Feb. 27, 2009
Results
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- After putting up huge scores in its last two competitions, including a school-record 196.700 against Ohio State on Feb. 15 and the highest road score in school history (195.900) last weekend at Washington, the 15th-ranked Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team slipped-up a bit on Friday, finishing third in a five-team meet at Kentucky with a score of 194.200.
Illinois (13-7) finished third behind the host Wildcats (195.250) and North Carolina (194.825) and ahead of Ball State (193.350) and William & Mary (188.750).
"I think this meet is kind of our wake up call," Illinois head coach Bob Starkell said. "After doing so well the last few weeks maybe we were a little over-confident tonight. I think we realized that we have to be mentally focused and ready to pay attention to detail as we head towards the end of the season."
Junior Nicole Cowart led the way for the Fighting Illini, placing second in the all-around with a 39.150, while junior Sarah Schmidt tied for third with a 38.950. North Carolina's Christine Nguyen won the all-around crown with a 39.400.
Illinois started off with a 48.700 on the uneven bars thanks to strong performances from Schmidt (9.825), who placed second, and Cowart (9.750), who tied for sixth. Sophomore Allison Buckley and freshman Kelsey Joannides both had top-10 finishes on the event, tying for ninth place with 9.725s.
Ranked 10th in the nation on beam and coming off a school record-tying performance on the event last week, the Illini struggled to a season-low score of 47.650 on the event Friday night, as three individuals suffered uncharacteristic falls. Cowart tied her career-high with a 9.825 in the leadoff spot to tie for third place, but she was the lone Illini highlight on the event.
The Fighting Illini responded with an impressive 49.075 on floor in the next rotation, the highest score of the night and the team's second best score of the season on the event. Schmidt and senior Marijka Botterman both had 9.850s to tie for second place, while Buckley and Cowart both scored a 9.800 to tie for eighth. Botterman added a new `E' skill to her opening pass and was rewarded with a career-high score.
In the fourth rotation, Illinois again struggled on one of its stronger events, scoring a 48.775 on vault finish off the night. Botterman, Illinois' school record holder on the event, was the top Illini finisher with a 9.850 to tie for fifth place. Buckley (9.825) and Cowart (9.775) also turned in solid vaults to finish in the top-10.
"We tried some new skills tonight that will increase our difficulty and give us the potential for higher scores down the road," Starkell said. "Marijka (Botterman) added a new skill on floor and Sarah (Schmidt) performed a new vault tonight. I think both went well and should help us score better in the future."
"Nicole (Cowart) was impressive in all four events tonight," Starkell continued. "Overall, this wasn't our best night, but we certainly had several positives. We'll let the girls rest this weekend and have a full week of practice next week, which is something we haven't had in a while."
Illinois will host sister school Illinois-Chicago next Saturday, March 7, at 2 p.m. at Huff Hall. The meet will be a double-dual with the fifth-ranked Illinois men hosting UIC at the same time. Seniors from both the men's and women's teams will be honored in the last home regular season meet of the season. Illinois will host the 2009 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships at Huff Hall on March 21.
