Kent State University
Ohio State
Flashes Head to Columbus for Ohio State Tri-Meet
3/4/2023 11:02:00 AM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team will face off against a pair of ranked opponents on Sunday in Columbus. The Golden Flashes will compete against No. 16 Ohio State and No. 24 Illinois in a tri-meet hosted by the Buckeyes at 1 p.m.
The meet will be livestreamed on Big 10 Network+ (subscription required).
LAST TIME OUT
Kent State beat Eastern Michigan 195.750-195.450 on Sunday in Ypsilanti to improve to 6-6 on the season, scoring 49.00+ on three. A season-high score on beam in the final rotation was the difference for the Flashes.
Starting the meet on bars, junior Kyndall Gilbert scored a 9.775 and seniors Olivia Amodei and Rachel DeCavitch each tallied 9.750 to lead the way for Kent State. The team combined for a 48.425 mark to hold a slight edge after the first apparatus.
Junior Kennedy Weinpert and sophomore Brynne Tsipis tied for the win on vault with 9.850, a career-high mark for both gymnasts. DeCavitch and Gilbert each scored 9.775 to tie for third place as the Flashes tallied a 49.000 on the event.
Sophomore Alyssa Guns won her third floor title of the season with a 9.925. Guns has earned a 9.90+ mark four times on floor four times so far this season and enters Sunday's meet ranked second in the MAC with an NQS of 9.895. Weinpert tied for third place in the event with a season-high 9.900 while Amodei scored a season-high 9.875 with a strong routine. The Flashes combined for a 49.150 mark and held a very narrow lead over the Eagles heading into the last rotation.
A week after setting a career-high score in the all-around, DeCavitch tied for the win on beam with a career-high 9.900. Haxton and graduate student Cami Klein tied for third in the event with 9.850, a season-high score for both gymnasts. Guns added a 9.800 as the Flashes totaled a 49.175, the team's best score in the event so far this season.
SPECIAL KIND OF SPECIALIST
For the second week in a row, Alyssa Guns earned weekly honors from the Mid-American Conference. Guns was named the Co-Specialist of the Week after scoring a 9.925 on floor to win the event and a 9.800 on beam against Eastern Michigan. She was named the Specialist of the Week the week prior following the meet against Ball State when she won on both floor and beam.
SERIES STATS
Sunday marks the first time this season that the Flashes will compete against a ranked opponent. Ohio State (10-1) is coming off a third-place finish at the B1G Five meet, totaling 196.750. The Flashes will be looking for their first win in Columbus since 2002 while the Buckeyes aim to extend their 12-43-1 advantage in the all-time series. The Flashes have only faced off against the Illini twice before and will look to secure their first win in the series. Illinois (8-8) is coming off of a 197.450-196.425 loss to Michigan State on Monday.
TICKET TIME
Fans can purchase tickets for the 2023 season now by calling the Kent State Ticket Office at 330-672-4455 or purchase online. The Flashes return home on March 12 to face Central Michigan on Senior Day. Kent State will also be hosting the 2023 MAC Gymnastics Championship on March 18 in the M.A.C. Center for the first time since 2015. Tickets can be found here.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
For more information on the Kent State gymnastics team, follow Kent State Gymnastics on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and visit kentstatesports.com for additional information.
Players Mentioned
