The Kent State Gymnastics team is ready to roll into the NCAA Championships Thursday in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The 23rd ranked Golden Flashes will be fueled by competition, motivation and depth as they compete against #8 Alabama, #11 Michigan and #25 ranked Penn State in the first round of the Michigan Regional, with the top two teams advancing to the next round on April 6.
Kent State Associate Head Coach Craig Ballard was recently a guest on Flash Talk, the weekly Kent State athletics show on Bally Sports, to discuss the Flashes season.
“Some of our toughest meets are actually in practice,” Ballard said. “ So watching them compete with each other is fun and they do it in a great way. They’re always encouraging each other and they’re pushing each other in that way.”
As one of only two non power five programs in the top 25, the Flashes have used some outside noise as motivation for this season.
“At the beginning of the year it was really funny because the College Gym News poll, we didn’t get a vote in that poll. We weren’t in the top 36 in the Coaches Poll, and you know, we noticed. We definitely noticed that kind of thing and not to say we used it as fuel but some of us did. It was a definitely a motivator, it’s in my office its posted, its in Josie’s (Assistant Josie Angeny) office posted and like I said, the team noticed too and they’ve definitely carried that motivation throughout the year to prove people that Kent State Gymnastics is for real.”
The Flashes have plenty of momentum, confidence and accomplishment to build on after finishing the season as MAC Co-Champions of the regular season. The Flashes have had a record breaking season in 2024, achieving five of the top six team totals in program history and setting program records in three of the four events. Kent State returns to the NCAA Championships as a team for the first time since 2021.
Ballard is hoping the Flashes can head up to Ann Arbor and advance, not just be satisfied now.
“We feel like we have an ability to go up there and do something, not just show up and go to the meet. We feel like we have an opportunity with our roster and our depth to go up there and make some noise so we’re really looking forward to Thursday.”