The Kent State gymnastics team wanted to bounce back from its last performance, a third-place finish in a five-team meet last weekend.

After the way the Flashes performed in their meet yesterday, it’s safe to say they succeeded.

The Flashes got back to their winning ways with a 193.950-192.550 victory against the Northern Illinois Huskies. With the victory, the team moved to 6-2 overall on the season and 3-0 in the Mid-American Conference.

While the Flashes got off to a slow start in their previous meet, they started off strong yesterday on the uneven parallel bars, posting a score of 48.975 to take an early lead.

Kent State gymnasts secured the top four spots in the event. Junior Amy Presan finished in first place, followed by junior tri-captain Kristin Peters in second and senior tri-captain Julie Huynh in third. Sophomore Stacey Kalberg tied for fourth place.

From the bars, the Flashes went to the vault. They lost the event but kept their overall lead, as Peters finished first and freshman Lydia Barrett finished fifth.

The Flashes widened their lead in the floor exercise. Senior Amy Cucinotta tied for first, while junior tri-captain Jill Kowalski and sophomore Laci Hendress tied for third.

The Flashes capped off their victory with a win on the balance beam. Kowalski won the event, freshman Carly Conroy finished second and Presan came in fourth.

Kowalski, last week’s MAC Gymnast of the Week, won the all-around award for the fourth time this season with a score of 38.825 in her four events.

– Doug Gulasy