Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships

The Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships is the conference championship meet for women's gymnastics in the Mid-American Conference, a Division I member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). All conference members qualify for the championship meet, which is held in three rounds. The winner of the championship receives a regional berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Gymnastics Championships. The tournament began in 1981 and is rotated between the home arenas of the seven conference members. Through the 2019 championship, Central Michigan has won the most championships with 16, followed by Kent State with 12.

Mid-American Conference Gymnastics Championships
Conference Gymnastics Championship
SportWomen's gymnastics
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Number of teams7
Current locationCampus sites
Played1981–present
Last contest2019
Current championNorthern Illinois
Most championshipsCentral Michigan (16)
Official websitemac-sports.com/tournaments/?id=63
Host locations
Kent, Ohio
Bowling Green, Ohio
Muncie, Indiana
DeKalb, Illinois
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Ypsilanti, Michigan

History and format

The championship was organized in 1981 after the Mid-American Conference added women's gymnastics as a sponsored sport. The NCAA began sponsoring women's gymnastics as a sport in 1981 and held the first championship tournament in 1982. Prior to 1981, most MAC member schools had women's gymnastics teams who competed in the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS), which staged its first national championship in 1968. The DGWS later became the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) in 1973. Teams also participated in regional and state-level championship meets, such as the Ohio Association of Intercollegiate Sports for Women and the Midwest Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. Many of the programs were founded in the mid-1970s as a result of Title IX, though some programs originated earlier as clubs, such as Kent State in 1959.[1][2]

The first MAC championship meet was hosted by Kent State University on March 21, 1981, in the Gymnastics Center at Memorial Gym and included the seven current members of the conference who sponsor women's gymnastics.[3] Initially, eight conference members sponsored women's gymnastics, though Miami University was only able to participate in the 1982 championship meet and dropped the sport after the 1982–83 season. Northern Illinois University left the conference in 1986, reducing conference women's gymnastics membership to six teams, which stood until NIU returned to the conference for the 1997–98 season. The championship is rotated every year to the home arenas of the different member schools, so each school hosts every eighth year under the current format. At the meet, each team competes in four rotations: balance beam, uneven bars, vault, and floor exercise. In addition to the team champions, the conference recognizes an all-around winner and individual winners for each rotation. The team champion is awarded a regional berth in the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships.[2]

By year

The following is a list of conference champions, individual all-around winners, and championship locations listed by year.[2]

