St. Louis, Missouri, April 20-21, hosted by the University of Missouri, Columbia, and the St. Louis Sports Commission.
In addition, the event winners at each regional site will advance to the national championships (in that event only) if they are not part of a qualifying team or an all-around qualifier.
BTN PLUS TO BROADCAST NCAA COLUMBUS REGIONAL
The 2018 NCAA Columbus Regional will be broadcast on BTN Plus with separate video streams dedicated for each of the four events. The broadcast will be free and does not require a subscription.
EVENT STREAMS: VAULT | BARS | BEAM | FLOOR
STYPINSKI REPEATS AS ALL-AMERICAN
Senior Rachel Stypinski received regular season All-America honors from the National Association of College Gymnastics Coaches for Women (NACGC/W). Stypinski has been named second team regular season All-American on both balance beam and uneven bars.
The senior finished the regular season tied for 10th in the nation on balance beam with a 9.920 RQS. She averaged a score of 9.840 over 10 meets and scored a personal-best 9.975 on the final beam routine of her career in a tri-meet against No. 18 George Washington and Temple inside the M.A.C. Center. She scored a 9.900 or better seven times and earned seven individual titles on beam.
On bars, Stypinski is tied for 15th in the country with a 9.910 RQS. She tied the Kent State record by posting a 9.950 in meets at George Washington and Western Michigan and finished the regular season with an average of 9.832 over 10 meets. The senior scored a 9.900 or higher five times and earned six individual titles on bars.
Stypinski hopes to return to the bars lineup when Kent State heads to St. John Arena to compete in the NCAA Columbus Regional on April 7.
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State posted a 194.375 to finish sixth at the Mid-American Conference Championships on March 23. The Golden Flashes' best event was floor exercise, posting its second-best score this season (49.375) to edge out Central Michigan by 0.200 points.
Freshman Abby Fletcher won the individual floor title, earning a score of 9.925 to match her career-high. Sophomore Sarah McCarty and freshman Toshi Richard each scored a 9.875 to tie for third, while freshman Nasha Manitkul-Davis and junior Alyssa Quinlan tied for eighth with scores of 9.850. Quinlan matched her personal-best in her final MAC Championships appearance.
The Flashes posted the third-best score on vault of 48.900. Manitkul-Davis and McCarty both scored a 9.800 to lead the way and tie for seventh-place. Fletcher and junior Dara Williams tied for 15th with scores of 9.775.
Junior Kennedy Plude led the Flashes on beam with a 9.850, to tie for 11th. Quinlan posted a 9.800, while sophomore Nuriya Mack earned a personal-best 9.775.
Senior Michaela Romito tied for sixth on uneven bars, matching her career-high with a 9.850.
KSU AT NCAA REGIONALS
Kent State has earned appearances at the NCAA Regional competition 10 of the last 11 years. The Golden Flashes have had 28 NCAA Regional appearances, 22 of those under head coach Brice Biggin.
At the 2011 Ann Arbor Regional, the Flashes posted its highest regional score of 195.450 to take second place, advancing to the NCAA Championships in Cleveland. There, Kent State took 12th-place with a 195.000.
In its last NCAA Regional competition, Kent State finished sixth with a 194.375.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
Be sure to follow the Kent State gymnastics team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad. Live meet updates will be available through Twitter.
Players Mentioned
