Gymnasts, Wrestlers to compete in simultaneous match
Kent State sophore Whitnee Johnson performs a routine on the balance beam during a home meet against George Washington and Western Michigan on Jan. 25, 2013. Photo by Melanie Nesteruk.
After a victorious meet at Bowling Green last weekend, the Kent State gymnastics team (5-2, 2-0 MAC) is preparing for the first Beauty and the Beast meet in school history.
“This has been a concept that has been out there in the gymnastics and wrestling communities for a while,” Flashes coach Brice Biggin said. “There have been a number of schools that have done it.”
The Beauty and the Beast meet features both the gymnastics and wrestling teams simultaneously in the M.A.C. Center on Friday at 7 p.m., as they compete against their scheduled teams.
“I think lots of people are going to show up because it’s kind of a two-for-one deal going on,” sophomore gymnast Amiah Mims said. “The wrestling matches get a decent amount of people themselves, so I feel like there’s going to be a lot of people there.”
Last week, the gymnasts were not only victorious against Bowling Green, but also took first in all four events, including the All-Around.
Junior Marie Case is coming off a phenomenal meet in which she scored a 9.925 on both the balance beam and the floor exercise. These scores pushed her past her previous personal records and into the number one spot in the All-Around with a score of 39.450.
Other gymnasts to watch out for include sophomore Chelsea Drooger, who placed first in the vault with a score of 9.875, and senior Rachel Guida, who placed first in the uneven bars with a score of 9.850.
The gymnasts will face Rutgers (7-5, 1-2 EAGL) during the event.
About Rutgers
The Scarlet Knights are coming off a win at a home quad meet, where they scored their third highest score in the program’s history, 195.000. This is the best score under new coach Louis Levine.
“Rutgers is a good program,” Biggin said. “I think they’re a team that we’re excited to be bringing in here. I expect them to be able to do a good job and that we’ll have a great meet.”
During their previous meet, Rutgers broke a program record on vault with a score of 48.875 along with their third highest scores on both beam, 48.850, and floor, 49.175. The team is currently ranked No. 25 in the country.
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