Gymnastics Named Front-Runner for 2025 MAC Regular Season Championship

CLEVELAND – – As the beginning of the 2025 season approaches, the Mid-American Conference has revealed its yearly preseason coaches’ poll, which has positioned Ball State gymnastics to secure its third straight regular season championship.
 
The Cardinals, who were co-champions with Western Michigan in the last two seasons, garnered 33 points and four out of seven first-place votes, thereby seizing the regular season title of the league. Kent State was designated as second with 29 points and one first-place vote, trailed by Central Michigan with 28 points and a couple of first-place votes.
 
Moreover, Ball State acquired two of the seven votes to win the MAC Championships set to take place on Saturday, March 22 at CMU’s McGuirk Arena.
 
Alongside the team forecasts, two Cardinals were recognized on the 2025 MAC Gymnasts to Watch list. The representatives for Ball State on this list include junior Zoe Middleton and graduate student Hannah Ruthberg.
 
Middleton showcased an impressive performance at the 2024 MAC Championships, securing victories in the all-around (39.525), beam (9.900), and floor (9.900). As only the second all-around champion in the program’s history, she distinguished herself as the initial Ball State gymnast to earn three MAC individual titles within a single season.
 
A 2024 Second Team All-MAC honoree, Middleton continued her journey as an individual competitor in the second round of the Ann Arbor regional, finishing 15th among the two sessions in the all-around with a score of 39.025. Throughout her initial two years, Middleton has had 86 of her 91 routines contribute to the final team score.
 
Ruthberg is utilizing her COVID eligibility year and will engage in her fifth and final season for the Cardinals. A Second Team All-MAC pick last year, Ruthberg has consistently been a fixture in the Ball State roster throughout her career, participating in the all-around in each of the last 26 competitions. In fact, she has competed all-around in 37 out of 48 collegiate meets and possesses four of the top 20 all-around scores in the program’s history.
 
Her top performance was a 39.425 achieved last season at George Washington (Feb. 23), marking the sixth-best score in the program’s records. Additionally, Ruthberg delivered career-high scores across all four apparatuses last season, featuring a 9.925 on floor, two 9.925s on bars, a 9.900 on beam, and a 9.875 on vault.
 
The Cardinals will commence the 2025 season tonight at the Beauty and the Beast night organized by Missouri. Aside from the Cardinals and the hosting Tigers, Illinois State and Southeast Missouri will participate in the quad meet commencing at 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT.
 
The Ball State gymnastics squad will kick off the home segment of its 2025 season next Sunday (Jan. 12) when it welcomes Illinois, SEMO, and Wisconsin-Eau Claire for the Ball State Quad. Supporters can obtain season tickets to witness the Cardinals in all four home competitions throughout the 2025 season for merely $32 for adults and $16 for youth (3-18) at BallStateSports.com/GymTickets
 
 
2025 MAC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First Place Votes)
1. Ball State – 33 points (4)
2. Kent State – 29 points (1)
3. Central Michigan – 28 points (2)
4. Western Michigan – 24 points
5. Eastern Michigan – 14 points
6. Bowling Green – 12 points
7. Northern Illinois – 7 points
 
MAC Tournament Champion: Central Michigan (3), Ball State (2), Kent State (2)
 
2025 MAC Gymnasts to Watch
Zoe Middleton, Junior, Ball State
Hannah Ruthberg, Graduate Student, Ball State
Love Apkan, Sophomore, Bowling Green
Megan Bingham, Junior, Bowling Green
Luciana Alvarado-Reid, Junior, Central Michigan
Hannah Appleget, Senior, Central Michigan
Keeley Kohler, Freshman, Eastern Michigan
Alana Fisher, Senior, Eastern Michigan
Nastia Rudnitskaya, Junior, Kent State
Dani Fuertez, Sophomore, Kent State
Kiera O’Shea, Junior, Northern Illinois
Aliyah Kelly, Freshman, Northern Illinois
Halle Faulkner, Senior, Western Michigan
Reilan Garvey, Freshman, Western Michigan