Orange and Blue results | Landrus Interview | Spring Interview

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini gymnastics teams made their 2014-15 debut at the Orange and Blue Exhibition on Sunday afternoon at Huff Hall, with the Blue team taking an 11-9 victory.

"The Orange and Blue Exhibition served it's intended purpose ... excitement, adrenaline, a little anxiety and above all showtime!" head coach Kim Landrus said. "As a coach it was a good tool to evaluate where we're at as a team and what we need to focus on a little more."

Blue jumped out to a 3-2 lead after the first rotation. Sarah Lyons started the meet off by topping Jordan Naleway on uneven bars to give Blue a 1-0 lead. Taylor Smith tied it up for the Orange squad when he bested Eric Uster on floor. The first tie of the meet came when Heather Foley edged out Erin Buchanan based off crowd noise. Brandon Ngai next garnered a point for Orange defeating Harry McLellan on pommel horse. The Blue squad took the last point in the first rotation, with Mary Jane Horth besting Kelsi Eberly on floor.

In the second rotation, Blue came out on top 3-2 to give them a 6-4 lead. The Orange team claimed the first two events in the rotation, as Dennis Minton topped Max Mayr on still rings and Erin Buchanan topped Gaby Nguyen on uneven bars. Blue would take the next three events. Chandler Eggleston defeated Bobby Baker in a tiebreaker on parallel bars. Sarah Lyons followed with a victory over Jordyn Givens on vault, and Tyson Bull bested Tom Gibbs in another tiebreaker on high bar.

Orange came out on top in the third rotation with a 3-2 victory to close their deficit to 8-7. Giana O'Connor claimed the first event for Blue in the rotation besting Kelsi Eberly on balance beam. Orange responded with a victory by Logan Bradley over Jacob Tilsley on pommel horse. Mary Jane Horth bested Sunny Kato on uneven bars to gain another point for blue. Orange strung together the final two wins, as Tom Gibbs defeated Joey Peters on parallel bars and Jordan Naleway defeated Heather Foley on floors.

Chandler Eggleston garnered a point for the blue team, besting Fred Hartville on vault. Bridget Hodan followed with a tiebreaker victory over Sunny Kato. C.J. Maestas got a win for Orange when he topped Mike Wilner on still rings. Erin Buchanan moved the score within one point for the Orange when she bested Giana O'Connor on floor. With a possible tie on the line, Joey Peters turned in a clutch win on the high bar over the reigning national champion Jordan Valdez to seal the victory for Blue.

The Illini women's team begins their regular season on Jan. 11 at Central Michigan and have their home opener on Jan. 17 against Rutgers.