MUNCIE, INDIANA— The Ball State Gymnastics team put on a memorable performance this season. After making it to their second ever NCAA Regional team berth in program history, the team was happy with how the season turned out.

“This group has just been amazing. They are good at communicating and putting away distractions and coming together towards a common goal,” said Head Coach Joanna Saleem.

The Cardinals smashed a massive collection of individual and team records. For junior Hannah Ruthberg, success wasn’t expected until it was already in motion.

“As we got to the end of the preseason and started the regular season, we all really unified and pulled together. We found our common goal which was to have a historic season and make it to regionals,” Ruthberg said.

A freshman on the team, Zoe Middleton, loved the energy in the gym when she visited as a recruit.

“On my visit, I just saw how everybody was having so much fun in the gym and how it just seemed like a fun, cool, inviting environment,” Middleton said.

Coach Saleem, who sets the positive practice etiquette, took home two Head Coach of the Year awards alone, but won’t let the work of assistant coaches Cassandra Ringer and Scott Wilson go unnoticed.

“It was awesome to see them get the recognition. They are constantly in the office or in the gym and just putting forth all that they have to help make the team and each individual better,” said tenured Head Coach Saleem.

With an award-winning coaching staff and only four seniors graduating, the team looks to build on this monumental year.

“I am excited to keep building and keep moving in the direction we have been,” Ruthberg said.

“After such a good year, I feel like we can really only go up,” Middleton said.

Those hopeful words look to power the Cardinals through the offseason into next year.

Contact Brandon Beaman with questions or comments at brandon.beaman@bsu.edu.

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