Courtesy: CMU Athletic Communications

Freshman Taylor Noonan salutes the judges following a beam routine inside McGuirk Arena on January 21. Noonan and the Chippewas square off versus rival Kent State Saturday at 1 p.m.

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MOUNT PLEASANT - The two most successful teams in Mid-American Conference history will square off Saturday inside McGuirk Arena when Central Michigan hosts gymnastics rival Kent State at 1 p.m.

The Chippewas (8-3, 3-0 MAC), who are currently tied atop the MAC with Western Michigan, will look to keep their one-meet lead over the Golden Flashes (2-1, 2-1 MAC). The two teams have combined to claim the last four MAC Championships and seven of the last nine. The Maroon and Gold lead the conference all time with 12 titles, while KSU sits just one behind.

Kent State was picked to win both the regular season and MAC Championships crowns in the MAC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll, but dropped their season opener at Western Michigan.

Saturday's meet falls under CMU Athletics' "Chips for a Cure" initiative, which is a unified department-wide program to provide breast cancer awareness, education and funds in the fight against breast cancer. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Saturday's meet and any fan who donates to "Flip for a Cure" will receive a ticket discount.

Meet Notes

Follow the Action
Fans can follow all of Saturday's action by visiting CMUChippewas.com prior to the beginning of the meet. A live web stream with full commentary is available with subscription through the CMU Sports Zone. A live stats link will be made available prior to the meet and fans can also get live in-meet updates by following the Chippewas' official twitter account @CMUGymnastics.

Rivalry by Default
The Chippewas and Golden Flashes have created a rivalry in the gym since the MAC added gymnastics in 1981. CMU has posted the most MAC Championships in program history with 12 and KSU is just one back with 11, as the two teams have combined for 23 of the 31 championships in conference history.

CMU is 32-24 all-time versus Kent State and has outscored KSU in their last three meetings - last season at Kent State and the last two MAC Championships at Bowling Green and CMU. Its last loss to Kent State came nearly two years ago when the Golden Flashes claimed a 194.250-193.925 victory in Rose Center on Feb. 13, 2010.

25 and Counting
Winners of the last two MAC Championships and last season's regular season crown, the Chippewas have outscored MAC opponents in 25 straight meets counted toward MAC standings. CMU has reeled off 13-straight regular season victories and claimed 12 postseason wins in the process. Its last loss to a conference opponent came on Feb. 13, 2010, against Kent State.

One-Two Punch
A week after sophomore Brittany Petzold posted the highest all-around score in the MAC this season with a 39.300, senior Kristin Teubner put together her best performance of the season at the Illinois/Michigan Challenge. Teubner scored a 9.8 or better in three events to tally a 39.275 to claim first place among the four schools in attendance and give CMU the top two all-arounders in the conference this season.

Saturday's Promotions
Students in attendance Saturday will have a chance to win a free Ninendo Wii from CMU Gymnastics. Students will receive a raffle ticket and a winner will be drawn on Monday, February 13 on the Chippewas' twitter account.

All youth 12 and under at Saturday's meet will also have the chance to create a poster inside the CMU Events Center as a part of a contest. The winning poster creator will be a "guest judge" score flasher at CMU's next home meet versus George Washington on Sunday, February 19.