Year Location Team champion All-around champion (school)
1981Memorial Gymnasium • Kent, OhioKent StateSonya McGhee (Eastern Michigan)
1982Anderson Arena • Bowling Green, OhioBowling GreenLaurie Garee (Bowling Green)
1983Irving Gymnasium • Muncie, IndianaBowling GreenJulie Bender (Bowling Green)
1984Chick Evans Field House • DeKalb, IllinoisKent StateJulie Bender (Bowling Green)
Darlene Davis (Northern Illinois)
1985Rose Arena • Mount Pleasant, MichiganBowling GreenSharon McNie (Eastern Michigan)
1986Read Fieldhouse • Kalamazoo, MichiganWestern MichiganSharon McNie (Eastern Michigan)
1987Bowen Field House • Ypsilanti, MichiganWestern MichiganLinda Moran (Western Michigan)
1988Memorial Gymnasium • Kent, OhioKent StateDainty Hiser (Kent State)
1989Anderson Arena • Bowling Green, OhioKent StateSue McCarthy (Western Michigan)
1990Irving Gymnasium • Muncie, IndianaCentral MichiganMichelle Owens (Ball State)
Shelby Root (Central Michigan)
1991Rose Arena • Mount Pleasant, MichiganCentral MichiganAllyson Newman (Eastern Michigan)
1992Read Fieldhouse • Kalamazoo, MichiganCentral MichiganAllyson Newman (Eastern Michigan)
1993Bowen Field House • Ypsilanti, MichiganCentral MichiganRobin Loheide (Eastern Michigan)
1994Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center • Kent, OhioKent StateMichelle Naessig (Kent State)
1995Worthen Arena • Muncie, IndianaCentral MichiganJenny Snell (Central Michigan)
1996Anderson Arena • Bowling Green, OhioKent StateShelly Stambaugh (Kent State)
1997Rose Arena • Mount Pleasant, MichiganKent StateMichelle Naessig (Kent State)
1998Chick Evans Field House • DeKalb, IllinoisCentral MichiganAmber Gaskill (Central Michigan)
1999University Arena • Kalamazoo, MichiganCentral MichiganMarny Oestreng (Bowling Green)
2000EMU Convocation Center • Ypsilanti, MichiganCentral MichiganMarny Oestreng (Bowling Green)
2001Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center • Kent, OhioKent StateSarah Dame (Central Michigan)
Marny Oestreng (Bowling Green)
2002Worthen Arena • Muncie, IndianaBall StateKara Reighard (Central Michigan)
2003Anderson Arena • Bowling Green, OhioCentral MichiganKara Reighard (Central Michigan)
2004Rose Arena • Mount Pleasant, MichiganCentral MichiganSarah Burtinsky (Central Michigan)
2005NIU Convocation Center • DeKalb, IllinoisKent StateSarah Burtinsky (Central Michigan)
2006University Arena • Kalamazoo, MichiganWestern MichiganJennifer Sturgis (Western Michigan)
2007EMU Convocation Center • Ypsilanti, MichiganEastern MichiganJolene Worley (Eastern Michigan)
2008Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center • Kent, OhioKent StateAndrea de la Garza (Central Michigan)
2009Worthen Arena • Muncie, IndianaKent StateKatie Simon (Central Michigan)
2010Anderson Arena • Bowling Green, OhioCentral MichiganKatie Simon (Central Michigan)
2011McGuirk Arena • Mount Pleasant, MichiganCentral MichiganKristin Teuber (Central Michigan)
2012NIU Convocation Center • DeKalb, IllinoisCentral MichiganBethany Petzold (Central Michigan)
2013University Arena • Kalamazoo, MichiganCentral Michigan
Western Michigan		Marie Case (Kent State)
2014EMU Convocation Center • Ypsilanti, MichiganCentral MichiganMarie Case (Kent State)
2015Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center • Kent, OhioKent StateAnna Corbett (Western Michigan)
2016Worthen Arena • Muncie, IndianaEastern MichiganLauren Feely (Bowling Green)
2017Stroh Center • Bowling Green, OhioEastern MichiganRachel Stypinski (Kent State)
2018McGuirk Arena • Mount Pleasant, MichiganCentral MichiganGianna Plaska (Central Michigan)
2019NIU Convocation Center • DeKalb, IllinoisNorthern IllinoisDenelle Pedrick (Central Michigan)
2020University Arena • Kalamazoo, MichiganCancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic

By school

The following table lists all teams that have been part of the championship, the years they have participated, and the years the respective program has won the team championship.[2]

Program Tenure Titles Years won
Central Michigan
1981–present
16
1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013†, 2014, 2018
Kent State
1981–present
12
1981, 1984, 1988, 1989, 1994, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2015
Western Michigan
1981–present
4
1986, 1987, 2006, 2013†
Bowling Green
1981–present
3
1982, 1983, 1985
Eastern Michigan
1981–present
3
2007, 2016, 2017
Ball State
1981–present
1
2002
Northern Illinois
1981–1986;
1998–present
1
2019
Miami
1982
0

†=co-champions
Former conference members shaded in ██ silver

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References
  1. "Gymnasts Elect Officers". The Kent Stater. XLIV (73). March 6, 1959. p. 3. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  2. 2016 MAC Gymnastics Record Book (PDF). Mid-American Conference. June 14, 2016. pp. 1–6. Retrieved March 27, 2017.
  3. Roose, Gretchen (March 19, 1981). "Lady gymnasts host conference tourney". Daily Kent Stater. LIV (87). p. 16. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
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