MAC Gymnast of the Week
Kayla Kmiecik, Ball State
Senior, Avon, Ohio / Magnificat
Kayla Kmiecik helped Ball State to a 191.625 to 191.275 win over Illinois State to even the Cardinals record at 1-1 this season.
MAC Specialist of the Week
Kylie Fagan, Central Michigan
Freshman, Commerce, Mich. / Walled Lake Northern HS
Freshman Kylie Fagan scored a 9.700 or better in each of her two events Saturday, claiming second-places finishes in both the beam and uneven bars. Fagan scored a season-high 9.700 in uneven bars, finishing second behind all-arounder and teammate Brittany Petzold. She then went on to score a 9.750 on the balance beam to finish second behind all-arounder and teammate Becca Druien. Fagan also ranked first on beam this week in Troester’s weekly rankings with her 9.775 mark from the CMU Quad on Jan. 8.
Other Nominees:
Amanda Stepp, Northern Illinois
Freshman, Lapeer, MI / Lapeer East
In her second collegiate competition, NIU freshman Amanda Stepp notched a pair of top five finishes with matching 9.575 scores on vault and balance beam, respectively. Her vault score was second among all NIU competitors while her beam score was the third-highest for the Huskies. Both scores represented the best marks of her young collegiate career. She was part of a comeback that saw NIU overcome a deficit after two rotations to earn its first win of the season.
Tanya Rachan, Northern Illinois
Senior, Lowell, IN / Hanover Central
Senior Tanya Rachan helped lead NIU to a come-from-behind victory over Southeast Missouri State with three solid performances overall, including a career-tying best on floor exercise. Her 9.550 on vault ranked third on the team while her score on floor exercise was the best by a Huskie gymnast this season. The senior has been the Huskies’ most consistent competitor so far this year as she has scored 9.500 or higher on all six routines.
Dawn Christman, Bowling Green
Senior, Pottstown, Pennsylvania / Owen J. Roberts
Dawn Christman competed in three events over the weekend, helping the Falcons to a season-best 191.950 versus Central Michigan. The senior won the floor exercise with a score of 9.825 and was third on vault with a 9.775, matching her career-best. Christman added a ninth-place finish on beam with a 9.575.
Danielle Wishart, Bowling Green
Junior, Bethesda, Maryland / Holy Cross
Danielle Wishart competed in just one event for the Orange and Brown, but made it count, scoring a 9.850 on vault, finishing first in the event. The junior matched her career-best on the event, helping the Falcons record a season-high 191.950 total score.
Aftyn Siemer, Ball State
Sophomore, Columbus, Ohio / Franklin Heights
Aftyn Siemer helped Ball State to a 191.625 to 191.275 win over Illinois State.
Whitnee Johnson, Kent State
Freshman, Columbia, Mo./Rock Bridge
In her first intercollegiate meet, Johnson won the all-around in Kent State’s dual at Western Michigan Jan. 15. In her first event, Johnson posted a 9.475 on the bars and continued to improve on her scores the rest of the way. All four of her scores were critical in Kent State’s team score, as the Golden Flashes battled back from an early deficit. In the final event of the day, Johnson tied for second with a 9.675 on the beam.
Rachel Goldenberg, Kent State
Senior, Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West
Goldenberg turned in a pair of solid performances in Kent State’s season-opening meet at Western Michigan Jan. 15. Anchoring both the vault and the floor exercise for the Golden Flashes, Goldenberg finished second overall on the vault and sixth in the floor exercise.
Becca Druien, Central Michigan
Freshman, Byron, Ill. / Byron HS
Freshman all-arounder Becca Druien continued her stellar start to her rookie campaign, posting a season-high 9.775 on the balance beam to claim first-place at Bowling Green Saturday. Druien also scored a 9.700 on the floor and a 9.550 on vault, also a season-high. She currently holds both the third highest beam and all-around score in the conference.
Taylor Zondervan, Western Michigan
Senior, Schoolcraft, Mich. / University of Michigan / Schoolcraft
Taylor Zondervan helped the Broncos off to a 2-0 overall start and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference, as Western Michigan defeated MAC preseason favorite Kent State 192.650 to 192.025 Sunday. It was the first win for WMU over the Golden Flashes since 2006 and KSU’s first MAC loss to an opponent other than Central Michigan in the last five seasons. Kent State entered the meet ranked No. 21 in the nation. Zondervan was WMU’s lone all-arounder Sunday and finished as runner-up on balance beam (9.650) and floor (9.800). She also had a 9.550 on vault and a 9.100 on uneven bars. WMU trailed Kent State headed into the final rotation, but made up the distance on floor. Zondervan hit a 9.800 on floor in the second to last routine.
Lauren Bledsoe, Western Michigan
Sophomore, Shelby Township, Mich. / Eisenhower
Lauren Bledsoe helped the Broncos off to a 2-0 overall start and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference, as Western Michigan defeated MAC preseason favorite Kent State 192.650 to 192.025 Sunday. It was the first win for WMU over the Golden Flashes since 2006 and KSU’s first MAC loss to an opponent other than Central Michigan in the last five seasons. Kent State entered the meet ranked No. 21 in the nation. Bledsoe competed on vault and floor, placing eighth on vault with a 9.675 and second on floor with a 9.800. WMU trailed KSU headed into the final rotation and Bledsoe nailed a career-best 9.800 as the Broncos’ anchor on floor to seal the win for Western Michigan. Her previous career-high was a 9.650.