Kent State University
Northern Illinois
No. 22 Gymnastics wins M.A.C. opener over Huskies
1/19/2018 11:28:00 PM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio- No. 22 Kent State got its second win of the season defeating Northern Illinois by a final score of 195.925-195.200 on Friday evening at the M.A.C. Center.
The Golden Flashes (2-0, 1-0 MAC) won bars (49.225), beam (48.825) and floor, (49.050) while tying on vault (48.825).
"We have talked all year about being a tougher team and we saw them be just that by getting a good test in Northern Illinois," said Head Coach Brice Biggin.
Rachel Stypinski was a big part of that toughness and won the all-around with a final score of 39.425. Stypinski won beam with a 9.925 and tied for first on floor with a 9.900 for the second straight meet. She was also runner-up finishing second on bars with a 9.875.
"Our kids continued to step up tonight and get the win," said Biggin. "We have a young line-up, which means we are going to keep getting better and the kids have worked really hard."
The youth of the Flashes was on display with freshman Abby Fletcher and Nasha Manitkul-Davis both competing in three events. Manitkul-Davis tied for second on vault (9.800) and shared third place on floor with Fletcher (9.825).
Ranked no. 12 in the country on bars, the Flashes were led by their four seniors and improved from their first meet by 0.175 with a 49.225. Ali Marrero took first with a score of 9.900 with Stypinski tying for second (9.875). Brooke Timko placed fourth with a 9.850 while Michaela Romito scored a 9.800. The Flashes took three of the top four scores in this event.
Dara Williams finished tied for second on vault with a 9.800 improving her score from the last meet.
Kent State will travel on Sunday, January 28 to take on Ball State at 1 p.m.
Be sure to follow the Kent State gymnastics team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad.
Final Results
1.) Kent State: 195.925
2.) Northern Illinois: 195.200
Individual Event Winners
Vault: Ashley Potts (NIU)- 9.850
Bars: Ali Marrero (KSU)- 9.900
Beam: Rachel Stypinski (KSU) 9.925
Floor: Rachel Stypinski (KSU), Anna Martucci (NIU)- 9.900
All-Around: Rachel Stypinski (KSU)- 39.425
Players Mentioned
