Three teams, three conferences, and far more than three storylines headline today’s action in Kent, Ohio.
Kent State enters in pursuit of two milestones: its first 49.000 event total and an individual 9.900 this season. Event specialists Charlie Behner and Zoe Rankin are poised to lead that charge, while a repeat of Jersey Bingman’s stuck Yurchenko full from last week could also crack the 9.900 mark—one that would be the MAC’s first on vault this year. The Golden Flashes have been especially tough at home; their last loss at the M.A.C. Center came in January 2024, coincidentally against West Virginia, which returns to Kent for today’s tri-meet.
The visiting Mountaineers are well-positioned to challenge Kent State once again. Beam proved to be the primary separator between the two teams last week, making five confident, hit routines—led by Kaylei Adams—essential if West Virginia hopes to come away with the team victory.
Underdog Fisk arrives having already competed twice this season and continues its push to break the 190.000 barrier without Morgan Price. Upperclassmen Ciniah Rosby and Aliyah Reed-Hammon bring valuable experience, particularly during double-meet weekends, and will be counted on to steady the Bulldogs as they navigate Fisk’s fourth and final season.
Today’s lineups are indicating that Dani Fuertez will return to floor after her early season achilles tear last year, and that Zoe Rankin is set to move from the Golden Flashes’ floor leadoff to the fifth spot.
Rotation 1: Kent State VT, West Virginia UB, Fisk BB
Rankin (KSU): controls the landing on her Y full with just a hop, not as high as we’ll see from the back end of the lineup but a great way to start the day. 9.700
K. Smith (WVU): stream joins her in time for a clean and high blind full to double tuck stuck cold. 9.625
Compson (KSU): great job keeping her knees straight and ankles glued in the Y full. 9.725
Lowe (WVU): joining again for the end, and it’s a second consecutive blind full to stuck double tuck. 9.775
Pratt (FU): pauses before her bhs swing to aerial, gets credit for some big cheers. 9.375
Archambeau (KSU): vault debut, and she gets a huge block and sticks cold! safe to say she’s staying in the vault core. 9.850
Mendoza (WVU): toe hs to Pak catches the bar easily, and she carries her speed through to a set of cranked giants and a hop forward on her DLO. 9.675
Diggs (FU): cleanly through her front aerial to side aerial, then takes a small check between her switch and split 3/4. checks again but recovers her front toss. 9.500
Morgan (KSU): get the same height as Archambeau, but takes a hop. Kent State is quietly a strong Y full team. 9.700
Bingman (KSU): her second Y full stuck in as many weeks. 9.825
Behner (KSU): very capable of getting the first 49+ team event score of the conference with a hit, and she adds another near-stuck Y full. she does it with a 9.900, going 49.000 flat!
Lane (WVU): Weiler kip with a small blip, into a Jaeger and bail! FLINGS her double layout off the bar and maintains her open shape to a stick. 9.575
Reed-Hammon (FU): fluid as always setting up the first half, with a confident bhs swing to side aerial. covers her check well on her jump series, and then sticks her gainer full! much needed hit for the Bulldogs. 9.675
Migliore (KSU): exh — another clean vault in Kent State’s arsenal of Y fulls. 9.600
Cromartie (FU): exh — bhs, swings then checks. on her second try she connects to the side aerial, but comes off the beam. checks on her split 3/4, and sticks the gainer full. very similar composition to Reed-Hammon
Call (KSU): another near carbon copy of the Y full we’ve seen eight of, small pike down makes it hard to stick and with the team’s current depth that’s the difference between lineup and exhibition. 9.675
Johnson (FU): exh — wins the fight with her bhs loso, and then is tentative in her switch half. side somi alert! finishes with a 1.5 and a small step.
Our stream has been showing lots of graphics, and not a lot of visiting team routines. Hoping this changes in the next rotation so we can get a stronger picture of depth that sets up West Virginia and Fisk’s anchors.
AFTER ONE: Kent State 49.000, West Virginia 48.425, Fisk 47.300
Kent State heard me from last week saying they can do great once they find their sticks at vault, and honestly I’m here for it. Behner claims the MAC’s first 9.900 on vault for the year, en route to her team taking the first 49.000 for any event’s total in the conference. West Virginia looks to hit more of their handstands, but from what the stream is showing they’re nailing dismounts consistently. Fisk had their two strongest routines bookend their lineup, with upperclassmen Mora and Reed-Hammon both posting over 9.600.
