Ball State has continued its impressive rise up the rankings throughout 2023, coming off its tenth win in a row and currently sitting as the top team in the MAC. Three of the Cardinals’ top five program scores have occurred this season, making them a formidable opponent for Central Michigan, especially at home in Muncie. The Chippewas boast the MAC’s top all around gymnast in senior Hannah DeMers, whose 39.525 (which she scored as recently as last week) is the Chippewas’ fourth best all around score in program history. The senior only has a few more chances to climb to the top of the Chippewas’ record books, and based on recent performances, she has the chance to get a big score tonight.
Stats for today here.
Rotation 1: Ball State VT, CMU UB
White VT: sticks yfull to start, legs apart towards the end. 9.675
Hammond UB: Tkatchev not too much height, little low on the bail, finishes strong handstand into full in tiny hop in place. 9.850
Teter VT: FHS front pike. step forward. 9.750
Kmieciak UB: nice last handstand, DLO big step back piked in the end. 9.700
Middleton VT: yfull off to the side, chest down, decent sized hop back. 9.750
Veglucci UB: nice first handstand, big air to gienger, Pak legs together, full-in chest down fights for stick but has to step forward. 9.725
Pfister VT: sticks pike half. Commentator “I would be very disappointed if whe didn’t get a 10 from at least one of these judges” we’ll see…9.950
Bustelo UB: floaty Tkatchev and takes it to the ground. Second week in a row she’s fallen. She tries it again and catches into bail, nice. double back step back. 9.125
Ruthberg VT: yfull step back. 9.750
Alvarado-Reid: maloney to Pak legs together, good connection, full-in tiny step forward. 9.775
Henry VT: hop forward on y1.5. 9.875
DeMers UB: nice first handstand, big air on Tkatchev, bail legs together very clean, full-in little step back. 9.875
After 1: Ball State 49.075, CMU 48.925
That is Ball State’s third best mark of the season on vault and CMU’s second lowest on bars. Both their best events behind them now.
Pfister’s vault was a 9.9/10.000 split.
Rotation 2: Ball State UB, CMU VT
Mueller VT: yfull chest way down. 9.650
Sumner UB: legs way apart on Pak, good handstand to half turn, last one great too, full turn double back small hop in place. 9.675
Veglucci VT: yfull hop back, some leg separation.
Middleton UB: Maloney, blind full gets it around, small hop back. 9.700
Alvarado-Reid VT: extended yfull, hop back. 9.825
Evans UB: beautiful first handstand, blind full jaeger overshoot caught and good connection, double back legs apart on second flip, step back. 9.800
Cesarone VT: chest down, hop back little bit off to the side. 9.750
Henry UB: Maloney to pak legs apart on both, nice last handstand, double back neat step in place. 9.775
Kmieciak VT: looks like a stick on yfull, chest down at the end. 9.875
Ruthberg UB:Tkatchev to bail, last handstand short, sticks full-in to end. 9.875
DeMers VT: looks like a small hop in place on yfull, good block and air. 9.900
Teter UB: blind full to Tkatchev absolutely huge, lovely last handstand, front double half step back. 9.875
Pfister UB exh: Maloney legs come apart, DLO step back.
After 2: Ball State 98.100, CMU 98.025
CMU just high of a season high on vault, Ball State same. Both teams are looking clean to start thus far.
Rotation 3: Ball State BB, CMU FX
Henry BB: switch to straddle good positions, BHS LOSO small check. chest forward but stick BHS 1.5 dismount. 9.850
Hornbacher FX: front rudi controlled chest up, switch ring to switch half good, double tuck stumbles out of it a bit. 9.750
Evans BB: BHS LOSO small check at the end, same hesitation a little on leaps, switch straddle not quite 180, back 1.5 step back. 9.800 feels a bit high.
Alvarado-Reid FX: back 1.5 to stag, wolf turn lots of presentation in this as expected, back 1.5 to front lay. 9.750
Ruthberg BB: BHS LOSO LOSO small check, break between switchs to straddle jump, side aerial small step. 9.775
Kolyvanova FX: back 1.5 to front lay, switch ring to switch half positions, big double tuck chest way down. really nice technique on this. 9.800
Sumner BB: side aerial to back stepout, back 1.5 small step forward. 9.800
Veglucci FX: front full controlled step out, double tuck same, good choreo. 9.750
Volpe BB: BHS LOSO LOSO legs bent throughout, gainer full off the side held stick. 9.725
DeMers FX: double full stumbles out a bit. Double pike chest up well controlled, front rudi to end. 9.775
Waldo BB: big check oh man stays on, front aerial keeps foot off the ground, punch 1.5 tuck off the side. 9.150
Pitchell FX: huge straddle leaps look great, front lay to front full, big double tuck.
After 3: Ball State 147.050, CMU 146.850
Ball State petered out a little after that last beam routine, but the Cardinals are in a good position to bring it home.
Rotation 4: Ball State FX, CMU BB
Veglucci BB: back in the lineup. BHS LOSO legs very bent, straddle quarter legs 180, side somi legs up wobble, back full stuck. Shaky start. 9.700
Ruthberg FX: interesting how just two poses in the corner and goes right into tumbling. front tuck to double front, Love the Pepas music! Double pike. 9.825
Alvarado-Reid BB: BHS LOSO beautiful positions, sizable check on leap series, gainer pike small step forward. 9.575
Waldo FX: front double full, Wang Yan 2016 Olympic floor music, back 1.5 punch front punch tuck, front rudi. Love all twisting routines, nice recovery from beam! 9.725
Kolyvanova BB: good leaps to start, BHS LOSO, front aerial no hesitation, Punch tuck full to end. 9.800
Middleton FX: huge double pike to finish out, small but controlled step. 9.750
DeMers BB: BHS LOSO check, holds back 1.5 stick! 9.925
Henry FX: front tuck to double tuck not the highest, interesting facial expressions lol, front lay front full, pretty straddle positions. Sticks double pike. 9.900
Pitchell pulled from the lineup for CMU. This is Mueller BB: BHS LOSO lands right at the end of the beam, nice switch position, hop forward on back 1.5 dismount. 9.825 not bad for getting subbed in!
Pfister FX: Giant back full, good control on FHS front pike. double pike oops gets landing but front leg comes up, she stays on her feet. 9.700
Bustelo BB: BHS LOSO no hesitation, switch leap to split 3/4 big check, 9.825
Teter FX: double pike controlled solid to start, front full to front lay so much distance on that. 9.825
Ah, Pitchell now doing exh beam. Not sure what happened but awesome for CMU to not count a beam fall this week.
FINAL: Ball State 196.075, CMU 196.025
CMU gets to drop an earlier 194.100 with that performance. Ball State continues its rise to the top, setting the stage for what should be a really exciting MAC championship that will likely come down to these two.
EVENT WINNERS
VT: Pfister 9.950
UB: DeMers, Ruthberg & Teter 9.875
BB: DeMers 9.925
FX: Henry 9.900
AA: DeMers 39.475
READ THIS NEXT: Suki Pfister Capitalizes on Forward Vaulting for Ball State
Live blog by Katherine Weaver
Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year! [wpedon id=”13158″]
