Kent State University
University of North Carolina
Gymnastics Honors Four Seniors at Home Finale
3/8/2019 3:27:00 PM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team will honor its 2019 seniors on Sunday, March 10 at the M.A.C. Center for its final home meet of the season. Kent State will host North Carolina, Ball State and Rutgers in the Kent State Quad at 1 p.m.
Kent State will honor seniors Sarah Lippowitsch, Nuriya Mack, Kennedy Plude and Dara Williams following the meet.
"This is a group of seniors that has steadily improved throughout their four years," said Head Coach Brice Biggin. "They have done an incredible job this year in particular in helping to mold such a young team and teach them how to compete. It's been very rewarding to see how they have all matured into great teammates and young ladies."
The Golden Flashes (11-5, 2-2 MAC) are ranked 32nd in the nation and first in the Mid-American Conference with a Regional Qualifying Score of 195.270. The Flashes are No. 26 in the country and first in the MAC on beam (48.900). Kent State also leads the conference on bars (48.860), while ranking third on floor (48.950) and fifth on vault (48.565).
Flashes in the Rankings
Lippowitsch leads the Golden Flashes on beam tying for fourth in the MAC with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.800. Plude has a NQS of 9.785 ranking eighth in the conference, while sophomore Abby Fletcher and freshman Cami Klein are tied for 10th with a 9.770 NQS.
Senior Dara Williams ranks second in the MAC on bars with a 9.830 NQS, while junior Jade Brown is tied for sixth place with a 9.780. Freshman Madison Trott is 11th in the conference with a 9.765.
Fletcher leads the Flashes on floor with a 9.860 NQS ranking third, while junior Sarah McCarty is tied for eighth place in the conference with a 9.830.
Senior Dara Williams ranks fifth in the league on vault with a 9.790 NQS.
Last Time Out
Kent State defeated Western Michigan, 195.700-195.050, earning its seventh victory in a row at its annual Pink Meet. The Golden Flashes posted season-high scores on floor (49.225) and bars (49.025).
Fletcher tied her career-high 9.925 on floor, grabbing her third event title this season. Junior Sarah McCarty posted a season-high 9.900 to finish second, while sophomore Toshi Richard matched her season-high 9.825 for sixth place.
On bars, Williams scored a career-high 9.925 to take home her eighth event win this season. Brown earned a career-high 9.825 to tie for third place, while freshman Madison Iannuzzo posted a 9.800 finishing in fifth place.
Lippowitch recorded a 9.825, tying for second place on beam. Abby Fletcher finished in fourth place with a 9.800, while freshmen Samantha Henry and Cami Klein tied for fifth place with a 9.750. The Flashes finished with a 48.850 on the event.
Kent State scored a 48.600 on vault with Williams and McCarty finishing in the top three. Williams recorded a 9.800 to finish second, while McCarty scored a 9.775 for third place.
Scouting North Carolina
The Tarheels (7-5) rank 43rd in the country with a RQS of 194.615. North Carolina's best event is vault where it ranks 22nd in the nation with a 48.970. The Tarheels are also 28th on floor (49.060), 44th on beam (48.610) and 54th on bars (48.320).
Junior Khazia Hislop leads North Carolina on vault tying for 21st in the country with a 9.880 NQS. Hislop also leads the team on floor ranking 19th with a 9.905.
Scouting Ball State
Ball State (5-10, 2-3 MAC) ranks 46th in the nation with a 194.395 team RQS. The Cardinals' best event is vault where they rank 26th in the country with a 48.925. Ball State is 43rd on floor (48.855), 47th on bars (48.520) and 52nd on beam (48.430).
Freshman Stefanie Schweikert is second in the MAC on vault with a 9.825 NQS, while freshman Marissa Nychyk holds a 9.795 ranking fourth. Junior Maddie MacDonald is tied for ninth place with a 9.770.
Scouting Rutgers
Rutgers (4-14) is ranked 45th in the country with a RQS of 194.460. The Scarlet Knight's best event is floor where they rank 39th (48.915). Rutgers is 40th on vault (48.735), 44th on bars (48.675) and 59th on beam (48.270).
On floor, Belle Huang is tied for 12th in the Big Ten leading the Scarlet Knights with a 9.855 NQS. Jenna Rizkalla is also a key leader with a 9.820.
Series History
Kent State is 1-2 all-time vs. North Carolina. In its last meeting, the Golden Flashes fell to the Tarheels 194.950-194.725 in 2015.
Kent State is 59-18 all-time vs. Ball State. The Golden Flashes fell to the Cardinals 195.600-193.600 in its last meeting in Muncie, Indiana last season.
Kent State is 4-1 all-time vs. Rutgers. In its last meeting in 2015, the Golden Flashes defeated the Scarlet Knights 194.725-193.950 in Raleigh, N.C.
Up Next
Kent State will travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan to take on Eastern Michigan for its final regular season meet on Friday, March 15. Competition is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. The Flashes will then travel to DeKalb, Ill., for the MAC Championships on March 23.
Follow the Flashes
Be sure to follow the Kent State gymnastics team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for news and updates about the squad. The Kent State Quad can be streamed here, while live stats of the event are available during the meet. Additional live meet updates will be available through Twitter.
Players Mentioned
