In the first meet of the season, the Kent State gymnastics team won for the fifth consecutive time against Southeast Missouri State at the Houck Field House in Cape Grardeau, Missouri.

The Flashes defeated the Redhawks with an overall score of 194.725-192.375. A Kent State gymnast won or tied for first in every event.

“This was a great start for our team,” said assistant coach Craig Ballard. “As a coaching staff we couldn’t be more pleased.”

Senior Marie Case followed her personal-best performance on the balance beam against Pittsburgh with another win, scoring a 9.750 in the event. Case also took first in the uneven parallel bars with a score of 9.825.

The team performed particularly well in the floor exercise, with Case taking first, junior Amiah Mims finishing in second, and freshman Olivia Trout tied for third place.

Kent State was just outside the NCAA gymnastics top 25 prior to the meeting. A strong road performance such as this one can only help their position.

The Flashes, who were the pre-season pick to win the Mid-American Conference this season, do not expect an easy road.

“It’s going to be a dogfight,” Ballard said. “There are a lot of good teams in this league.”

Next up for the Flashes is a quad-meet against George Washington, Rutgers and  Eastern Michigan on January 17th at the M.A.C. Center.

Contact Tyler Kieslich at [email protected].