Week two of the season means week one of true MACtion! Kent State will play host to Northern Illinois, after both established themselves as upperclassman-heavy teams in 2025. Each team has a strong core of returners, and is expected to go head-to-head on the leg events early in the season – but the make-or-break will be at bars, where the Golden Flashes hold a significant advantage over the Huskies. Kent State returns all but one bar routine from last spring, with a lineup that peaked at 36th nationally by NQS. Northern Illinois has shown potential on the event, but ultimately could not break past the 49.000 mark. They will be forced to rebuild their bars core without almost all of their consistent hitters from last year, and may rely heavily on junior transfer Ashlie Leage and freshman Makenna Brooks to right the course of the ship.
Kent State’s biggest gains come from freshmen Lana Mast and Taylor Archambeau, both primed to contribute on multiple events. They’ll be complementing returning vets with postseason experience, including Charlie Behner and last year’s MAC beam champion Heidi Schultz.
Both of this afternoon’s teams are also competing without the strength of expected returning routines, as the Huskies’ Kiera O’Shea and the Golden Flashes’ Kennedy Bowen are out for the season with recent lower-leg injuries. The lineup losses will cause a significant disruption to Northern Illinois, as they will go into this season without any athletes who have formerly qualified to regionals.
Rotation 1: Kent State VT, Northern Illinois UB
Before the gymnastics itself starts, some pre-meet fanfare notes: shoutout to Kent State AC Tim Levandowski for wearing a Golden Flashes themed Hawaiian shirt, and a second shoutout to the Northern Illinois fans who made the trip and are making their point of wearing red at today’s dual meet. Today is also the last season opener for Kent State’s HC Brice Biggin, as he recently announced his retirement will follow the 2026 season.
Balko (KSU): gets half the block she had in warm up and has to take a few hops forward out of her Y full. 9.500
Poncin (NIU): nails her first handstand, giant full to a Geinger that’s too far to catch. Orphaned shootover to horizontal and gets back up to the high bar, then ultimately falls forward out of her FTDLO. Gorgeous form that can hopefully hit next week. 8.250
Rankin (KSU): Avenges her teammate, this time hopping backwards out of her Y full. some bent knees throughout that she’ll clean over the season. 9.700
King (NIU): blind half to Geinger and catches smooth, then shoots to handstand. bling full finishes late and she pings the double tuck to her hands and knees. unfortunate start for NIU to count a fall. 9.000
Compson (KSU): strongest of the three Y fulls we’ve seen so far. takes one step to the side, with a small pike down. 9.725
Riff (NIU): long wait before she gets to start. blind half to pike Jaeger and stomachs her release. she remounts and hits her straddle back, then cranks her giants to land (albeit piking) her double layout. 8.875
Morgan (KSU): VERY clean y full, when it sticks it can confidently be one of the best in the conference. looked like she wasn’t aiming to stick today, and takes a hop back. 9.800, tying her career high
White (NIU): short first cast, but catches the clear hip to Geinger out of it. she then has an extra cast before her shoot to handstand, but rallies hard after it to get back up, build up her giants, and land a DLO. First “hit” for NIU. 9.100
Bingman (KSU): looked like a near-stick from our angle! Y full, and should go higher than the rest of the lineup so far. 9.875!
Boykin (NIU): big expectations for her college debut, and under pressure no less. hits her maloney pak with a minor form break on the latter. settling into a good rhythm in her routine, through to her reverse flyaway 1.5. 9.475
Behner (KSU): opportunity to flush a 9.500, and she runs with it! another near stick to close the rotation’s counting vaults. 9.850
Leage (NIU): D1 debut routine for the former Greenville bars stalwart, looking very calm before she starts. toe handstand to Tkatchev and a shoot all in series, and wastes no time getting back to the high bar for an agressive handstand. she finishes with a second toe handstand to front pike half! 9.750
Migliore (KSU): exhibition — hops back on her Y full, not as high in her post flight as teammates in the back of the lineup, but hoping to creep back into the top six. 9.700
Brooks (NIU): exhibition — nails her Geinger, and toe handstand to shootover. VERY solid second half with a precise handstand and near stuck DLO. Put her in lineups! 9.500
Call (KSU): exhibition — a little hesitant on the landing, and slows down her twisting with her head leading in the post flight. she’s definitely putting pressure on the top six alongside Migliore. 9.625
Brenner (NIU): exhibition — just about putting on a clear hip clinic, doing a clear hip entry Tkatchev and then opens early on the clear on its own right after. gets back up after the fall and hits her verticals, and has a clean double layout.
