Coming off one of the best regular seasons in program history, Kent State will aim to use momentum to earn back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time this decade. A handful of mainstay routines departed with the historic season, but its star, Alyssa Guns, is back with enough help to keep the Golden Flashes a MAC darkhorse and in contention for regionals.
2024 Rewind
No. 30 overall | No. 3 at MACs | No. 23 in regular season | Regionals Semifinals
In search of their first MAC title since 2015, the Golden Flashes squandered an opportunity in 2024 after finishing the regular season as the conference’s highest-ranking team. The road to a championship will only getting tougher from. Likely to fall out of the top 25, Kent State isn’t projected to disappear from the postseason picture, but it will inch closer to the bubble, entering the year with enough depth returning.
Losses & Gains
| Returning | In |
| Seniors Alyssa Guns Cheyenne Pratola Brynne Tsipis Juniors Charlie Behner Kennedy Bowen Avery Compson Emma Masse Mya Migliore Zoe Rankin Nastia Rudnitskaya Heidi Schultz Sophomores Nene Alvine Dani Fuertez Grace Knurek Ashley Morgan Kaileigh Norton Gabby Riley | Freshmen Sophia Balko Alexandria Call Gabriela Espinoza Jersey Bingman Isabella Marques Anika Most |
| Out | |
| Graduated Karlie Franz (UB, FX) Izzy Geig Kyndall Gilbert (VT, UB, FX) Sarah Haxton (UB, BB) Kennedy Weinpert (VT, FX) | |
| Injury Update | |
| An Achilles injury in her club career hampered Nene Alvine’s ability to compete in 2024, only making appearances on beam. The sophomore appears now to be fully recovered, seen training multiple events in preseason videos. | |
Apparatus Deep Dive
Vault
2024 Event Ranking: No. 21 | NQS: 49.205 | Average: 49.035
| Event Overview: With power the strength of the 2024 roster, vault was an event where Kent State was able to separate itself from other mid-majors. The Golden Flashes only had one 10.0 start value but thrived on consistent Yurchenko fulls and good landings. Difficulty may be hard to come by again in 2025, as the solo 10.0 graduated, but Kent State shouldn’t see too much of a dip as it returns enough options for a full lineup before factoring even in freshmen. | ||
| Locks: Charlie Behner, Zoe Rankin, Nastia Rudnitskaya | ||
| Contenders: Avery Compson, Mya Migliore, Ashley Morgan, Gabby Riley | ||
| Wildcards: Nene Alvine, Sophia Balko, Jersey Bingman, Dani Fuertez |
Bars
2024 Event Ranking: No. 31 | NQS: 49.235 | Average: 48.942
| Event Overview: While Kent State did finally get its rhythm on bars in March, early season inconsistency was just a sign that this was never going to be its best event. Brynne Tsipis gives the Golden Flashes four returnees with an NQS in the 9.8s to build around, but they find themselves in the ever-precarious position of needing freshmen to contribute to fill the lineup. With a big Ray, keep an eye on Anika Most to be the rookie to break through. | ||
| Locks: Charlie Behner, Nastia Rudnitskaya, Heidi Schultz, Brynne Tsipis | ||
| Contenders: Dani Fuertez, Isabella Marques, Anika Most | ||
| Wildcards: Sophia Balko |
Beam
2024 Event Ranking: No. 37 | NQS: 49.100 | Average: 48.835
| Event Overview: Beam gave the Golden Flashes the most trouble of any event, with falls and errors tallying up for a sub-49 total far too often. Thankfully, if the inconsistency can be ironed out by experience, they’ll have plenty of opportunity to grow thanks to plenty of options with competition time from last season being back. Expect Schultz to spend another season in the anchor spot. | ||
| Locks: Dani Fuertez, Alyssa Guns, Gabby Riley, Heidi Schultz | ||
| Contenders: Nene Alvine, Grace Knurek, Ashley Morgan, Zoe Rankin, Nastia Rudnitskaya | ||
| Wildcards: Isabella Marques, Anika Most |
Floor
2024 Event Ranking: No. 18 | NQS: 49.465 | Average: 49.323
| Event Overview: In all but three meets, floor was Kent State’s highest-scoring event, legitimately keeping pace with the top 20 all season without any E passes. That consistency that carried the Golden Flashes will be necessary in 2025, as they will once again be looking to newcomers to contribute. Thankfully, Alyssa Guns’ near-guaranteed 9.9 is back to be a saving grace if needed. | ||
| Locks: Dani Fuertez, Alyssa Guns, Zoe Rankin, Heidi Schultz | ||
| Contenders: Jersey Bingman, Isabella Marques, Nastia Rudnitskaya | ||
| Wildcards: Cheyenne Pratola |
Records Watch
Team: 197.725 | AA: 39.625 | VT: 49.500/10.000 | UB: 49.500/9.950 | BB: 49.600/10.000 | FX: 49.675/10.000
The Golden Flashes were one of the infamous Tennessee Collegiate Classic teams in 2024, putting a lot of records out of reach for a squad welcoming in quite a few rookie sets. However, with a career-high of 9.975 on floor, that perfect 10 is within reach for Guns in her final season.
The Big Picture
There are some significant lost routines for the Golden Flashes to make up for, but as long as things don’t go completely awry, the core of Guns, Schultz, and Behner can keep Kent State in the postseason and MAC conversations. With most of the roster having experienced it before, regionals should be the expectation for this squad.
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Article by Brandis Heffner
