University of Illinois
B1G Five Meet
Illinois Set for B1G Five Competition
March 16, 2018 | Women's Gymnastics
Meet 11: B1G Five Meet
| Date | Saturday, March 17 | 1 pm CT |
| Location | Jenison Field House | East Lansing, Michigan |
| Live Links | Live Scoring | BTN2Go |
| 2018 Information | Meet Notes | Record Book |
The Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team travels to East Lansing, Michigan, for the B1G Five Meet on Saturday afternoon at 1 pm CT. Hosted by Michigan State, the Illini will take on Michigan State, Maryland, Nebraska and Ohio State in the five-team contest. The top-three teams will earn a spot in the evening session of the 2018 Big Ten Championships held at the State Farm Center. The B1G Five competition will be streamed live on BTN.
Meet Facts
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2018 marks the fourth year that the conference has hosted two B1G Five Meets.
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Illinois placed second last season in their respective B1G Five Meet with a 196.450 behind Nebraska.
Illinois Notes
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The Orange and Blue tallied a season-high 196.700 team score against Lindenwood and BGSU, good for the ninth-highest team score in program history.
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UI also notched a season-high 49.325 on floor, also tied for the ninth-highest floor score in team history.
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At Michigan State, Illinois scored a season-best 49.300 on beam, good for the program's seventh-highest team score on the apparatus. The Illini also tallied a season-best 49.075 team score on vault.
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The Orange and Blue tallied five scores of 9.900 or higher on March 4 after only hitting seven 9.900 or higher marks entering the competition.
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Senior Bridget Hodan won the beam title against Lindenwood and BGSU with a program and career-best 9.950. The beam title is the fourth of the season for the senior. The Brookfield, Wisconsin, native also matched her career-high score on vault with a 9.825 to lead the Illini during the rotation.
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Sophomore Rae Balthazor secured the bars title on March 4 with a career-high mark of 9.950, the fifth-highest score on the apparatus in program history. Rae also tallied a career-best 39.350 in the all-around.
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Against Lindenwood and BGSU, freshman Nicole Biondi won her second all-around title with a career-high 39.425, while also winning a share of the floor title, tallying a 9.900. Biondi hit career-high marks on beam (9.875), floor (9.900) and in the all-around (39.425).
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Sophomore Karen Howell won a share of the floor title with a career-high 9.900 versus Lindenwood and BGSU. Howell also equaled her career-high score on beam with a mark of 9.900.
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Sophomore Lindsay Dwyer hit a career-high 9.850 on bars versus Lindenwood and BGSU.
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Junior Haylee Roe won her second floor title of the season against Missouri and UIC with a career-best mark of 9.900. Roe won the first individual event title of her career against Iowa. Roe secured the floor title with a career-best 9.875. Roe also hit a career-best 9.775 on vault in the meet.
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Freshman Kylie Noonan scored a career-best 9.850 on beam at Elevate the Stage. Noonan won the first individual event title of her career on floor with a 9.825 at Michigan State.
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Freshman Kasey Meeks won her fourth individual event title of the season on February 17 at MSU. Meeks matched her career-best score on vault with a 9.850. Meeks was the first Illinois freshman to win an event title in her first two meets since Kelsey Joannides in 2009.
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Graduate student Sarah Lyons debuted on bars at Minnesota and hit a 9.850 to lead the Illini on the apparatus.
Biondi Earns B1G Co-Freshman of the Week Award
On March 6, Biondi was named the Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week. The Townsend, Massachusetts native, won the all-around and floor titles on March 4 in Illinois' tri-meet with Lindenwood and Bowling Green State University. Biondi hit career-best marks on beam (9.875), floor (9.900) and in the all-around (39.425). The Illini hit a season-high 49.325 on floor and 196.700 team score. Both team scores are tied for the ninth-highest in program history. Biondi is the first Illini to win a Big Ten weekly award in 2018.
Illinois to Host 2018 Big Ten Championships
On March 24, ten Big Ten gymnastics teams will compete on podium 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 against the Spartans, Maryland, Nebraska and Ohio State in East Lansing. Ticket information is available on FightingIllini.com
