Feb. 6, 2009
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CHICAGO, Ill. - The 14th-ranked Illinois women's gymnastics team posted a season-high road score to win the four-team Chicago Style Invitational Friday night at Navy Pier in Chicago. The Fighting Illini finished strong to come from behind and post a score of 195.100, finishing in front of #24 Boise State (194.775), Michigan State (194.400) and Illinois-Chicago (193.275) in the second annual event.
"We gained a lot of confidence with a strong start on vault after struggling for the last couple weeks on the event," head coach Bob Starkell said. "Our mistakes on bars were very uncharacteristic, so I don't see that as an issue down the line, and I was very pleased with the way we bounced back on beam after an early fall."
Freshman Kelsey Joannides won her first all-around title with a career-high score of 39.125, just in front of teammate Nicole Cowart, who took second with a 39.075. Sophomore Melissa Fernandez also had a solid showing in her first time competing in the all-around, taking fourth with a 38.825.
"Nicole and Kelsey have been doing a great job for us on all four events and keep getting better each weekend," Starkell said. "Melissa also performed very well in her first all-around competition."
Senior Marijka Botterman got things started off well for the Orange and Blue, posting a spectacular vault score of 9.925, which tied the Illinois school record and shared first place honors on the event. Botterman joins Jessica Cole (2003) and Nicole Viernes (1996) in the UI record books with 9.925 vaults. Sophomore Allison Buckley scored a 9.825 to tie for eighth place, while junior Nicole Cowart and Joannides both turned in solid 9.725s to lead Illinois to a team score of 48.850 in the first rotation.
"Marijka's vault did not surprise me," Starkell said. "She has been working extremely hard in the gym and I wouldn't be shocked to see her push past that mark later this season."
Illinois counted its only fall of the evening on bars in rotation two, resulting in a score of 48.325. Cowart led the way for the Illini, equaling her career-high of 9.850 to tie for second. Botterman put together an impressive routine, tallying a 9.800 to finish fourth, and Joannides scored a 9.750 to finish in a tie for eighth. Boise State took advantage of the Illini's mistake to take the lead following the second rotation, 97.500-97.175.
After an early fall on beam, the Illini responded with four solid routines to garner a 48.950 on the event. Senior Julie Crall, the reigning Big Ten beam champion, won her first event title on the season with a 9.850. Joannides scored a 9.825 to tie for second, while Buckley tallied a 9.775 to take fourth. Cowart and Fernandez also put up solid routines, garnering 9.750's to tie for sixth place. The Illini gained some ground on the Broncos, but still trailed 146.375-146.125 after rotation three.
As Boise State struggled on beam in the final rotation, the Orange and Blue overcame the deficit to take first place by posting their high score of night on floor (48.975). Joannides scored a career-high 9.825 to tie junior Sarah Schmidt for second place. Senior Lindsey Smith tallied a 9.800 to earn a fifth place tie, while Fernandez and Cowart were just behind with a 9.775 and 9.750, respectively.
The collegiate meet was part of the Illinois Gymnastics Institute (IGI) "Chicago Style" Club Gymnastics Meet, which is one of the largest women's gymnastics invitationals in the world. In last year's inaugural event, Illinois was joined by UCLA, Stanford and Washington.
Illinois has a double-dip of competition next weekend, as they travel to Columbia, Mo., on Friday, Feb. 13 to take on the 13th-ranked Missouri Tigers at 6:30 p.m. CT., before coming back home to square off against the 17th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in the "Pink Meet" on Sunday, Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. CT. All fans that wear a pink shirt to the meet will get free admission.
- ILLINI -
