Illini Post Season-High 196.625 in Comeback at Kentucky

The Illini used a strong final rotation to earn a tie for first place in Lexington.

Women's Gymnastics February 24, 2017

Illini Post Season-High 196.625 in Comeback at Kentucky

The Illini used a strong final rotation to earn a tie for first place in Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Kentucky. – The Illinois women's gymnastics team scored a season-high 196.625 to tie the Kentucky Wildcats for first place on Friday night. The Illini trailed through three rotations, but a 49.300 team score on the beam in the final rotation pushed Illinois past Washington (196.450) to earn share of first place. Illinois also took home three individual titles as sophomore Lizzy LeDuc won the beam (9.925) and floor (9.925) titles and redshirt-junior Mary Jane Horth earned the bars title with a 9.900. Also competing in the quad-meet, Northern Illinois took fourth with a team score 193.800.

"Tonight was super exciting," said head coach Kim Landrus. "The atmosphere had a championship feel with the competition neck-and-neck throughout the meet. The girls believed in the plan and stuck together as one unit throughout the competition. To hit a season-high team score on the road at Kentucky, that speaks volumes to what this team can accomplish."

The Illini opened the meet with a 49.150 team score on the floor, led by LeDuc who tallied a 9.925. Junior Bridget Hodan recorded a 9.875 and freshman Karen Howell and senior Erin Buchanan each tallied a 9.825. Sophomore Haylee Roe completed the Illini scoring with a 9.700. The Illini were tied for second place with the Huskies after the first rotation, trailing Kentucky, 49.275-49.150.

The Orange and Blue turned up the volume in the second rotation, producing a season-high 48.975 on the vault. LeDuc and Mary Jane Horth each recorded a 9.825 to lead the squad, while Buchanan, freshman Rae Balthazor and senior Sarah Lyons each tallied 9.775. Despite the strong showing, the Illini dropped to third place after the vault rotation, with a total score of 98.175. Kentucky held the lead with a 98.375 total score.

Illinois continued to build momentum in the meet, scoring a 49.200 on bars. Horth continued to produce high marks with a season-high 9.900 on the event. Howell followed with a 9.875 and Lyons recorded a 9.825. Balthazor and Buchanan rounded out the Illini scoring with 9.800 marks. Illinois was still in third place going into the final rotation, holding a team score of 147.325. Kentucky remained in the lead with a 147.550.

Closing the meet on beam, Illinois produced the sixth-highest score in program history with a 49.300. LeDuc tallied a 9.925 followed by Hodan's 9.875. Horth and Roe each recorded a 9.850 mark and junior Brielle Nguyen scored a 9.800 to complete the comeback and grab a share of the meet victory.

Illinois has a quick turnaround, traveling to Denver, Colorado on Sunday, Feb. 26, for another tri-meet against Denver and Illinois State at 3 p.m. CT.

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