Denton, Texas – Eight Centenary gymnasts have qualified for the 2023 USA Gymnastics Women's Collegiate National Championship and will compete as individuals at Kitty Magee Arena on the campus of Texas Women's University from April 6-8.
Freshman Amy Foret (Bedford, Texas), senior Kendall Huff (Riviera, Texas), senior Leilani Johnson (Wichita, Kan.), sophomore Emma Lavelle (Mandeville, La.), sophomore Carissa Martinez (Albuquerque, N.M.), freshman Sophie Schmitz (Trophy Club, Texas), senior Kennedy Stephens (Bella Vista, Ark.), and senior Taylor Ann Wilson (Memphis, Tenn.) all qualified, marking the most Centenary gymnasts to qualify for the prestigious event since 2017. Each gymnast qualified based on their National Qualifying Score (NQS) during the regular season.
The Ladies finished fifth last Friday at the Midwest Independent Conference Championships in Cape Girardeau, Mo. with a 188.875 team score. The All-American Wilson had the Ladies' top individual finish of the meet as she tied for 11th on bars with a 9.750.
Foret finished eighth in the All-Around with a 37.150, tied for 22nd on vault (9.625), and also tied for 22nd on floor with a 9.725 for her two top individual finishes. Foret has flourished in her rookie season, winning the AA four times and in three-consecutive meets (Feb. 26, March 4, and March 11). In the Ladies' final home meet of the season on March 11 versus Lindenwood, Foret earned a career-high 38.425 in the AA and also posted a new career high on vault (9.60). She was named MIC Newcomer of the Week twice this season.
Huff qualified on vault as her season high was a 9.75 on at TWU on Feb. 10 and scored a 9.50 or better seven times this season. She will compete at nationals for the third time in her career.
Johnson, who qualified on both floor and vault, was Centenary's top finisher on floor (9.80) in the MIC Championships last weekend and was named Second-Team all-conference. She also received the MIC weekly Coaches' Choice Award last Wednesday following her impressive performance on Senior Night as she won the floor competition with a career-high 9.90 - marking the highest individual score by a Centenary gymnast since Navia Jordan earned a 9.90 on floor at the 2016 USA Gymnastics Championships. Johnson's score also tied Jordan's for the highest in the division III era (2013-present).
Johnson helped lead the Ladies to their highest score (192.475) in eight years versus Lindenwood, their highest team score since posting a 193.775 on March 15, 2015 versus New Hampshire.
Lavelle qualified on beam and will compete at nationals for the second season in a row after doing so last year as a rookie in the AA. She earned a 9.65 or higher on beam five times this season and recorded a career-high 9.80 to finish second against Lindenwood on March 11.
Martinez qualified on vault and floor following an impressive sophomore season. She won on vault with a new career-high 9.75 versus Lindenwood in the Ladies' final home meet, finished third on floor with another career-high 9.80, and also tied for fourth on beam (9.75). She scored a 9.70 or better four times this season.
Schmitz will compete on bars following a solid rookie season with the Ladies in which she earned a 9.60 or higher seven times in 10 meets highlighted by a season-high 9.70 against TWU on March 4. She finished 22nd on bars with a 9.60 at the MIC Championships.
Stephens qualified on beam following a solid season in which she earned a 9.60 or higher five times with her season-best of 9.725 coming on Jan. 20 in a quad meet in Denton, Texas against host TWU, Air Force, and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
Wilson qualified on bars after another great season for the Ladies in which she scored a 9.675 or better seven times and tied for the bars title on her Senior Night against Lindenwood with a season-high score of 9.85. She will compete at nationals for the third year in a row.
Wilson claimed the individual bars title at the 2021 Championships in Cape Girardeau, Mo. with a career-best 9.875. She became a national champion in fairy-tale like fashion as she won just one day after making her collegiate debut in the event. Wilson is the only Centenary gymnast to win an individual title at the USAG National Championships in the division III era (2012-present).
The sessions on April 6 will also feature individual qualifiers from USA Gymnastics member schools. Along with the individual scores from the eight teams, individuals will aim to qualify for the individual finals on Saturday, April 8.
For the individual competitors, the top five individual scores from each session will advance to the individual finals on Saturday, April 8 at 1 p.m.
Tickets are on sale here. Individual Session Passes can be purchased for $15 for adults and $10 for children or seniors. All-Session Passes can also be purchased for $30 for adults and $20 for children and seniors.
Each session will be live-streamed and have live stats as well. Information for individual sessions can be found here.
See the Ladies' complete season schedule here: https://www.gocentenary.com/sports/gymnastics/2022-23/schedule
Live stats and live video are available for all home meets.
Admission is FREE to all Centenary home athletic contests.
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