AFTER ONE: Kent State 48.950, Northern Illinois 46.200
Kent State is having a great time giving out a free shirt for each 9.700+ score, after a strong rotation with deep vault options available. NIU couldn’t have a more contrasted start to their meet, with only Leage in the anchor spot going over 9.500. While their bars lineup is largely untested, four falls speaks to a depth issue more so than an experience one.
Rotation 2: Northern Illinois VT, Kent State UB
Nickle (NIU): Ready to right the ship. Clean Y full in the air, small hop back. Exactly the vault you want to start off. 9.575
Fuertez (KSU): blind full Tkatchev is high and precise. a tad shy of hs in her shootover, then puts on a show for her second half with her near-stick blind full to double tuck. Welcome back! 9.725
Harbeck (NIU): hard to see the angles she’s getting to from the view we have, but it looks clean and very purposeful with her timing. another steady Y full. 9.675
Balko (KSU): toe hs Maloney Pak series, short of vertical on her pirouetting today, and then almost says “watch me” sticking her clear hip to toe front half series. 9.700
Sallee (NIU): well earned happy dance after her Y full, should go beyond 9.700. 9.750!
Migliore (KSU): blind half to Jaeger and shootover hits smoothly, and carries her momentum through to a very well fought sticky DLO. 9.800, even after the dismount fight!
Brenner (NIU): another near stick! comes in a little low and has to ultimately step from her Y full. some knee form throughout that should straighten out as she gets more numbers in this season. 9.750
Marques (KSU): toe hs Maloney Pak, with a funky pirouette but makes it work. she absolutely soars in her DLO and just about gets the stick. 9.750
White (NIU): a little eager to get the stick, and hops then steps out of her Y full. 9.550
Rudnitskaya (KSU): blind half to her signature piked Jaeger, and does a great job slowing down to angle for her Pak. she has strong giants into her DLO and inches forwards out of it. 9.775
Wallace (NIU): absolutely books it down the runway and gets a great block for her Y full. should be a third 9.700+ in a row for her team. 9.725
Behner (KSU): as far as the (overused) metaphor of watching a kid swing at the playground, Behner embodies it perfectly. lovely height in her release series, and gets exactly the torque she wants on the bar in her stalder to double tuck. There’s a reason she’s anchoring all three of her events today. 9.850
Archambeau (KSU): exhibition — big Tkatchev but too far for the freshman to catch. Goes for an easier composition after remounting, with the standalone double tuck dismount.
Werner (KSU): exhibition — precise clear hip then stomachs her Geinger out of it.
AFTER TWO: Kent State 97.775, Northern Illinois 94.675
A quick update on the Hawaiian shirts — the announcers are saying they were given to the first wave of fans that made it to the MACC Center today, explaining why Levandowski and the rest of the home coaching staff are wearing them.
Kent State is carrying their momentum from vault, having finished bars with their drop score being a 9.700 flat. Northern Illinois was determined to leave bars behind them, and made a point of nearing 48.500 even with some unsure landings.
Rotation 3: Kent State BB, Northern Illinois FX
The Golden Flashes are putting up a beam squad of six returners, hoping to capitalize on last year’s momentum they gained on the event in the back half of 2025. NIU with a similar strategy at floor, adding in two further vets in the exhibition spots.
Rankin (KSU): at home on the beam, throwing down her bhs loso no questions asked. she spots the beam in her switch and straddle 1/4, and cat leap to aerial. transverse split half looks even easier. she closes out her routine with a cat leap to gainer pike, with only a small hop forward and arm circle. 9.625, then changed to 9.675.
