Coming off an important win against conference rival Central Michigan, the Kent State gymnasts (7-2, 3-0 MAC) are looking to remain undefeated in their conference at an away meet against Northern Illinois (3-3; 1-2 MAC) at 5 p.m. Saturday.

“We’re very confident in our ability to go out and travel away,” said coach Brice Biggin. “We’ve done well away from home so far, so we need to go out there and focus on ourselves and what we need to do as a team. I think when we do that, and not focus on someone else, we always do a very good job.”

The team last faced Central Michigan in a critical meet that pushed the Flashes past the No. 24 Chippewas into the No. 21 spot nationally. The team reached its overall season high with a score of 196.050. Junior Marie Case took first in the All Around for the fourth week in a row, scoring a 39.025 overall. She was also awarded the MAC Gymnast of the Week three weeks in a row.

“It’s always about what I can do and how I can improve and [about] just staying consistent,” Case said. “That’s what I’ve been doing. I’ve been staying consistent. I’ve been staying within myself, and just going out and hitting routines like I do in practice.”

The Flashes’ overall scores in each event topped that of the Chippewas, scoring a 49.125 on the vault, a 49.050 on the uneven bars, a 48.575 on the balance beam, and a 49.300 on the floor.

“I think we need to keep working on being steady,” Biggin said. “If we can just go out there and just be consistent and stay steady, then I think we have the makings of a very good team.”

About Northern Illinois

The Huskies fell to Iowa State with a score of 195.175-194.375. The 194 score was the team’s season high. Freshman Jaelyn Olsen was awarded MAC Specialist of the Week this week for her full-twisting Yurchenko vault, which earned her the top vault spot overall with a score of 9.875. The score was the highest score of any Northern Illinois gymnast during the meet.

Up Next

The Flashes continue their season with a Flip for the Cure home meet against conference member Ball State at 7 p.m. March 1.

Contact Lily Flynn at [email protected].