University of Illinois
Rutgers, EMU, UIC
No. 22 Illinois Hosts Quad Meet on Saturday
January 13, 2017 | Women's Gymnastics
Illinois welcomes Rutgers, Eastern Michigan and UIC in the 2017 home opener
| MEET 2: ILLINOIS VS. RUTGERS, EASTERN MICHIGAN, UIC | |
|---|---|
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 | 4 p.m. CST |
| Location | Champaign, Ill. | Huff Hall |
| Live Links | Streaming | Scoring |
| 2017 Information | Meet Notes | Season Preview |
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois opened its 2017 season at the University of Missouri on Friday, Jan. 6 taking on Missouri and Ball State. The Illini recorded a 194.200 team score, coming in second to Missouri and ahead of Ball State. The Illini notched the program's ninth-best beam score with a 49.250 as three Illini earned individual titles on the apparatus. Mary Jane Horth, Lizzy LeDuc and Brielle Nguyen each scored a 9.875 on beam to earn a three-way tie for the event title. The individual award was the first for Nguyen.
ILLINI DEBUTS
Three Illini freshmen made their Orange and Blue debuts on Jan. 6 at Missouri. Karen Howell competed in the all-around, scoring a 37.150. Rae Balthazor made her debut on vault and bars, notching team-high scores of 9.750 and 9.800, respectively. Lindsay Dwyer earned a 8.600 on bars in her first collegiate appearance.
2017 OUTLOOK
Landrus and the Illini gymnasts are coming off a successful 2016 season. The Illini return 2015 All-American, Mary Jane Horth and 2016 NCAA National Championships individual qualifier, Lizzy LeDuc. The Orange and Blue have also welcomed assistant coach, Kristina Comforte to the Illini family as well as a highly-talent freshman class of Rae Balthazor, Lindsay Dwyer, Karen Howell, Brittany Jones. UI will return 19 routines from last season.
PRESEASON RANKINGS
The 2017 Illini are ranked No. 24 in the Road to Nationals Preseason Coaches Poll. The Orange and Blue have now landed in the Top-25 preseason poll for the tenth straight year. Including Illinois, six Big Ten schools once again earned a spot in the top-25, Michigan received the highest ranking at No. 7, five spots ahead of Nebraska (12). Illinois is also preceded by Minnesota (16), Iowa (22) and Penn State (23).
COMFORTE JOINS STAFF
Former UCLA gymnast and five-time All-American, Kristina Comforte joined the Illini coaching staff in September. Comforte brings a wealth of knowledge to Illinois gymnastics and serves as the main coach on vault and floor, as well as, the team's primary choreographer.
KEY RETURNERS
The Illini return 19 routines from the 2016 season. Key returners for the Illini include: 2015 All-American, Mary Jane Horth, NCAA National Championships individual qualifier, Lizzy LeDuc and Erin Buchanan, who took seven individual event titles in 2016.
ILLINI NEWCOMERS
The Orange and Blue welcomed four freshmen to the Illinois gymnastics team this season. Rae Balthazor, Lindsay Dwyer, Karen Howell and Brittany Jones join the Illini after highly-successful junior careers on the mat. The 2017 team is looking to see big contributions from the first-year class.
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