Kent State University
George Washington
Gymnastics Heads to D.C. for George Washington Quint Meet
2/15/2024 1:57:00 PM | Gymnastics
KENT, Ohio – Following a record-setting meet last weekend, the Kent State gymnastics team will head to Washington, D.C., to compete against George Washington, Towson, New Hampshire, and William & Mary on Friday night. The meet is slated to start at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ESPN+.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Flashes (7-3, 1-1 MAC) posted their third-highest team total in program history to secure a 196.925-195.325 victory over Northern Illinois on Sunday afternoon inside the M.A.C. Center.
Kent State captured all four event titles for the first time this season and multiple gymnasts either set or matched career-high scores. Alyssa Guns stood atop the podium twice after scoring 9.925 on both beam and floor, while Dani Fuertez and Karlie Franz also tied for the win on floor.
Kennedy Weinpert and Heidi Schultz had strong meets as well as both earned a pair of top-three finishes.
QUICK STICKS
- Kent State has set two of the three-highest totals in program history this season with a 197.725 at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic in January and a 196.925 against NIU last weekend.
- The Flashes rank 18th in the nation on floor and first in the Mid-American Conference with an average of 49.350.
- Both Karlie Franz and Alyssa Guns boast the highest average on floor in the Mid-American Conference (9.881).
- Average leaders: Kennedy Weinpert (vault - 9.810), Heidi Schultz (bars - 9.875; beam - 9.835), Karlie Franz & Alyssa Guns (floor - 9.890)
- Six Flashes have claimed event victories so far this season - Karlie Franz thrice on floor, both Alyssa Guns and Dani Fuertez twice on floor, Guns, Heidi Schultz and Sarah Haxton once on beam, Haxton once on bars, and Kennedy Weinpert once on vault. Schultz leads the team with seven podium finishes.
- Kennedy Weinpert (vault) and Dani Fuertez (floor) have earned three consecutive top-three finishes, with both winning against NIU.
- Karlie Franz has scored 9.8+ four times on both bars and floor.
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM
Alyssa Guns was named the Mid-American Conference Specialist of the Week on Tuesday for the third time in her career. Guns won a pair of events to lead Kent State to a 196.925 team total on Sunday against Northern Illinois, the third-highest score in program history. The junior earned a career-high 9.925 on beam to tie for the event crown. She also tied with two other Golden Flashes, Karlie Franz and Dani Fuertez, to win on floor with another 9.925.
This marks the first weekly award recognition for Guns this season after being named Specialist of the Week twice during her sophomore campaign.
TEN-NESSEE
The Flashes placed second at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic on Jan. 19 with a program-record 197.725. Kent State also set new program-best scores on floor (49.675) and tied the highest-ever results on bars (49.500) and second-highest on vault (49.300). Including exhibitions, the Flashes hit on 32/32 routines.
Karlie Franz won on floor after she scored a perfect 10.000, the first Kent State gymnast to do so since Jessie James in 2004 and the first MAC gymnast to go perfect on floor since 2005. Alyssa Guns and Heidi Schultz each received a 10.00 from one judge, finishing second in the meet with a 9.975 each. On bars, five gymnasts set or matched their career-highs, led by Kyndall Gilbert's 9.925.
Nene Alvine and Nastia Rudnitskaya each finished third with a 9.900, with Alvine on beam and Rudnitskaya on vault. In total, 15 of the Flashes' 24 routines on the night set or tied personal bests.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
George Washington enters Friday's meet ranked 48th in the nation. The Revolutionaries rank 26th on vault, 62nd on bars, 35th on beam, and 41st on floor. Against LIU two weeks ago, GW put together its strongest performance of the season with a season-high 195.575 total.
New Hampshire ranks 45th as a team after a season-best 195.875 on Sunday. The Wildcats sit 34th in the nation on vault, 32nd on bars, 52nd on beam, and 57th on floor.
Towson is also coming off of their strongest performance of the season with a 196.300 on Sunday. The Tigers rank 39th overall in the nation and 22nd on vault, 33rd on bars, 56th on beam, and 36th on floor.
William & Mary ranks 74th on vault, 61st on bars, 67th on beam, and 79th on floor. The Tribe posted a season-high 192.750 last time out.
UP NEXT
The Flashes head to north to face Central Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 2 p.m. Last season, Kent State fell to the Chippewas in the final meet of the regular season, 196.175-195.975.
FOLLOW THE FLASHES
For more information on the Kent State gymnastics team, follow Kent State Gymnastics on Instagram, X and Facebook, and visit kentstatesports.com for additional information.
Players Mentioned
