Illinois Hosts Michigan State on Senior Night 

The No. 21 Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team will host the Michigan State Spartans on Friday night at 7 p.m. CT. The meet will mark the final regular season home meet for the Illini at Huff Hall. The Illini still have two home contests, the Big Five Meet on March 11 and the NCAA Champaign Regional on April 1 at the State Farm Center. Illinois will honor seniors, Erin Buchanan and Sarah Lyons after the meet. The Illini will look to maintain the Victory Plank for the eighth-straight season. 

Illinois Notes  

• Illinois is ranked No. 12 in the nation on the balance beam with a season average of 49.125 and No. 15 on floor with a season average of 48.979. 

• The Illini reset their season-best team score for the second-consecutive meet against Iowa with a 196.050. 

• The Orange and Blue have marked scores of 49.000 or above on the balance beam in all six meets this season.

• Sophomore Lizzy LeDuc earned four event titles (vault, beam, floor, all-around) against Minnesota on Feb. 4. The four-title performance is the second for the Illini this season. 

• Sophomore Brielle Nguyen scored a career-high 9.90 on beam for the Illini against Minnesota. The mark is the first at or above 9.90 during her career in the Orange and Blue. 

• The Illini hit a season-high 49.175 on floor at Iowa, where Howell recorded a career-high 9.825 and Buchanan matched her season-high of 9.825. Illinois also posted a season-best 48.900 on vault at Iowa, where Horth and LeDuc matched their season-high marks of 9.85. 

• Four Illini, Rachael Donovan, Karen Howell, Lizzy LeDuc and Sarah Lyons, recorded season-high marks on bars against Penn State. 

• Freshman Karen Howell earned the first individual event title of her career against Penn State with a career-

high 9.850 on bars. The freshman also hit career-high marks in the all-around (39.000) and on floor (9.800). 

• Sophomore Rachael Donovan recorded a career-high 9.725 on bars in her first competitive routine of 2017 against Penn State. 

• Erin Buchanan recorded a season-high 9.825 on floor against Penn State. The senior has improved her scores on both bars and floor in each meet this season. 

• LeDuc earned two event titles against Penn State (floor and all-around), good for her sixth and seventh individual event titles of 2017. LeDuc earned just three event titles during her freshman campaign. 

• LeDuc is currently ranked 8th on the balance beam, 13th in the all-around and 24th on floor, nationally. 

• Junior Bridget Hodan notched a career-best 9.875 on the balance beam at the Illinois quad meet. 

• Sophomore Brielle Nguyen earned her first career individual event title at Missouri on Jan. 6. Nguyen posted a career-high 9.875 on the balance beam. 

Last Time Out

The Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team recorded a season-high team score of 196.050 to earn a second place finish last Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Lizzy LeDuc earned two event titles on floor (9.875) and in the all-around (39.350). The Orange and Blue finished ahead of UIC (192.625), and Iowa took the team title with a 196.475.

A Season-High Sweep 

The Illini produced four season-high team totals last Saturday (Feb. 4) against the Minnesota Gophers. Illinois tallied a season-high 196.025 team score after three other season-high marks on bars, beam and floor. The Illini posted a 49.025 on bars, a 49.275 on beam and matched a season-high 49.075 on floor. Four gymnasts scored season-high marks on bars, Horth (9.875), Howell (9.85), Lyons (9.775) and Buchanan (9.70). On beam, Lizzy LeDuc matched the program's highest score on the apparatus with a 9.95 to contribute to Illinois's 49.275, good for the program's seventh-highest team score on the balance beam. Illinois swept the individual event titles at the meet as LeDuc earned four individual honors on vault, beam, floor and tallying a season-high 39.500 all-around performance. Horth won her second individual title of the season for her performance on bars. 

Lizzy LeDuc Earns Second B1G Gymnast of the Week 

LeDuc earned the second Big Ten weekly honor of the season on Monday, Feb. 6, The Illini sophomore garnered event titles on vault, beam, floor and in the all-around. A mark of 39.500 in the all-around bested the Dallas, Texas native's previous career-high score of 39.425. The Illini sophomore also posted season-high scores on bars (9.875) and floor (9.90). LeDuc's career-high 9.95 on the balance beam matched the program's highest score on the apparatus. LeDuc's four individual event titles performance is the second of the season for the sophomore. The Illini garnered four event titles at the Illinois quad meet on Jan. 14.

NCAA Regional Tickets on Sale Now 

Admission to the women's Big Five Meet is free to the general public. The NCAA Champaign Regional and Big Ten Championships tickets are on sale now. All seating is general admission. Order fees do apply to online and phone orders. Tickets are sold online at www.fightingillini.com, over the phone at 1-866-ILLINI-1 or 217-333-3470, or in person at the Illinois Ticket Office at the State Farm Center, 1800 S First Street, Champaign, IL 61820. In addition to tickets, State Farm Center suites will be available for purchase, please contact premiumseating@illinois.edu for details.

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