A program on the upswing since the turn of the decade, Ball State will face its toughest challenge yet in maintaining that trend in 2025, as it must replace 10 of the program’s best-ever routines. The Cardinals are bringing in a talented rookie class, though, including three- and four-star recruits. However, losing a pair of four-eventers from a roster that employs an all-arounder-heavy strategy leaves some glaring lineup holes to be filled.
2024 Rewind
No. 34 overall | No. 2 at MACs | No. 34 in regular season | Regional play-in
After back-to-back runner-up conference finishes, getting on the MAC podium will only get more difficult as the Cardinals lose three stalwarts and didn’t show much depth on any event in 2024. Finishing on the good side of the postseason bubble is also in question, but Ball State shouldn’t drop off of the bubble watch list entirely.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Fifth-Years Hannah Ruthberg Seniors Cai Afalla Carissa Martinez Grace Sumner Juniors Mary Rose Bellan Dilynn Blair Aislyn LaBadie Zoe Middleton Sophomores Lindsay Fuller Lindsay Girard Delaney McMahon Ava Molina Ashley Szymanski | Freshmen Viviana Campuzzano Avery Kantor Karli Mercer Jordanna Phillis Breelyn Rickey |
| Out | |
| Graduated Victoria Henry (AA) Suki Pfister (VT, FX) Megan Teter (AA) Transferred Kenna Geibel Leah White (VT) | |
| Injury Update | |
| Aislyn LaBadie appears healthy after undergoing shoulder surgery, showing a Gienger on bars in preseason training videos. | |
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 21 | NQS: 49.205 | Average: 49.115
| Event Overview: Suki Pfister’s strong and consistent front handspring pike half will be missed here as the Cardinals’ only 10.0 option looks to be the Yurchenko one and a half from former four-star freshman Jordanna Phillis. Ball State only went six deep on this event in 2024, making depth an issue with three routines departing and now relying on fresh faces to carry half the lineup. | ||
| Locks: Carissa Martinez, Zoe Middleton, Jordanna Phillis, Hannah Ruthberg | ||
| Contenders: Aislyn LaBadie, Karli Mercer, Breelyn Rickey | ||
| Wildcards: Viviana Campuzzano, Avery Kantor |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 24 | NQS: 49.255 | Average: 49.117
| Event Overview: MAC bars champion Ashley Szymanski was so close to a trip to Fort Worth in her debut NCAA season and figures to be the Cardinals’ anchor moving forward. Ball State posted the second-best bars total of 2024 at the infamous Tennessee Collegiate Classic, skewing its event ranking as it suffered from some inconsistency toward the tail end of last season. Phillis could again boost the Cardinals here as she has both a piked Jaeger and a Maloney-to-Pak combo to choose from to build her routine. | ||
| Locks: Zoe Middleton, Hannah Ruthberg, Grace Sumner, Ashley Szymanski | ||
| Contenders: Viviana Campuzzano, Ava Molina, Jordanna Phillis | ||
| Wildcards: Breelyn Rickey |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 39 | NQS: 49.070 | Average: 48.825
| Event Overview: Even when this lineup overcame inconsistency in 2024, it was still usually the lowest-scoring event of the meet. But on the bright side, Ball State’s top four beamers do return this season to make beam the event with the most options. Former three-star recruit Karli Mercer should spend some time in the top six, along with Delaney McMahon, who did not compete her freshman season but excelled on beam in level 10 and has been spotted training the event in preseason clips. | ||
| Locks: Zoe Middleton, Hannah Ruthberg, Grace Sumner, Ashley Szymanski | ||
| Contenders: Lindsay Fuller, Delaney McMahon, Karli Mercer, Jordanna Phillis | ||
| Wildcards: Breelyn Rickey |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 25 | NQS: 49.370 | Average: 49.235
| Event Overview: Floor is another event where half of last season’s lineup departs and depth is limited. Zoe Middleton does bring back the Cardinals’ top NQS, and former three-star recruit Avery Kantor has a stickable front double full ready to make its NCAA debut, but finding more than six routines could prove challenging with only four on the roster having competed on the event in 2024. | ||
| Locks: Carissa Martinez, Zoe Middleton, Hannah Ruthberg | ||
| Contenders: Avery Kantor, Ava Molina, Jordanna Phillis | ||
| Wildcards: Breelyn Rickey, Karli Mercer |
Records Watch
Team: 198.025 | AA: 39.750 | VT: 49.375/10.000 | UB: 49.775/10.000 | BB: 49.350/9.925 | FX: 49.625/9.950
Ball State set a myriad of program records last season at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic—including scoring a 198 after only ever previously reaching the low 197s. Now with perfect or near-perfect marks across the board, rewriting the record books would be a stretch for the Cardinals, especially after losing the class of heavy-hitters that helped it notch those marks. However, a Middleton 9.950-plus on floor wouldn’t be out of the question.
The Big Picture
Ball State is the mid-major version of Michigan this season—undergoing plenty of lineup turnover after losing several strong all-arounders to graduation. Hannah Ruthberg and Zoe Middleton are still around to carry on some of the weight, but the Cardinals’ season will be defined by how well they’re able to integrate newcomers and specialists into their lineups.
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