Ladies Set For MIC Championships
The Centenary gymnastics team will compete in the 2022 Midwest Independent Conference Championships on Friday at 5 p.m. inside Kitty Magee Arena.
Denton, Texas – The Centenary gymnastics team will compete in the 2022 Midwest Independent Conference Championships on Friday at 5 p.m. inside Kitty Magee Arena.
The Ladies will be joined by host Texas Woman's University, Lindenwood, Illinois State, and Southeast Missouri (SEMO) State University. Centenary finished fifth at last season's championships with a team score of 188.725. Friday's meet will be the final MIC for Centenary head coach Jackie Fain who will retire at the end of the season after 11 successful seasons at the helm.
Live stats and live video are available for the meet at the links below:
Stats: http://statbroadcast.com/events/statmonitr.php?gid=txwo
Video: https://lonestarconferencenetwork.com/twu/
The Ladies earned their highest team score of the season as they posted a 191.575 and finished second to the Pioneers of TWU in their annual Senior Night meet last Saturday at the Gold Dome.
Centenary honored its four seniors on Saturday night - All-Americans Kendall Sanders (Spring Branch, Texas) and Xian Baumgartner (Albuquerque, N.M.), Kendall Knaps (Prairieville, La.), and Madison McCary (Ozark, Mo.).
The Ladies and Pioneers met for the third time this season. Centenary finished second to the host Pioneers back on Jan. 30 in Denton, Texas and then placed fourth in the TWQ Quad 1 meet on Feb. 25 in Denton. TWU claimed Saturday's meet with a final team score of 194.825.
Centenary's previous season-best score was a 188.100 earned on March 4 at home in a runner-up finish to the Redhawks of SEMO in a MIC dual meet.
The Ladies, currently ranked 72nd in the country in the latest Road to Nationals rankings, are the sixth-highest ranked division III program in the country. TWU, a division II program, is ranked 50th. Lindenwood, also a division II school is ranked 54th. Illinois State and SEMO are both division I programs and are currently ranked 49th and 59th respectively.
Five Ladies set or tied career highs in last Saturday's Senior Night Meet, highlighted by a new career high in the All-Around (38.875) by Sanders as she claimed her third AA title of the season. Centenary also recorded its highest score on floor (48.575) since the 2018 season and highest vault score (48.275) since 2015.
Sanders earned a season-best 9.725 on bars and tied for third place on floor with a 9.775. She won the all-around twice earlier this season in a pair of non-conference meets on the road versus the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Feb. 11 and 13. Baumgartner also had a memorable Senior Night as she recorded a career-high (9.75) on floor and a pair of season highs on bars (9.55) and beam (9.675).
Junior All-American Taylor Ann Wilson (Memphis, Tenn.) won the bars competition with a season-high 9.85. Fellow junior Kendall Huff (Riviera, Texas) tied her career-high on floor with a 9.725 and junior Rose Deshler (Hastings, Minn.) set a new career high on floor (9.60). Junior Lacey Wedge (Belle Chasse, La.) set a new career high on vault (9.70) and sophomore Rylie Molina (Moss Bluff, La.) tied her career high on beam (9.65).
Below is a look at the Ladies' four opponents on Friday courtesy of TWU athletics:
ILLINOIS STATE REDBIRDS
The Redbirds will be looking to capture the third program title in team history, having claimed the championship in 2001 and 2012. The Redbirds have put up their share of big numbers at the MIC championships - but none bigger than Wendy Lahucik's 10 on vault during the 1995 season that earned her a co-championship in that event. Illinois State has cleared the 195 point plateau six times this season, posting a season-high 195.875 against Southeast Missouri on Feb. 25. The Redbirds have had their share of strong performances, with Alana Laster posting a team-high 9.95 score on vault, Sofia Iribarren and Madison Kipp posting 9.900 scores on bars, Kipp adding a 9.900 on floor, and Jaye Mack adding a 9.925 on floor. Labat's 39.475 all-around score is ISU's high mark this year.
LINDENWOOD LIONS
Lindenwood has won or shared each of the seven MIC championships, capturing outright titles at the MIC championships in all years except 2019 (when the Lions shared a title with Illinois-Chicago) and 2020 (when the championship was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the championship was awarded based on Lindenwood having the MIC's highest national qualifying score). The Lions posted a season-high 195.475 back in January in a tri-meet against Northern Illinois and Southeast Missouri, and are coming off a strong 194.825 performance in a quad featuring Illinois, Iowa State, and Missouri. Gayla Griswold posted a 9.975 on vault - the highest score among MIC teams in any event this season - with Hannah Appleget leading LU with a 9.850 high score on bars. Hadley Roberts' 9.900 high on beam and Griswold's 9.900 on floor are high-water marks for LU, while Moon posted a team-best 39.125 in the all-around.
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI REDHAWKS
The Redhawks have captured five MIC championships, winning titles in 1996, 1997, 2009, 2011, and 2014. Much like Illinois State, SEMO has posted some huge numbers historically at the MIC championships - with Mary Kate Farrington's 10 on vault tying for the 1995 championship. Ashley Godwin set a pair of individual records during the 2003 championship, with Ashley Godwin posting a 9.975 on beam and a 39.550 in the all-around. This season, SEMO has posted a high team score of 194.200 - coming in a dual meet against Illinois State on Feb. 25. Anna Kaziska's 9.95 on floor remains SEMO's high floor score this year, while Kaziska and Anna Speller both have 9.900 scores on beam. Sensational newcomer LIndsay Ockler has led the way with team high scores on vault (9.850) and bars (9.875), while Lydia Webb's 39.075 score is SEMO's high all-around mark this year.
TEXAS WOMAN'S UNIVERSITY
The Pioneers will be looking to capture the third title in program history, having earned MIC titles in both 2006 and 2010. The Pioneers have put in their best scores of the season since the beginning of February, not falling below 194 points in the last seven meets. TWU posted a season-high 195.725 in a second-place finish in a quad against OU, Air Force, and Southeast Missouri on March 6, and posted season-high team scores in vault (49.000) and floor (49.275) in that same event.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/gymnastics/2021-22/schedule
Live stats and live video are available for all home meets.
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests but be advised of current COVID-19 protocols for fans. Updated COVID-19 information is now available via www.GoCentenary.com.
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