Rotation 2: Kent State UB, West Virginia BB, Fisk FX
Fuertez (KSU): sticks her blind full to double tuck. 9.700
K. Smith (WVU): clean througher cat leap to front aerial, and the following bhs loso. near stuck 1.5 to start their rotation, and hopefully right the ship from last week’s beam team showing. 9.700
Migliore (KSU): blind half to Jaeger and a short shootover, makes a point of getting her high bar handstand to vertical and sticks her DLO. 9.700
Mora (FU): opens with a roundoff 1.5 to a short but saved front layout. similar landing in her front layout to front full, and gets plenty height but short on the angles in her switch to switch half. 9.450
Marques (KSU): form break going from high to low, hearing from the commentators but not seeing it on stream. 9.450
Mendoza (WVU): candle mount with her thighs glued, showcasing her lower back flexibility. off on her bhs loso. takes a step back out of her roundoff 1.5. 8.100
Rosado (FU): HUGE rudi to split jump, moving earlier in the lineup than originally listed. 9.400
Schultz (KSU): clear to Maloney and Pak, swinging calmly to a nearly stuck DLO. 9.650
Nelson (WVU): finds herself in the same position as last week, where she’s trying to make up for earlier falls — but it doesn’t get to her and she sticks her bhs gainer full dismount. 9.150
Rosby (FU): joining halfway, bouncing out of her tumbling and jump series so far. finishes with a fhs Rudi. 9.675
Rudnitskaya (KSU): clean through her interior, with an added sole circle to keep on the bar. rallies and holds her stick for the DLO. 9.800
Adams (WVU): hearing of continued beam struggles, but being shown the tri meet graphics instead of gymnastics. 9.275
Reed-Hammon (FU): we get a glimpse of the last pass, and it’s a clean roundoff 1.5 to front full. 9.550
Behner (KSU): huge Maloney, then catches her bail hs early and comes off forward. deep squat but holds the stick on her stalder to double tuck. 9.075
DiCello (WVU): anchoring a labored rotation. she’ll get series credit for her bhs and first loso, doesnt get either foot on for her second loso so some series bonus is out the window. 8.650
Coleman (FU): BIG full in to start her routine, a tad low but on her feet and in bounds. switch side to popa and straddle jump allow her to “rest” before her second and final pass. front tuck through to an improvised yet pretty back layout. 9.250
Balko (KSU): exh — makes a great case for herself to break into the main six. the main deduction trap is her toe front half dismount, which she lands with her chest up today. 9.575
Johnson (FU): exh — open double tuck, lands low but keeps it on her feet. second pass was supposed to be a 2.5 to punch front but is off in the roundoff and sends the front tuck to her back after a muscled 2.5. 8.550
AFTER TWO: Kent State 97.300, Fisk 94.975, West Virginia 94.925
The Mountaineers’ repeated beam issues from week two were the main storyline of the rotation, with acro series besting four of their six athletes. Of note, both of their exhibitions (Pederson and Webster) hit. Fisk, nearing a 48 on floor, has pulled ahead into second place with big contributions from Mora and Rosby. Kent State narrowly keeps their streak of no-counting-fall-rotations alive, and is pacing for a higher score than last week even after bars.
Rotation 3: Fisk VT, Kent State BB, West Virginia FX
Johnson (FU): Y layout o start, hops back. 9.275
Rankin (KSU): clean bhs loso, and spots the beam throughout her switch to straddle 1/4. small pause before a check on her cat leap to aerial. trasnverse spit 1/2 hits and seems to charge her back up hefore sticking a cat leap to gainer pike. 9.650
Lowe (WVU): big dbl pike to start, and resets WVU’s momentum. 9.525
Migliore (KSU): switch to switch jump, and bhs loso land calmly. a tad low landing her front toss, but stands it up fast. sticks her front tuck full dismount. 9.750
Nelson (WVU): has a longer than normal wait after a conference. front through to double tuck, bounces out but keeps in the lines. fun leap sequence into a shushunova! 1.5 to punch layout with a small shuffle. 9.650
Diggs (FU): Y full tuck, rotates slowly but gets around as needed and takes one step back. 9.525
Fuertez (KSU): cat leap to switch side calm and collected. bhs bhs loso stutters and comes off the side. standalone cartwheel stays in her routine as the forward skill, before her switch to split jump. nearly holds the stick on her front full dismount, ultimately has to hop forward. 8.950
E. Smith (WVU): very clean switch half to two Popas, rotates all of them precisely and then has fun putting in a backspin. front layout to rudi with the definition of a controlled lunge out to finish. 9.700
Rosby (FU): a big Y full! 9.675
Riley (KSU): bhs loso avenges Fuertez’ series. switch, small pause, then check on her spit 3/4. gearing up towards the back half of her routine, and nails a side aerial. sticks her gainer full. 9.550
K. Smith (WVU): OOB on her DLO, then feed focuses on Riley’s beam. 9.675
Morgan (KSU): front toss to bhs like it’s on the floor. switch switch also equally calm. sticks her roundoff 1.5. 9.800
Pederson (WVU): OOB on her first pass. accurately cooks her double pike and has lots of fun finishing out her non-tumbling-but-still-energetic rest of the routine. 9.400
Reed-Hammon (FU): fought and won the fight to stick her Y full! 9.700
Schultz (KSU): beat to split 3/4 hits and smiles. same for her front toss. bhs loso gets big cheers from her team and the home fans. bhs 1.5 sticks, and is good for a 9.850
Rice (WVU): post season looking rudi first pass, then we enter the danger zone as she gets ready for her second pass. front full to front layout equally as controlled and floaty. switch side half to shushunova ends the rotation. 9.725
Knurek (KSU): exh — nails her side somi, then off after her switch leap. bhs loso equalling that of Morgan and Schultz. stuck gainer full. 9.050
Most (KSU): exh — front aerial to bhs, and cat leap to front aerial scale all hit. switch to split 3/4 as well! moving slowly, but avoiding any checks. a tad low on her gainer pike dismount, and takes a large step forward. 9.650
AFTER THREE: Kent State 145.900, West Virginia 143.250, Fisk 142.650
Checking in on our team scoring race, West Virginia had a pretty average day at floor but it was still enough to pull ahead of Fisk’s lower start valued rotation at vault. Rice’s Top Gun routine was the jewel of the meet so far for the Mountaineers, likewise for Reed-Hammon’s stuck Y full going 9.700. Kent State’s back end of the beam lineup were determined not to count Fuertez’ uncharacteristic fall, and in doing so have kept the team in line with a very real shot at a 196.000 this afternoon. If last week’s near-49.000 was any indicator, the floor core is within reach of that benchmark score.
