March 18, 2006
Results
NORMAL, Ill. -
State of Illinois Classic Results in PDF Format
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The No. 24 Fighting Illini women's gymnastics traveled to Normal, Ill. Saturday to compete in the State of Illinois Classic. The evening saw Illinois struggle as they posted their second lowest team score of the season (191.850), however, they still managed to claim the unofficial state championship and take all four event titles and the individual all-around crown in the process. Northern Illinois came in second with a score of 190.275, Illinois-Chicago finished third (190.150) and host, Illinois State finished fourth (189.875).
"It was a rough meet for us," head coach Bob Starkell said. "I really can't evaluate what really was the main cause of our poor performance. There was definitely not a high energy level from the girls tonight. As a team, we really didn't do too well."
Freshman Kim Kruk led the Orange and Blue by winning the all-around title with a new personal-best of 39.075, while also taking the floor exercise title with a career-high 9.850. It was Kruk's third all-around crown of the season.
"She really had a solid meet for us," Starkell said of Kruk. "It's a big confidence booster that will get her ready for Big Tens. Her vault and floor routines are coming around nicely."
Illinois' vault performance, although off beat, finished with a score of 48.300, good enough to place second behind UIC's 48.575. Freshman Marijka Botterman won the individual vault title by posting a score of 9.825. Kruk posted a personal-best of 9.750 to finish fifth overall. Junior Melissa Singer and freshman Lindsey Smith had the Illini's next best scores, each with a 9.725.
Illinois recorded another runner-up performance on bars with a score of 47.150. The score fell short to UIC's beam score of 47.200. Sophomore Krystal Melcarek won the event with a 9.750, tying her best bar performance of the season and picking up her second individual title of the year. Kruk placed third in the event with a score of 9.725. Junior Cara Pomeroy was Illinois' next scorer with a 9.675, which tied for sixth place overall.
The Illini won the beam event with a score of 47.775. Freshman Julie Crall won her second beam title of the season with a personal-best score of 9.875. Kruk tied for second overall with her own personal-best of 9.750. Senior Katie Wild also had a solid performance with a 9.700.
Kruk continued to lead the Illini once they reached the floor exercise. The freshman won the event with a personal-best score of 9.850 and helped the Orange and Blue to win the event with a team score of 48.625, their best event score of the night. Marijka Botterman finished second overall with a personal-best score of 9.775, and Singer rounded out Illinois' top three scorers with a 9.700, which tied for fifth overall.
Kruk's all-around performance was the best by an Illini this season. Marijka Botterman placed third in the all-around with a score of 38.000.
Starkell hopes that a solid week of hard work in the gym will get his squad back on track for next week's Big Ten Championships.
"We need to dig a little deeper to improve our routines," Starkell said. "It's definitely more mental than a physical thing. We need to find confidence in our gymnastics."
The 2006 Big Ten Championships will be hosted by Michigan State University in East Lansing. Illinois looks to improve on last season's fifth place finish in the conference. The championship meet is set to kick off at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 25.
