Kent State University
Northern Illinois University
Flashes Open MAC Competition Against Northern Illinois
1/31/2019 4:27:00 PM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team travels to Northern Illinois on Friday as they open Mid-American Conference competition at 7 p.m. against the Huskies at the Convocation Center.
The Golden Flashes will be joined in DeKalb by Lindenwood and Seattle Pacific.
Kent State finished second in the West Virginia Tri last weekend, scoring a season-high 194.450 as a team. A mix of freshmen and upperclassmen helped the Flashes set season-highs in all four events.
Freshman Riley Danielson tied for first on beam with a career-high score of 9.800, while fellow freshman Madison Trott paced the Flashes on the floor with a career-high 9.800. Senior Dara Williams and junior Jade Brown tied for first place on bars, while Williams finished second on vault. Williams scored her second first-place finish of the season and was named Kent State's Hometown Bank Student-Athlete of the Week.
Scouting the Competition
Northern Illinois was picked first in the MAC preseason poll after finishing second at the MAC Championships and sending three qualifiers to the NCAA regionals. The Huskies return All-MAC First Team honoree and 2018 Specialist of the Year Anna Martucci for the 2019 season.
NIU is currently second in the MAC this season with a 194.188 average, including a season-high team score of 194.800. Martucci leads the Huskies on the floor, where they are ranked 26th in the country.
Lindenwood set season-high scores on both floor and vault in its last meet at Iowa State. The Lions are ranked 28th nationally on bars and are led by sophomore Courtney Mitchell, who scored a season-high 9.900 on bars and 39.075 in the all-around competition against Winona State.
Seattle Pacific is fresh off a fourth place finish in the San Jose State Quad, where they recorded a team score of 189.325. The Falcons are led by junior Darian Burns, who set a season-high mark of 39.175 in the all-around competition against UC Davis.
Series History
Kent State holds a 43-10 all-time record against NIU, grabbing a victory in their last meeting, 195.925-195.200. The Flashes won 31 straight against the Huskies from 1999-2014. KSU is 1-0 all-time against Lindenwood with the victory coming in 2016, and this will be the first meeting against Seattle Pacific.
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. The meet can be streamed online HERE.
Players Mentioned
