Story Links Kent State enters the season hoping to build on a successful spell in 2024 in which the Flashes claimed their tenth MAC regular season championship in program history. The Flashes return some firepower from last year’s squad, including all-MAC second-teamer Heidi Schultz and Nastia Rudnitskaya, who claimed the individual vault title at the […]
Kent State enters the season hoping to build on a successful spell in 2024 in which the Flashes claimed their tenth MAC regular season championship in program history. The Flashes return some firepower from last year’s squad, including all-MAC second-teamer Heidi Schultz and Nastia Rudnitskaya, who claimed the individual vault title at the MAC championship. Rudnitskaya will also serve as a captain alongside senior Brynne Tsipis and juniors Zoe Rankin and Mya Migliore. Additionally, Kent State welcomes six freshmen to the roster this season: Sophia Balko, Jersey Bingman, Allie Call, Gabriela Espinoza, Isabella Marques, and Anika Most, who have the potential to make their collegiate debuts on Friday.
Friday will mark Wilberforce’s second-ever meet as they are in the midst of the program’s first season. The Bulldogs finished in fourth place at their season opener in the American Gold Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Classic, behind Arizona, Rutgers, and Southern Utah.
LOOKING AHEAD
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State gymnastics team opens its 2025 campaign on Friday night at 7 p.m., welcoming Fisk and Wilberforce to the MAC Center.
The Flashes are set to begin their 34th season under the direction of head coach Brice Biggin, who is accompanied by first-year assistants Austyn Fobes and Tim Levandowski. Following two non-conference meets to open the season, Kent State’s MAC regular season championship defense will begin on January 26th at Eastern Michigan. The following five conference meets span through March 9th and include home meets against Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan, and Ball State. Amid conference action, the Flashes will also compete in a tri-meet at Rutgers and a home meet vs. Pitt, both of which will be non-conference competitions. Kent State will close the regular season with a tri-meet at Ohio State before competing at the MAC Championships on March 22nd.
The first 100 fans in attendance will receive 2024 MAC Championship T-shirts, and the team will be signing posters following the conclusion of the meet.
While the Flashes have never competed against Wilberforce, they do have recent history against Fisk. The Flashes had never competed against the Bulldogs prior to 2023, but the two schools have met each of the past two seasons at the Tennessee Collegiate Classic. Last season, the Flashes used an all-around team meet record score of 197.725 to finish second in the competition behind Ball State, beating out Fisk’s all-around team score of 193.400. At the same event in 2023, the Flashes finished third of the five teams competing with a 195.925, while Fisk recorded a fifth-place finish with a score of 190.025. Friday will mark the third time the Flashes have competed against Fisk, the first time in the MAC Center, and the first time Kent State has ever competed against Wilberforce.
SCOUTING FISK AND WILBERFORCE
Following the season-opening meet, the Flashes will head to West Virginia on January 16th to compete against the Mountaineers in their first road meet of the season. Kent State matched up against West Virginia in the MAC Center last season, suffering a narrow defeat in the mid-season non-conference clash.
Fisk gymnastics is entering just its third season in program history. In 2024, the Bulldogs had five athletes qualify for the USA Gymnastics Women’s Collegiate Nationals, all of whom are returning this season: Morgan Price, Liberty Mora, Aliyah Reed-Hammon, Ciniah Rosby, and Jada Reese. Price claimed the all-around national championship at the event. Friday is Fisk’s first meet of the 2025 season.
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