Kent State University
Central Michigan University
Gymnastics Records Season High in Pink Meet Victory
2/21/2021 4:27:00 PM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team scored a season-high 196.375 against Mid-American Conference rival Central Michigan on Sunday at the annual Pink Meet inside the M.A.C. Center.
The season-high score was the highest team total since the Flashes faced Bowling Green in 2018. Along with the team total marking a season high, Kent State also posted season highs on vault, bars and beam in the victory.
The Golden Flashes were competing with heavy hearts after the loss of long-time gymnastics coach and program co-founder Rudy Bachna, who passed away on Saturday.
"Today was an emotional day for a lot of us," said Head Coach Brice Biggin. "With Rudy along with the breast cancer awareness. For the girls to come out, compete like they did and stay strong as a team was huge for us. This was the best I have seen them compete as a team in a long time. I am just extremely proud of the way they handled themselves and got a win today against a very good Central Michigan team."
For the second straight meet, the Golden Flashes started out hot by setting a new season-high score (49.950) on vault. Cami Klein and Olivia Amodei both posted career-high scores of 9.825 to finish tied for fourth place on the event.
The Golden Flashes continued their hot streak on bars, posting a season best 49.175. Rachel DeCavitch led the way, scoring a career-high 9.900. Madison Iannuzzo joined DeCavitch on setting a new personal best with a score of 9.825. Two additional gymnasts recorded season-high scores as Olivia Amodei posted a 9.825 and Karlie Franz scored a 9.800.
Kent State posted its first 49.000+ score on beam of the season and were led by a couple newcomers posting career highs. Sarah Haxton tied for the individual beam title with a score of 9.875, while Jackie Harker finished in third place with a 9.850.
It was much of the same dominance on floor for the Flashes. Coming into Sunday, Kent State was the No. 23 ranked floor lineup in the country, and they lived up to the hype. DeCavitch posted a career-high 9.900 on floor to claim her second individual event title of the afternoon. Karlie Franz added a 9.850 to finish in fourth place, while Jade Brown and Toshi Richard tied for fifth place with a 9.825. Â
Next Up
Kent State will look to continue its recent success as the team travels to DeKalb, Ill., to take on Northern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 27, before coming home to host Ball State on Sunday, March 7. The Flashes will end their regular season at Bowling Green on Friday, March 12.
MAC Championships will take place on Saturday, March 20, at 2:00 p.m., in Kalamazoo, Mich.
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Players Mentioned
