Kent State University
Northern Illinois University
Golden Flashes Host NIU in Regular Season Opener
1/10/2020 5:03:00 PM | Gymnastics
Kent, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team will kick off its season at home against last year's Mid-American Conference Tournament Champion Northern Illinois in the M.A.C. Center on Sunday at 1 p.m.
There will be 250 headbands available to fans at the meet along with gymnastics t-shirts.
The matchup between the Huskies and the Golden Flashes pits the MAC Coaches Poll second and third ranked teams, respectively.Â
"I think anytime you start with a MAC opponent it ups the ante a great deal," said Head Coach Brice Biggin. "We have been telling the girls since day one how important it is to be ready for the first meet. We need to come focused and ready to go. They are well-coached and have a nice team. Even though we are young, I think we are talented enough that if we do what we need to do on Sunday then we will be in good shape."
Junior Abby Fletcher leads all Kent State returners, qualifying for the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional last season. She finished tied for 12th place with a score of 9.850.
Fletcher and senior Jade Brown tied for the MAC Championship on floor last season with a score of 9.900. Brown also ranked second on the Flashes with an NQS of 9.785 on bars.
The Golden Flashes return their top-three scorers on floor from last season. Fletcher paced Kent State with an NQS of 9.885, Sarah McCarty was second with a 9.830 and Brown was third with a 9.815.
Freshmen Rachel DeCavitch, Karlie Franz and Olivia Amodei will look to make an immediate impact on Sunday.
Last Time Out
The Flashes competed in the annual Blue-Gold exhibition on December 8 with the Blue team grabbing the victory, 116.850-116.350.
DeCavitch won the all-around competition with a score of 39.100. Amodei and Franz finished second and third, respectively.
DeCavitch also finished first on vault (9.850), bars (9.800) and beam (9.750). Franz finished third on vault (9.750), second on bars (9.750) and first on floor (9.850).
Senior Sarah McCarty, sophomore Riley Danielson and Amodei tied for second on floor with a score of 9.800.
Scouting Northern Illinois
The Huskies lost their best floor routine from their 2019 MAC Championship season as Anna Martucci finished her NIU career with a spectacular 2019 season. She was the MAC Specialist of the Year and tied for the MAC Championship on Floor.
Mia Lord returns for Northern Illinois after a stellar sophomore season that ended at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. She posted a 9.800 on beam, the second-highest beam score by a Huskie in an NCAA regional.
Senior Cinny Lamberti led the Huskies with a 9.805 on vault last season, while sophomore Morgan Hooper led NIU with a 9.830 NQS on bars.
Next Up
The Golden Flashes will head to the nation's capital on Sunday, aJanuary 19 to take on the George Washington, Pennsylvania and Cornell in the George Washington Quad.
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 and Instagram.Â
For tickets, visit https://kentstatesportstickets.universitytickets.com/w/?cid=176 or call the ticket office at 330-672-4455 for more information.
