Bowling Green State University Athletics
Photo by: Bianca Garza, BGSU Marketing and Communications
Jovannah East and Lauren Feely Advance to NCAA Regionals
March 20, 2017 | Gymnastics
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Freshman Jovannah East and senior Lauren Feely have individually qualified for the 2017 NCAA Gymnastics Regionals. The field of individual participants and 36 teams was announced on Monday afternoon (Mar. 20). The Bowling Green State University gymnastics team will send at least one gymnast to a regional event for the tenth consecutive year. East and Feely will compete in the Champaign, Ill. region on Saturday, April 1.
The pair of Falcons have earned the opportunity to compete against 40 other gymnasts on the vault. Six teams will participate in the Champaign Regional, each of whom will have a six-gymnast lineup for the vault. There will also be four others who qualified as individuals for the all-around competition. East will also compete on the balance beam.
In her first season with the Falcons, East often dominated her competition on vault. She vaulted in 12 of BGSU's 13 meets during the 2017 season and finished alone in first place four times. She tied for first place another three times. In addition, she placed second or third on four occasions, including a tie for second at the MAC championships. Only once all season, at her second career meet, did she fail to finish in the top three.
East posted a 9.775 and a 9.800 in her first two career meets before missing the home opener due to injury. Upon returning, she scored 9.850 or better on vault in the final ten meets. Her personal record, a 9.900, occurred in the regular season finale against league champion Eastern Michigan.
The Falcons' fantastic freshman qualified for the balance beam with a 9.840 RQS after tying for ninth at the MAC Championships (9.850). She won the event four times in her 12 meets and posted a 9.800 or better ten times. Her best score of the season, a 9.875, occurred at home against New Hampshire.
Despite missing much of the fall due to an injury, Feely had the best vaulting season of her storied career. She competed on the apparatus in all 13 meets, and she won the outright event title three times while tying for first in a fourth meet. She capped her career with a second-place tie at the MAC Championships, one of her five second-place finishes of 2017.
Feely earned a 9.800 or better in ten of 13 meets. Her best score of the season came at home against Western Michigan, when she tied BGSU's second-best vault score of all-time and set a new personal standard with a 9.925. She later added a 9.900 in two other meets. At the MAC championship meet, her leap resulted in a 9.850.
The pair finished the season tied for the MAC's best Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) on vault with a 9.870. They are tied for ninth overall in the Central Region and tied for 28th nationally.
"Jovannah and Lauren have been absolute superstars on vault this year, and I am pleased they have the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Regional championships," said BGSU head coach Kerrie Turner. "It will be such an exciting competition, and I feel both Jovannah and Lauren have an opportunity to shine and really go for powerful vaults and stuck landings."
Sophomore Kayla Rose will be an individual alternate for the floor exercise. Rose tied for third among possible individual qualifiers in the Central Region with a 9.850 RQS. She was able to achieve the standing following her amazing routine at the MAC Championships that received a 9.950. That mark resulted in a co-championship for Rose.
More information can be obtained at the NCAA Gymnastics Championship website.
CHAMPAIGN REGIONAL
TEAM QUALIFIERS
#5 UCLA (197.500)
#8 Oregon State (197.115)
#17 Iowa (196.510)
Illinois (196.365)
Eastern Michigan (195.970)
Ohio State (195.825)
INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS
ALL-AROUND
Nicola Deans (Michigan State)
Rachael Underwood (W. Michigan)
Anna Corbett (W. Michigan)
Ashley White (Centenary)
Alternate: Kaitlyn Menzione (Ball State)
VAULT
Jovannah East (BGSU)
Lauren Feely (BGSU)
Alternate: Sarah Ebeyer (Ball State)
UNEVEN BARS
Jessie Peszek (W. Michigan)
Hailee Westney (Michigan State)
Alternate: Lindsey Lemke (Michigan State)
BALANCE BEAM
Jessie Peszek (W. Michigan)
Jovannah East (BGSU)
Alternate: Baylee Ball (Ball State)
FLOOR EXERCISE
Elena Lagoski (Michigan State)
Kira Frederick (Michigan State)
Alternate: Kayla Rose (BGSU)
The pair of Falcons have earned the opportunity to compete against 40 other gymnasts on the vault. Six teams will participate in the Champaign Regional, each of whom will have a six-gymnast lineup for the vault. There will also be four others who qualified as individuals for the all-around competition. East will also compete on the balance beam.
