Kent State Gymnastics Announces 2012 Schedule
9/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio -- 21st-year Kent State gymnastics head coach Brice Biggin announced the release of the 2012 schedule Thursday (Sept. 29).
Kent State embarks on its 49th season of competition with its annual Blue & Gold Intrasquad meet (Dec. 2, 7 p.m.) at the M.A.C. Center. The regular season begins with five straight Mid-American Conference meets -- three of which are on the road -- as Kent State seeks its fourth MAC regular season crown in five years. The Flashes travel to Western Michigan (Jan. 15, 1 p.m.), then head home to host Eastern Michigan (Jan. 20, 7 p.m.) before back-to-back road meets at Ball State (Jan. 27, 7 p.m.) and defending MAC champion Central Michigan (Feb. 11, 2 p.m.). Kent State closes the stretch with its annual Flip For The Cure meet against Northern Illinois (Feb. 19, 1 p.m.). Kent State then hits the road again for back-to-back non-conference meets. The Golden Flashes travel to North Carolina State (Feb. 24, TBA) to square off with the Wolfpack as well as Michigan State and Towson. Kent State then heads to Columbus, Ohio, to face Ohio State (March 2, 7 p.m.) in a battle for state bragging rights. The Flashes close the regular season with two home dates. Kent State faces Bowling Green (March 11, 1 p.m.) in its final MAC meet of the season, then hosts Cornell (March 18, 1 p.m.) to wrap up non-conference action. The MAC Championships (March 24, 2 p.m.) are slated to be held in DeKalb, Ill., with Kent State taking aim at its 12th conference meet title and third in five years. National postseason competition begins with the NCAA Regionals (April 7, TBD) and concludes with the NCAA Championships (April 21, TBD) at the Gwinnet Center in Duluth, Ga.
The Golden Flashes are coming off their first trip to the NCAA Championships in program history after placing second at the 2011 NCAA Ann Arbor Regional April 2, achieving the special feat of competing for a national title while also playing co-host to the event along with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission. Kent State defeated the likes of No. 4 Stanford, No. 16 Ohio State and No. 23 Minnesota at the regional en route to becoming the first regional six seed and MAC team ever to advance to the national finals. The Golden Flashes completed the season with their highest ranking in program history at No. 12 after totaling a team score of 195.000 on April 15 at the national semifinals at the Wolstein Center.
Kent State returns 12 letterwinners from the 2011 squad, including MAC Specialst of the Year Lindsay Runyan (Maineville, Ohio) and MAC Freshman of the Year Marie Case (Erie, Pa.)
Be sure to "like" Kent State Gymnastics on Facebook and stay tuned to KentStateSports.com as themes for the 2012 home meets will be announced soon.
2012 KENT STATE GYMNASTICS SCHEDULE
| Dec. 2 | BLUE & GOLD INTRASQUAD | 7 p.m. | |
| Jan. 15 | at Western Michigan* | 1 p.m. | |
| Jan. 20 | EASTERN MICHIGAN* | 7 p.m. | |
| Jan. 27 | at Ball State* | 7 p.m. | |
| Feb. 11 | at Central Michigan* | 2 p.m. | |
| Feb. 19 | NORTHERN ILLINOIS* (Flip For The Cure) | 1 p.m. | |
| Feb. 24 | at North Carolina State with Michigan State and Towson | TBA | |
| March 2 | at Ohio State | 7 p.m. | |
| March 11 | BOWLING GREEN* | 1 p.m. | |
| March 18 | CORNELL | 1 p.m. | |
| March 24 | Mid-American Conference Championships at DeKalb, Ill. | 2 p.m. | |
| April 7 | NCAA Regionals at TBD | TBA | |
| April 21 | NCAA Championships at Duluth, Ga. | TBA |
BOLD CAPS INDICATES HOME MEET
* indicates Mid-American Conference meet
