Kent State’s 2024 season has been nothing short of historic. The Golden Flash finished the regular season ranked 23rd in the country, which earned them a spot in the second round of the Ann Arbor regional, bypassing the tricky play-in. To fans accustomed to watching the SEC every weekend, a spot at regionals may not seem special, but to a team that finished No. 41 in 2023, it’s kind of a big deal.
“It’s huge for us,” senior Karlie Franz said. “To be in that [top 23] spot and just make it here and not have to play in, it just shows how special we are and how hard we’ve worked.”
But gymnasts on every team work hard every day of every season, so what made this year’s edition of the Golden Flashes different? Head coach Brice Biggin attributes it to their excellent senior class and its ongoing leadership. “They have done an amazing job of setting up the team with expectations,” Biggin said. “They truly respect each other and work hard for each other, and when you can get a team to buy into being unselfish, I think it really helps set you up to be successful.”
The way the gymnasts feel about each other goes beyond respect. They’re great friends in and out of the gym,, and that connection makes a difference when meet day rolls around. “The bond that we created is why we broke so many program history records,” Franz said. “It’s one of the best teams I’ve been on, and [I’m] super proud to just finish out my career on it.”
The trust between teammates has been big, but trusting in themselves has been the crucial part of Kent State’s 2024 success. “They’ve changed the whole mentality,” Biggin said. “They know that to be good on competition day, you have to be good at home in the gym, and that’s led to a lot of productive practice sessions.”
The Golden Flashes didn’t qualify to Saturday’s regional final, but they aren’t discouraged. The future of this team is bright, and competing in Ann Arbor gave these gymnasts the confidence to succeed in the future. Freshman Dani Fuertez says that next year’s goal will be to fight even harder.
“After today, we can really prove ourselves next year,” Fuertez said. “We have our name to prove, and I know with this team, we’ll be able to show that fight to everyone else.”
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Article by Emily Lockard
