By: by Jason Knavel, Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Communications
Bowling Green, Ohio – Fresh off of an appearance in the NCAA Regionals for the first time in 25 years, the Bowling Green gymnastics team will be adding more talent to the roster. Head Coach Kerrie Turner has announced the addition of three student-athletes for the 2016-17 season. Jovannah East
Jovannah East and Lexi Augustine will begin their collegiate careers at Bowling Green in the fall, while Michigan transfer India McPeak will debut with the Orange and Brown as a junior at the same time. These three join a group of five additions who were announced in November – Randi Morris (Arlington, Texas), Shannon St. Jean (Fairfield, Conn.), Alex Johnston (Washington Township, N.J.), Taylor Worthington (West Warwick, R.I.) and Kelsi Kuprat (Ringwood, N.J.).
East hails from Zion, Ill. and will graduate from Zion Benton Township High School in June. She competes for Scamps Gymnastics and is the 2016 Junior Olympic Nationals Vault Champion. She is the daughter of Joseph and Cassandra and plans to study sport management.
"Jovannah is a powerful gymnast, having just won vault at the 2016 USAG Junior Olympic National Championships," Turner said. "Her gymnastics truly stands out and we can't wait to work with her on every event."
Augustine comes to BGSU from Scottsdale, Ariz. and is the daughter of Jason and Shea Augustine. She graduates in May from Pinnacle High School and is a member of the National Honors Society. She plans to study biology at Bowling Green with a career ambition for nursing. Lexi Augustine
"Lexi has an artistic style to her gymnastics," Turner said. "Bars is a particular strength although she will be a welcome addition on several events."
McPeak, a native of Bangor, Northern Ireland, was a two-year member of the Michigan gymnastics team but did not compete beyond exhibitions. She spent her prep career at The Regent House Grammar School and competed with Salto Gymnastics Centre, representing Northern Ireland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She also represented Ireland at the 2013 and 2014 European Championships as well as the 2013 World Championships. McPeak won gold on balance beam and floor exercise at the 2014 Irish National Championships.
"India brings collegiate and international experience to our program," Turner said. "She is ready to make an impact on several of our lineups this season."
As mentioned earlier, BGSU Gymnastics advanced to the NCAA Regionals in 2016 for the first time since the 1991 season. Junior-to-be Laura Mitchell was MAC Champion on the balance beam and senior-to-be Lauren Feely won the MAC all-around title. The Falcons also earned public recognition by the NCAA for ranking among the top 10 percent of all Division I gymnastics programs in Academic Progress Rate (APR).
