Meet 2: Illinois vs. Michigan  

The Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team welcomes the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines to Huff Hall on Friday night. The meet will commence at 7 pm CT and be streamed live on BTN Plus on BTN2Go and FloGymnastics. Illinois enters their second meet of the season with a 1-0 record in the Big Ten after a quad meet victory at Rutgers on Saturday.

Illinois Notes 

• Head coach Nadalie Walsh won her first meet in the Orange and Blue on January 13 against Rutgers.
• Illinois's 195.100 team score is the highest season-opening score by the Illini since 2015.
• Illinois scored a 49.125 on beam, UI has hit above a 49.000 beam score in 14-straight meets. 
• The Orange and Blue are currently ranked No. 6 in the nation on bars (49.175) and No. 7 in the nation on beam (49.125). As a team, Illinois is third in the Big Ten with a team average score of 195.100, behind Nebraska (195.550) and Michigan (196.875). 
• Freshman Kasey Meeks made her Illini debut on vault to lead the Orange and Blue with a mark of 9.825 and win the first individual event title of her career. She is the first Illinois freshman to win an event title in a season-opening meet since Kelsey Joannides on January 9, 2009. 
• Sophomore Karen Howell recorded a career-high 9.850 on beam and matched her career-high mark of 9.875 on bars to earn an event title on bars at Rutgers. Howell also won the floor title with a 9.800. 
• Sophomore Rae Balthazor made her beam debut and led the Illini with a 9.875. Balthazor won the second and third event titles of her career against Rutgers on bars (9.875) and beam.  
• Senior Bridget Hodan won a share of the beam title with a 9.875. Hodan debuted on vault and hit a 9.800. 
• Sophomore Lindsay Dwyer hit a career-high 9.800 on bars at Rutgers. 
• Junior Rachael Donovan scored a career-high 9.825 on bars against RU.
• Freshmen Nicole Biondi, Kasey Meeks and Kylie Noonan made their Illini debuts at Rutgers. 

New Coaching Staff 

The 2017 offseason saw a new regime take over the Illinois women's gymnastics program. On June 12, 2017, former Utah State Aggies head coach, Nadalie Walsh was named the seventh head coach of the Illini women's gymnastics team. Walsh added Chris Bogantes and Ashley Priess-Johnston to complete her staff in August. Bogantes was an assistant under Walsh at Utah State and Johnston came to Champaign from the Cincinnati Gymnastics Academy. Walsh retained volunteer assistant coach, Maci Sump. Sump enters her third season with the UI program. 

2018 Outlook  

Illinois returns 13 routines from the 2017 squad. Graduate student, Sarah Lyons, along with seniors, Bridget Hodan, Jordyn Givens and Mary Jane Horth return to lead the Illini this season. Horth was the 2017 Big Ten Bars Champion. Hodan joined Horth on the Big Ten All-Championships Team after a Top-5 performance on the balance beam. UI's roster boasts the third-most freshmen in the Big Ten with six first-year competitors. The Michigan State and Nebraska rosters each feature seven freshmen. 

Illini Newcomers 

The Orange and Blue welcomed six freshmen to the Illinois gymnastics team this season. Nicole Biondi, Grace Gough, Kasey Meeks, Kylie Noonan, Tessa Phillips and Jaylen Spence look to make an immediate impact in the Illinois lineup after successful junior careers. 

2017 In Review  

UI completed the 2017 season at the NCAA Champaign Regional with a fourth-place finish. The team's 195.825 stemmed from a strong showing from current seniors, Mary Jane Horth and Bridget Hodan. The highlight of the season came at the Big Ten Championships, where a season-best 196.875 propelled the Illini to a second-place finish behind Michigan. Illinois also posted season-high team scores on vault and bars. 

Illinois to Host 2018 Big Ten Championships 

On March 24, ten Big Ten gymnastics teams will compete at the State Farm Center for the 2018 Big Ten Championship. The meet will be televised live on the BIg Ten Network. The contest consists of two sessions. A quad meet beginning at 2 pm and then a six-team meet at 7 pm. Placement in the first or second session is based on the team's performance at the two B1G Five Meets the preceding Saturday (March 17). Illinois will compete in the Michigan State B1G Five Meet in East Lansing. Ticket information has not been released for the Big Ten Championships. 

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