CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men's and women's gymnastics programs hosted their annual Orange and Blue Exhibition inside Huff Hall on Wednesday night in front of an energetic crowd. The event gave fans a preview of what is in store for the upcoming 2019 season.
"Today is always a fun day because as much as we do back at the gym, there's no substitute to getting in front of a crowd with the expectation to hit," head coach Justin Spring said. "It was good to see a lot of guys step up. Jordan Kovach looks like a different athlete for us this year, so we are really excited for his breakout year. We had a lot of mistakes but I really like what I saw. We have a good month until our first real meet so we've got some work to do but I am really looking forward to this season."
The meet also served as a dress rehearsal for Illinois, with 29 Illini competing in the meet. Instead of the typical scoring, fellow student-athletes served as judges and were given orange and blue flags to determine winners. If there was a tiebreak, the audience was given the ultimate decision.
"It was a very good opportunity for the team to get into a performance environment and show off in front of a crowd of people, said head coach, Nadalie Walsh. "Some of the nerves came out today. Overall, they did a great job and know what details to work on, so we are ready to go for January."
The Orange Team clinched the title 11-9 with Alex Diab's impressive performance on still rings.
After the meet, the team signed autographs and met with fans.
The Illinois men's team will open the regular season against UIC on Saturday, Jan. 12. Inside Huff Hall, the meet is set to begin at 4 p.m. CT. The Illini women officially kick off the 2019 campaign on the road against Arizona, Central Michigan, and Bridgeport on Sunday, Jan. 6. The quad meet will be held in Mount Pleasant, Mich. at 12 p.m. CT.
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