The #18 Kent State University gymnastics teams finished third of five teams this evening at #25 West Virginia. #23 Penn State came out victorious in the meet with a composite score of 195.625, home team West Virginia finished second with a 194.625 mark, Kent State was third (192.275), George Washington fourth (191.375) and Wilson College fifth (147.700).
With this third place finish the Flashes have suffered their first defeats of the season. Their record now moves to (5-2, 2-0 MAC).
Kent State was led in this meet by junior tri-captain Jill Kowalski who finished third in the all-around competition with a mark of 38.775. Brandi Personett of the Nittany Lions earned the crown with a 39.125 and was followed by her teammate Alexandra Brockway who scored a 38.925.
The top finisher for Kent State on beam was freshman Lydia Barrett. Barrett scored a 9.675 which earned her an 11th place finish. The team as a whole tallied a 48.100 on that event.
The Flashes earned a team mark of 48.075 on bars. They were led by senior Shawntelle Thompson and Kowalski who both finished with scores of 9.725 and finished tied for sixth place.
Kent State suffered two falls on beam and finished with a team score of 47.350. Junior tri-captain Kristin Peters gave a solid performance and finished first for the Flashes and sixth overall with a mark of 9.775.
Floor was Kent State's strongest event of the night. The team combined to score a 48.750. Senior Amy Cucinotta tied a season-high mark of 9.825 which earned her a fifth place finish. Kowalski also tied a season-high with a 9.800 performance, taking eighth place.
The Flashes will return to league action next week as they travel to Dekalb, Ill. to take on the Huskies of Northern Illinois. The meet takes place on Sunday, Feb. 11 and is set to begin at 2 p.m.
