It was the team’s fourth straight victory, highlighted by a record-breaking performance in the floor exercise by senior Rickee Wirtzberger.
Things certainly have changed for the Ohio State women’s gymnastics team during the past year.
The Buckeyes finished the 2002 season 3-15 and kicked off the 2003 season by losing two in a row, but now the tides have turned and OSU is on a roll. After taking care of Ball State 195.5-192.875 Saturday night in St. John Arena, spirits were high for the Buckeyes.
“At practice they’re already so good,” said OSU coach Larry Cox. “Where they need the confidence is the arena, and that’s where I see them getting better as far as confidence. They see themselves as a good team so they’re not going to falter much.”
Not faltering much is one thing, but this weekend Wirtzberger could not fail during her floor routine, earning a perfect 10, the first such score from the floor routine in OSU history.
“I can’t even describe it,” Wirtzberger said when asked about her emotions after the perfect routine. “It hasn’t set in yet. I saw the judge after I hit and her face looked like she didn’t know what to take off for, so I just thought, ‘Uh oh.’ Then I saw the score and started crying. It’s so awesome.”
The team’s score of 195.5 is its second-highest of the year, slightly behind a 195.875 against Michigan State in the home opener. Ultimately, the team strives to hit 197, or at least consistently scoring above 196.
“Every time we come in here before we compete we know we’re going to hit,” Wirtzberger said. “We all have so much confidence now, and we’re starting to build on this momentum.”
The next test, Nebraska, will be slightly more challenging than Ball State. Ranked No. 2 in the nation, their squad rolls into town Friday, averaging 196.837 points per meet.
“We know they’re a good team, but so are we, and we haven’t even hit our routine yet,” said freshman Jill Weber. “I think we’ll give them some pretty good competition.”
