March 4, 2006
Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio -
Illinois vs. Ohio State Meet Results in PDF Format
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Coming off a season-best performance against the UIC Flames last weekend, the No. 21 Fighting Illini were looking to continue their success in Columbus against the No. 25 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. However, Illinois struggled all night long and fell to the Buckeyes by a score of 193.375-192.875.
"We didn't come out sharp tonight," head coach Bob Starkell said. "There were too many small mistakes. We were able to keep our heads above water throughout the night however. The positive was that there weren't any major mistakes."
Along with being off their game, Illinois and Ohio State faced difficult scoring by the judges throughout the night.
"The scoring was pretty tough all night long," Starkell said. "All the judges at the meet tonight were judges you'll see at the national meet. If you want to be good, you have to go against the best."
The Illini began the night on bars where junior Cara Pomeroy was the only member of the Orange and Blue to score higher than a 9.625. The junior pulled off a score of 9.800 to win the event over Ohio State's Kaylin Schlecht (9.775). Following Pomeroy were sisters, junior Danye Botterman and freshman Marijka Botterman, each with a score of 9.625. The Illini lost the event 48.350-48.200.
Illinois' woes continued in the vault routine where they lost by a score of 48.050-48.025. Marijka Botterman led the Illini with a 9.750 to finish second overall. Freshman Lindsay Smith finished fourth with a 9.675 and Danye Botterman finished fifth with a 9.600.
The Illini struggles continued as they moved to floor in the third rotation, where they fell by a score of 48.700-48.525. Danye Botterman led the Illini in the event with a score of 9.750 to finish third overall. Freshman Julie Crall placed fourth with a solid performance that rewarded her a score of 9.725. Senior Katie Wild also had a solid routine, earning score of 9.700.
The Illini ended the night on beam where Pomeroy placed second overall with a score of 9.700. Wild (9.675) and Marijka Botterman (9.650) rounded out Illinois' top three scorers in the event. The Illini went onto lose the event by a score of 48.225-48.100.
Once again, Starkell was satisfied with the performance of his upperclassmen, especially Pomeroy.
"The upperclassmen did a great job tonight," Starkell said. "Cara is a great competitor. She has a big heart, a big soul, and wants to do anything possible to help this team win."
Marijka Botterman won her first career all-around title with a score of 38.675, finishing ahead of OSU's Maalika Moore-Thomas (38.025) and teammate Kim Kruk (37.725).
Illinois will return home to host No. 23 Michigan State in Huff Hall on Saturday, March 11 at 2 p.m. Fans in attendance will be able to celebrate "Senior Day" with the Illini as seniors Emily Earle and Katie Wild will compete in the final meet of their careers in Huff Hall.
