Horth’s All-Around Performance Leads Illini in Denver

Illinois earned a second-place finish on Sunday afternoon.

Women's Gymnastics February 26, 2017

Horth’s All-Around Performance Leads Illini in Denver

Illinois earned a second-place finish on Sunday afternoon.

Final Results

DENVER – Illinois women's gymnastics posted a 195.450 team score, to earn a second-place finish on Sunday afternoon. Redshirt-junior Mary Jane Horth competed in the all-around competition for the first time this season, taking second overall with a 39.275 tally. As a team, the Illini finished ahead of Illinois State (192.175), and Denver won the team title with a 196.975 score.

"Unfortunately, the meet did not start the way we had planned," said head coach Kim Landrus. "However, mistakes happen and the team knew they had to move on because there was still a lot of meet to go. I was very proud of all of their beam performances as the team delivered some of their best routines of the year. In the end, we fell short of our goal. I'm confident we will have many takeaways from this competition and it will make us a stronger team in the future."

Illinois started the meet on bars with freshman Rae Balthazor and Horth each scoring a 9.85. Senior Sarah Lyons followed, recording a 9.825, while fellow-senior Erin Buchanan posted a 9.75. The Illini posted a 48.475 in the opening rotation, trailing Denver and Illinois State.

Following a strong beam rotation, the Orange and Blue moved into second place behind Denver, 98.600-97.825. Sophomore Lizzy LeDuc and junior Brielle Nguyen each scored a team-high 9.90 on the apparatus. Horth recorded a 9.875, junior Bridget Hodan tallied a 9.85 and sophomore Haylee Roe scored a 9.825. The Illini's 49.350 team score on beam is the fourth-highest team score on the apparatus in program history.

The Orange and Blue headed to floor for the third rotation, led by Buchanan who posted a 9.825. Hodan followed with a 9.80 mark, Horth scored a 9.775 and LeDuc recorded a 9.75. Nguyen and Howell completed the Illinois scoring with 9.675 marks. Illinois remained in second place after the third rotation with a 146.650 team total.

UI closed the meet on vault, posting a 48.800 team score on the event. LeDuc produced a team-high 9.875 on the apparatus, good for a career-high mark. Horth notched a 9.775 and Buchanan and Howell each contributed scores of 9.725. Balthazor tallied a 9.70 to complete the Illini scoring.

Up next, the Illini cap a three-meet road stretch in Normal, Illinois next Sunday afternoon. Illinois will take on Northern Illinois, University of Illinois-Chicago and Illinois State in the State of Illinois Classic at 2 p.m. CT.

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