Heads up — we’re all going to hope my laptop can hold its remaining 10% through the last rotation. If not, a recap will be added in afterwards bridging the gap from the last covered routine.
Rotation 4: West Virginia VT, Fisk UB, Kent State FX
West Virginia can make a real push on vault, but will it be too late? They’ll again count on Rice for her 10.0 start value, along with the tried and true veteran core of their lineup.
E. Smith (WVU): strong Y full, hops back. 9.775
Johnson (FU): clear hip to shootover, gets her vertical but straddles to maintain it. finishes with a clear hip to double tuck. 9.100
Bingman (KSU): fhs front double twist with a controlled step, well within the boundary. she wastes no time turning around for her roundoff 1.5 to layout. switch half and wolf full getting height to look more than relaxed, same with her fhs rudi to finish before she crowns herself. 9.750
K. Smith (WVU): clean Y full, hops back and will take a low chest deduction. 9.775
Diggs (FU): blind full results in extra swings, then hits a double tuck. 8.525
Rudnitskaya (KSU): dobule pike with a big jump back into her lunge. calm switch half to wolf full, akin to Bingman. roundoff 1.5 to layout much more controlled, as is her double back. 9.750
Fuertez (KSU): back on floor after a year! front tuck through to OOB double tuck. she’s having fun with her Crazy Train music going into pass two, and it’s a front layout front full stuck cold! 9.575
DiCello (WVU): clean Y full, attesting to her team’s vault depth. 9.725
Morgan (KSU): all smiles in her dance. front layout to Rudi and fights to keep her front foot down on the lunge. great rotation in her swithc half to wolf full, seeming compulsory for the Golden Flashes. double pike with plenty of floor to spare. 9.800
Rice (WVU): tsuk full(!) with a small hop. 9.800
Coleman (FU): shootover right to vertical, and before i get the chance to blink she’s stuck a toe front pike. massive 9.750!
Rankin (KSU): front through to double tuck, small slide out of it backwards. nails her three jumps in series, and now gets to work the crowd a little before tumbling again. she closes with a double pike, and makes sure we know her front foot hasn’t moved. safe to say she’ll be getting comfortable in the back end of the lineup. 9.850
Tuohy (WVU): near stuck Y full to close the rotation. 9.750
Behner (KSU): clean through her front double twist. switch half to Popa and wolf jump all going high enough to milk her angles. front tuck through to double pike clean as ever. 9.875, clearing the 49 checkpoint.
Mast (KSU): exh — punch double front full more controlled than last week. her graceful floor style contrasts the rest of her team nicely, while still capitalizing on front tumbling. punch front layout to rudi lands low on an otherwise confident routine. 9.625
FINAL: Kent State 194.925, West Virginia 192.025, Fisk 188.975
Just as predicted, plenty of plot unravelling this afternoon for all three teams. Fisk is inching closer to that 190.000 team score, and just about able to put up a full lineup of twisting vaults. West Virginia may need to go back to the beam drawing board, but were able to rally and show strong vaults by the end of the day. Home team Kent State extends its home win streak, and achieves the two first 49.000+ event scores in the MAC for 2026.
The Golden Flashes get their first taste of gymnastics on the road next week at Air Force’s quad meet on Friday, Jan. 23rd, alongside conference rival and worthy opponent Eastern Michigan. West Virginia hosts in-conference rival Denver on Saturday, Jan. 24th, and Fisk enters another tri-meet hosted by William & Mary on Sunday, Jan 25th.
VT: Charlie Behner, Kent State (9.900)
UB: Nastia Rudnitskaya, Kent State (9.800)
BB: Heidi Schultz, Kent State (9.850)
FX: Charlie Behner, Kent State (9.875)
AA: Kayla Smith, West Virginia (38.825)
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Live blog by Peri Goodman
