March 19, 2011
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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - On Saturday at Minnesota's Sports Pavilion, the No. 16 University of Illinois women's gymnastics team took third place at the 2011 Big Ten Championships with a score of 196.075. The Illini notched stellar showings on floor, vault and bars, recording a score over 49 on the final three events on their way to a top-three finish for the fourth time in five years. Individually, four gymnasts reached the podium with nine top-five finishes, led by freshman Amber See tying for the Big Ten vault title with a 9.900.
"It was very exciting to reach the podium in such a competitive conference," interim head coach Kim Landrus said. "We really bounced back and stuck our landings on the last three events to end the meet on a high note. We carried the momentum from vault to bars and nailed our dismounts at the end."
With the Big Ten title on vault, the Illini boast a freshman champion on the event for the second time in three years after Kelsey Joannides captured the top spot in 2009. See earned a 9.900 on the event for the second time this season and tied for the top spot with Penn State's Sharaya Musser, giving Illinois its 12th individual conference crown in school history. The Minnetonka, Minn., native also tied for fourth on floor with a 9.900.
"Amber is a dynamite firecracker for our team," Landrus said. "Her vault was phenomenal and very deserving of winning the Big Ten title. She is such a great competitor and had an outstanding floor routine as well."
Senior Melissa Fernandez tied for the runner-up spot in the all-around with Penn State's Madison Merriam after both combined for a 39.275 to finish behind Musser, who won the all-around competition with a 39.475. The Eudora, Kan., native also came in second on bars with a season-best score of 9.900 while junior Kelsey Joannides, who turned in scores over 9.8 on her three events, tied for second on beam with a 9.850.
"Melissa hit four solid routines and should be extremely proud of her performance today," Landrus said. "She has really come into her own these last two seasons and been excellent for us. Kelsey has been having a great junior year and today was no exception. She continues to do the gymnastics she knows how to do and is among the best in the Big Ten."
Despite falling for the first time on beam this season, senior Allison Buckley bounced back and tallied three top-five finishes to close out the meet. The Schaumburg, Ill., native was part of a 10-way tie for third on bars with a 9.850, tied for fourth on vault with Fernandez with a 9.850 and equaled See for fourth on floor with a 9.900.
"Allison did not let her first mistake on beam all season affect her," Landrus said. "She was able to put beam behind her and performed great on floor. She came back and showed everyone the outstanding gymnastics she is capable of doing."
After sitting out the first rotation on a bye, the Illini opened up competition on beam, turning in a score of 48.525. Joannides was the top scorer for the Orange and Blue, posting a 9.850. Fernandez was next at 9.800 followed by sophomore Alina Weinstein at 9.650, freshman Sarah Fiedler at 9.625 and See at 9.600.
Following another bye during the third rotation, Illinois then posted a solid performance on floor, totaling a 49.175. Buckley and See paced the effort with a pair of 9.900s while Weinstein tallied a 9.850. Joannides added a 9.800 and Fernandez rounded out the scoring with a 9.725.
Illinois then sat out for its final bye during the fifth rotation before finishing strong on vault and bars. The Orange and Blue matched a season high and the third-best score in school history with a 49.175 on vault. See's 9.900 paced the effort followed by Buckley and Fernandez's 9.850, Joannides with a 9.825 and sophomore Jaclyn Kantecki and Weinstein with 9.750s.
In the meet's final event, the Illini posted their best score of the afternoon with a 49.200, which ranked as the second-best performance on the event in the conference. All six Orange and Blue gymnasts stuck their landings, led by Fernandez's 9.900. Buckley was next at 9.850 followed by Kantecki and Fiedler at 9.825 and sophomore Macy Hyatt at 9.800 to wrap up the scoring. Weinstein also scored a 9.775, which did not count to the team total.
No. 9 Michigan won its fifth-straight Big Ten title and 19th overall with a score of 196.600 to finish in front of runner-up No. 10 Penn State (196.375). Host No. 21 Minnesota was fourth at 195.325 followed by No. 15 Ohio State (194.900), No. 14 Iowa (194.850) and Michigan State (194.425).
Following the completion of the meet, Ohio State's Carey Fagan was named Big Ten Coach of the Year and the Buckeyes' Sarah Miller was recognized as Freshman of the Year. Michigan's Kylee Botterman won Big Ten Gymnast of the Year honors.
The Illini now await the official announcement of their placement for the NCAA Regional Championships, which will be on Monday, March 21, after the completion of all conference championships.