Riff (NIU): opening with a just-enough-rotated fhs front double full, and gets right into her dance. switch side to two wolf fulls goes smooth, keeping her shoulders up for all three. roundoff 1.5 to layout and a small stumble backwards to close — nothing she can’t fix in week three. She put up a high energy routine as a freshman leadoff, and will look to keep her momentum going on beam. 9.675
Migliore (KSU): switch to switch jump, and a clean bhs loso to cap off her first half. NAILED her front toss. split to straddle 1/4 was a tad hesitant, and then makes me eat my words with a textbook stuck front tuck full dismount. 9.775
Harbeck (NIU): opens with a fun but not super controlled fhs rudi to back tuck, and keeps it in bounds by a hair. looking a little slower through her dance elements than Riff, and then closes with a front tuck through to double pike. 9.575
Fuertez (KSU): fun variation on the press mount, and an overall strong beam presence. very high bhs bhs loso with no checks at all. orphan cartwheel, likely to get the forward element checked off. dismounts with a punch front full, and a step forward for good measure. 9.650, with most of it coming from the dismount.
Wallace (NIU): massive DLO to start, seamlessly into a fun dance and huge jumps. Closes with a roundoff 1.5 to front full, with an incredibly efficient and dynamic routine. 9.725
Riley (KSU): bhs loso super quick, and then takes a check after her switch to split full. one thing she will make sure of is getting all of her connections counted! checks again on her side aerial, then pulls out a stuck gainer full. 9.600
Nickle (NIU): Dramatic If I Were a Rich Man floor music hi hello! front layout to Rudi. She gets all the bonus points in the world from me for keeping Fiddler on the Roof alive and well in the gym world. Back tuck to her knee in the dance tells me her next pass will be front again, and its a stuck front layout to front full. 9.700
Morgan (KSU): checks on her front toss and will move backwards to redo for series. second time it hits, and she credits her front toss to bhs. small check again on the full turn, looks like she’s trying to drop the last two scores to mixed avail. takes a step again on the bhs 1.5 dismount. 9.475
Brown (NIU): double pike, and then sends her jumps higher than her tumbling with a switch side and Popa. roundoff 1.5 punch front pike is probably hoppier than she’d want, but great for week two ankles. finishes with a floaty double tuck. 9.750
Schultz (KSU): the reigning MAC champ couldn’t come at a better time. clean through her split 3/4, and staring down the judges before her front toss. bhs loso small check, then wipes the sweat off her forehead for some cheers. bhs 1.5 stuck cold. 9.800 drops Morgan’s efforts.
White (NIU): front tuck through to double tuck out of the frame in our stream! switch to switch half and wolf 1.5 gives her some time to dance before pass two of two. massive double pike and a smile! 9.775
Knurek (KSU): exhibition — a hometown favorite in the exhibition spot, with a clean side somi, and then checks on her switch switch series. bhs loso is genuinely one of the most fluid on the team, and she puts on a stick clinic with her gainer full. Consider me excited for this to break into the core six. 9.700
Brenner (NIU): exhibition — floaty front layout to Rudi! switch full to two Popas that get most of the way around, then some dancing and a double pike to her knees. 9.050
Archambeau (KSU): exhibition — she’s had great beam work all preseason, attesting to the depth her team has on beam. off on her bhs loso. launches her split leap and split 3/4, and her 1.5 dismount. 8.800
Sallee (NIU): exhibition — punch front double full without any issues, and carries it through to her switch half Popa. slight hesitation before her second pass, pulling out a rudi to back tuck that doesn’t quite get the rise it wants. When that starts to hit, it’ll catapult her into the lineup. 9.425
AFTER THREE: Kent State 146.325, Northern Illinois 143.300
Some nerves from both teams were present in rotation three, and the scoring ceilings reflect those nerves. NIU had their most complete rotation so far without logging any 9.800+ scores, showing fans they can reach that coveted 49 mark sooner rather than later. Kent State will look to their floor lineup to get out of the sub 9.700 zone, and stay comfortable in the high 48’s at minimum with a now Alyssa Guns free lineup.
