GYMNASTICS Area-flavored KSU team off to strong start this season

Coach Bruce Biggin, April Zentko and Melissa Ruby are from this area.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
KENT -- The Kent State University gymnastics team, whose coach and two team members are from the Youngstown area, is the preseason favorite in the 2004 Mid-American Conference.
The Golden Flashes, coached by Brice Biggin, formerly of Howland High, has eight letter-winners back from last year's team that placed second in the MAC regular season and tournament championships.
One of them is April Zentko, junior from Poland High, who tied for the MAC beam title last year with a 9.875, after scoring a perfect 10.000 in a previous meet to earn a share of the KSU record. She tied Shannon Gallagher (Springfield), who set the school mark with a 10.000 in 1996.
Biggin, in his 13th season, was the 2003 MAC Coach of the Year.
Unbeaten so far
Kent State and Zentko are off to strong starts this season.
The Golden Flashes are 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the MAC entering Saturday's home match against Eastern Michigan at 7 p.m. They also are home Sunday to Northern Illinois at 1 p.m.
In KSU's second win over Wilson College Jan. 11, Zentko had an outstanding performance by placing in all five events to win her first all-around title with a career-high 39.225.
She also shared first place in the beam and had a career-best 9.700 in bars to tie for first place.
Zentko, the daughter of Beverly and Stephen Zentko, is majoring in American sign language.
While at Poland High, she placed first in the state twice in all-around and second in the beam as a senior.
Ruby on team
Also with the KSU team is Melissa Ruby, a sophomore from McDonald High who also competes in all-around.
Last year, Ruby competed in nine meets on the bars, averaging 9.308. She had a season-best 9.825 against Ball State for fourth place.
The daughter of Pamela and Charles Ruby, Melissa is majoring in biology with a minor in pre-dentistry.
While at McDonald High, Ruby was an all-state selection.
kovach@vindy.com