The Eastern Michigan University gymnastics team reached new heights this past weekend, delivering its strongest performance of the year at the George Washington Quad meet on Sunday, Feb. 22. Competing inside the Charles E. Smith Center in Washington, D.C., the Eagles secured a second-place finish with a season-high team score of 195.225.
This impressive total surpassed Eastern’s previous season best by 1.100 points and was fueled by six career-high and four season-best routines across the lineup. While the Eagles trailed only Towson University, which finished with a score of 195.900, they successfully outpaced host George Washington, which finished with 194.825, and Fisk University at 189.800. Notably, the victory over the Colonials marked the first win over George Washington in program history, improving EMU's all-time series record against them to 1-4. With these results, the Eagles move to 7-6 overall on the season and 2-2 in Mid-American Conference play.
A strong start on the beam
The Eagles began their afternoon on the balance beam, where they set a solid foundation with a team score of 48.800. The rotation was led by Keeley Kohler, who tied for second place in the meet with a 9.825. Junior Kendall Landry made a spectacular debut on the apparatus, posting a career-best 9.800 to tie for fifth.
Other key contributors to the beam rotation included Katin Childress, who earned a 9.775, and Kyrie Lowe, who added a 9.750. Jacquelyn Patterson rounded out the counting scores with a 9.650, helping the Eagles build early momentum.
Record-breaking floor and vault rotations
Moving to the floor exercise, Eastern Michigan truly began to distance itself from the competition, recording a season-high event score of 48.975—an improvement of .500 over their previous best. Kyrie Lowe was the standout performer here, posting a career-best 9.850 to lead the team and tie for fourth overall.
The floor success was a true team effort: Priya Karle delivered a season-best 9.825, while Macy Nihart and Sanai Evans both achieved career highs with scores of 9.800 and 9.725, respectively. Kendall Landry continued her strong afternoon with a 9.775.
On the vault, EMU maintained their consistency with a team total of 48.750. Gwendelyn Cantu led the rotation and placed third overall with a career-best 9.825. She was supported by Kendall Landry and Genae Daniel, who both posted 9.750, and Kyrie Lowe, who contributed a 9.725.
Closing strong on the bars
The Eagles finished the meet on the uneven bars, where they once again set a new season high for the event with a 48.700. Jacquelyn Patterson anchored the lineup with a career-best 9.850, which earned her a tie for third place. Analiah Solorio provided a strong 9.775, while both Keeley Kohler and Kyrie Lowe turned in scores of 9.725. Genae Daniel (9.625) and Sanai Evans, with a season-best 9.500, completed the rotation to seal the Eagles' second-place finish.
Individual standouts and all-around excellence
In the all-around competition, Kyrie Lowe proved why she is a leader for this squad. She finished third overall among all competitors with a total score of 39.050. Her consistency across all four events—9.725 on vault, 9.725 on bars, 9.750 on beam, and 9.850 on floor—was instrumental in the team's record-breaking day.
Looking ahead: Senior night
The Eagles will look to carry this momentum back home to Ypsilanti as they host Senior Night on Friday, Feb. 27, at 6 p.m. The meet will take place inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center, where EMU will welcome Illinois State University, Wilberforce University, and Western Michigan University for another quad meet.
During the festivities, the program will honor seniors Kyrie Lowe and Priya Karle for their contributions to the team. For fans unable to attend in person, the competition will be streamed live on ESPN+.