Rotation 4: Northern Illinois BB, Kent State FX
Nickle (NIU): hesitates between her switch and switch half, but will likely still get credited for the series. wins a fight with her bhs loso. bhs gainer full off the side sticks. 9.425
Rankin (KSU): if her routine isn’t calling for the fans to get hyped, i don’t know what is. she nails her opening double tuck and gets her jumps rotated easily, including a standalone wolf 1.5. double pike with the step back, and she makes sure we know her front foot didn’t budge. 9.875.
Riff (NIU): aerial aerial hits! as does her unique switch, pike, pike half, and her gainer pike. hello efficiency! if today is any indication, she’ll be an important piece of the NIU gymnastics fabric over the coming years. 9.800
Rudnitskaya (KSU): almost as if her routine picks up where Rankin’s left off. starts with a huge double pike, and a textbook switch half to wolf full. she dials in for pass two, and accurately rotates her roundoff 1.5 to layout. double tuck shortly after with an unintentional step finishes her day. 9.750
Harbeck (NIU): bhs bhs loso like its on the floor. nails her switch to tuck full, not hesitant at all about finishing square to the beam. closes with a roundoff 1.5 and a small step. massive contribution after not competing beam in 2025. 9.725
Mast (KSU): highly anticipated routine from the freshman, starting with a punch front double full. Moors-esque cartwheel loso, and a calm leap series gets her to the next corner. punch layout to Rudi ends her stellar debut routine. 9.650
Brooks (NIU): checks on her bhs loso, then rocks a front tuck! switch to switch half may not credit with the twist timing. big celebrations after her roundoff 1.5 from the team. 9.650
Bingman (KSU): starting with a close up of her braids (KSU gymnastics’ meet hair has its own insta for those interested) and then we get a big front double full that just stays in bounds. roundoff 1.5 punch lay floats around, as does her Rudi shortly after. 9.750
White (NIU): bhs loso hits, albeit with slight knee form in each. aerial roundoff gets some excited yells from the crowd, then she wins a fight with her switch side. commentators are then telling us we don’t see full turns very often, but hers was nice. roundoff 1.5 gets high fives. 9.575
Morgan (KSU): bouncy front layout to Rudi, and a kiss for the stands. great extension in her switch ring to start her leap series, and keeps her perma-smile straight through to her double pike. She saw limited lineup time on floor last year, and looks to be more of a permanent fixture in 2026. 9.750
Brown (NIU): switch split mount! I’m appreciating the little gotcha moments in each of NIU’s beam composition choices. rocks her standing loso loso. big cat leap to switch side, continuing to rise after the switch. closing with a roundoff 1.5. 9.625.
Behner (KSU): she brings the same precision she has at bars to the floor, and opens with the strongest punch double full we’ve seen all day. switch half to Popa and wolf full all hang in the air. she then sticks her front tuck through to double tuck COLD to finish the rotation. 9.850.
Sallee (NIU): exhibition — bhs loso with a small check, then hits her switch to split 3/4 easily. near stick on her roundoff 1.5, which looks to be the Huskies’ dismount of choice.
King (NIU): exhibition — fun Silivas mount. bhs loso goes off before her second foot can land. she lands her front toss nearly standing straight up, and soars in her jumps just like earlier at floor. clean roundoff 1.5 to boot.
A solid final event for both teams caps off their season openers, with the Golden Flashes nudging closer to that 49 benchmark and the Huskies keeping a third consecutive rotation above 48. What’s in store next for each team? Kent State hosts Fisk and West Virginia, the latter being the most recent team to beat Kent State on home turf. Big performances from the likes of Rankin, Behner and Fuertez will be their best defense keeping their home win streak alive. Northern Illinois joins Brockport on the road at Eastern Michigan, where they’ll lean on Leage for bars leadership to get back into the 193 to 194 range.
FINAL: Kent State 195.300, Northern Illinois 191.675
VT: Jersey Bingman (Kent State): 9.875
UB: Mya Migliore (Kent State): 9.800
BB: Heidi Schultz (Kent State) & Avery Riff (NIU): 9.800
FX: Zoe Rankin (Kent State): 9.875
AA: Drake White (NIU): 38.000
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Live blog by Peri Goodman
