Kent State University
Mid-American Conference
Gymnastics Returns to Mount Pleasant for MAC Championships Saturday
3/23/2018 1:16:00 PM | Gymnastics
Live Results   Video
Kent State will make its second trip to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan this season for the 2018 Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships on Saturday. Competition is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. inside of the McGuirk Arena.
The Golden Flashes posted a 196.125, a season-high at the time and third-best score of the season, when they visited Mt. Pleasant on Feb. 18. However, Kent State left McGuirk Arena with a 0.025-point loss to the host Chippewas, which received a meet-high 9.925 on the final routine of the competition to get the victory.
FOLLOW THE #MACTION
Fans can follow the MAC Championships online with live results being provided by Central Michigan. The meet will also be streamed on ESPN3.
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State posted its second-best score this season of 196.325, to beat No. 18 George Washington and Temple, last Friday night at the M.A.C Center. The Flashes scored a 49.000 or better on three of the four apparatuses for the fourth time this season. Kent State earned a 49.250 on both floor exercise and balance beam, 49.225 on uneven bars and a 48.600 on vault.
Led by a personal-best 9.975 by Rachel Stypinski, Kent State tied the fifth-best score on beam in program history. Alyssa Quinlan and Abby Fletcher both earned career-highs and tied for fourth place with a 9.875.
Also posting career-highs were Sarah McCarty and Nasha Manitkul-Davis, who tied for first place on floor with a 9.925. Michaela Romito took seventh place with a 9.825, while Quinlan earned a 9.800.
Kent State had a strong bar rotation with all four seniors placing in the top five. Marrero scored a 9.900 to tie for first with Stypinski, while Romito took third place with a 9.825. Brooke Timko and Sarah Lippowitsch tied for fourth place with a 9.800. Dara Williams scored a 9.775 to tie for seventh place.
On vault, the Golden Flashes' top performers were Manitkul-Davis and Williams, who both scored a 9.750 to tie for seventh-place.
STYPINSKI EARNS ALL-MAC HONORS
Senior Rachel Stypinski earned All-MAC Gymnastics First Team honors, the league office announced on Wednesday (March 22). Stypinski joins Kent State Varsity "K" Athletics Hall of Fame member Shelly Stambaugh (1994-97) as the only four-time first team performers in program history.
Stypinski earned first team honors after posting the conference's highest Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) for all-around (39.450), bars (9.910) and beam (9.920). She also ranks second on floor exercise (9.900). Nationally, she is eighth for beam, 13th for bars and 17th for all-around. Her all-around score of 39.575 vs. Bowling Green on March 9 is the third-highest mark in Kent State history. Stypinski also posted top-five program scores on floor (9.975), beam (9.975) and bars (9.950, twice). She registered 25 first-place finishes and was named MAC Gymnast of the Week on five occasions.
ALL-AROUND
Kent State moved up to No. 32 with a 196.885 RQS, which is first in the MAC.
VAULT
Kent State ranks fifth in the MAC with a RQS of 48.790. Individually, freshman Abby Fletcher is ranked ninth (9.795), while senior Rachel Stypinski and sophomore Sarah McCarty are ranked 14th (9.775). Freshman Nasha Manitkul-Davis is 24th in the conference (9.750).
UNEVEN BARS
The Golden Flashes rank No. 22 in the nation and lead the MAC on bars with a 49.180 RQS. The four senior Flashes hold spots in the top 15 in the event. Stypinski is ranked first (9.910), while Ali Marrero (9.850) and Brooke Timko (9.840) rank seventh and eighth. Michaela Romito has a bar RQS of 9.810, ranking 13th. Junior Sarah Lippowitsch ranks 20th (9.785) and junior Dara Williams is 25th (9.770).
BALANCE BEAM
The Flashes rank 37th in the country and second in the MAC on beam (48.860). Stypinski ranks eighth in the country and leads the MAC with a 9.920 RQS. Junior Kennedy Plude is 19th in the conference (9.780), while Marrero is 22nd (9.760).
FLOOR EXERCISE
Kent State owns the conference's top floor lineup and rank 25th nationally with a 49.195 RQS. Stypinski is ranked second in the MAC, while Abby Fletcher is seventh (9.865) and Nasha Manitkul-Davis ranks eighth (9.850). Sarah McCarty holds 14th on floor with a 9.820 RQS and junior Alyssa Quinlan is ranked 22nd with a 9.805.
FLASHBACK TO 2017 MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS
Kent State finished sixth with a team score of 194.850. Senior Rachel Stypinski won the all-around title with a 39.500, to tie the program record at the conference championship meet and ranks sixth overall. The Golden Flashes posted a 49.200 on beam, with Kennedy Plude performing her best routine.
UP NEXT
Kent State awaits to learns where it will compete at NCAA Regionals on Saturday, April 7.
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