In her first season with the Falcons, East often dominated her competition on vault. She vaulted in 12 of BGSU's 13 meets during the 2017 season and finished alone in first place four times. She tied for first place another three times. In addition, she placed second or third on four occasions, including a tie for second at the MAC championships. Only once all season, at her second career meet, did she fail to finish in the top three.
East posted a 9.775 and a 9.800 in her first two career meets before missing the home opener due to injury. Upon returning, she scored 9.850 or better on vault in the final ten meets. Her personal record, a 9.900, occurred in the regular season finale against league champion Eastern Michigan.
The Falcons' fantastic freshman qualified for the balance beam with a 9.840 RQS after tying for ninth at the MAC Championships (9.850). She won the event four times in her 12 meets and posted a 9.800 or better ten times. Her best score of the season, a 9.875, occurred at home against New Hampshire.
Despite missing much of the fall due to an injury, Feely had the best vaulting season of her storied career. She competed on the apparatus in all 13 meets, and she won the outright event title three times while tying for first in a fourth meet. She capped her career with a second-place tie at the MAC Championships, one of her five second-place finishes of 2017.
Feely earned a 9.800 or better in ten of 13 meets. Her best score of the season came at home against Western Michigan, when she tied BGSU's second-best vault score of all-time and set a new personal standard with a 9.925. She later added a 9.900 in two other meets. At the MAC championship meet, her leap resulted in a 9.850.
The pair finished the season tied for the MAC's best Regional Qualifying Score (RQS) on vault with a 9.870. They are tied for ninth overall in the Central Region and tied for 28th nationally.
"Jovannah and Lauren have been absolute superstars on vault this year, and I am pleased they have the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Regional championships," said BGSU head coach Kerrie Turner. "It will be such an exciting competition, and I feel both Jovannah and Lauren have an opportunity to shine and really go for powerful vaults and stuck landings."
Sophomore Kayla Rose will be an individual alternate for the floor exercise. Rose tied for third among possible individual qualifiers in the Central Region with a 9.850 RQS. She was able to achieve the standing following her amazing routine at the MAC Championships that received a 9.950. That mark resulted in a co-championship for Rose.
More information can be obtained at the NCAA Gymnastics Championship website.
CHAMPAIGN REGIONAL
TEAM QUALIFIERS
#5 UCLA (197.500)
#8 Oregon State (197.115)
#17 Iowa (196.510)
Illinois (196.365)
Eastern Michigan (195.970)
Ohio State (195.825)
INDIVIDUAL QUALIFIERS
ALL-AROUND
Nicola Deans (Michigan State)
Rachael Underwood (W. Michigan)
Anna Corbett (W. Michigan)
Ashley White (Centenary)
Alternate: Kaitlyn Menzione (Ball State)
VAULT
Jovannah East (BGSU)
Lauren Feely (BGSU)
Alternate: Sarah Ebeyer (Ball State)
UNEVEN BARS
Jessie Peszek (W. Michigan)
Hailee Westney (Michigan State)
Alternate: Lindsey Lemke (Michigan State)
BALANCE BEAM
Jessie Peszek (W. Michigan)
Jovannah East (BGSU)
Alternate: Baylee Ball (Ball State)
FLOOR EXERCISE
Elena Lagoski (Michigan State)
Kira Frederick (Michigan State)
Alternate: Kayla Rose (BGSU)
Players Mentioned
BG Gym : Coach Emmons Post Mac Championship 3.22
Saturday, March 22
BG Gym Postmeet 3.2
Sunday, March 02
BG GYM PostMeet 2.2
Sunday, February 02
BG Gymnastics Postmeet 1.26
Monday, January 27