2018 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships
The Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team welcomes 10 Big Ten women's gymnastics teams to Champaign for the 2018 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships. Held at the State Farm Center, the event will be featured on podium and live on BTN. Illinois will compete at 7 pm CT and begins the meet on floor.
Meet Facts
- Illinois hosts the Big Ten Championships for the sixth time in program history (1988, 1991, 1995, 2003, 2009). The previous five meets were hosted at Huff Hall.
- The afternoon session features Michgan State, Nebraska, Penn State and Rutgers that begins at 2 pm CT.
- Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota and Ohio State will compete in the evening session that commences at 7 pm CT.
- Last season, the Illini earned a second-place finish in Piscataway, New Jersey. UI hit a season-best 196.875, good for the program's fifth-highest team score.
Afternoon Session - 2 pm CT
| Rotation |
Vault |
Bars |
Beam |
Floor |
| 1 |
Penn State |
Michigan State |
Rutgers |
Nebraska |
| 2 |
Nebraska |
Penn State |
Michigan State |
Rutgers |
| 3 |
Rutgers |
Nebraska |
Penn State |
Michigan State |
| 4 |
Michigan State |
Rutgers |
Nebraska |
Penn State |
Evening Session - 7 pm CT
| Rotation |
Vault |
Bye I |
Bars |
Beam |
Bye II |
Floor |
| 1 |
Minnesota |
Michigan |
Maryland |
Iowa |
Ohio State |
Illinois |
| 2 |
Illinois |
Minnesota |
Michigan |
Maryland |
Iowa |
Ohio State |
| 3 |
Ohio State |
Illinois |
Minnesota |
Michigan |
Maryland |
Iowa |
| 4 |
Iowa |
Ohio State |
Illinois |
Minnesota |
Michigan |
Maryland |
| 5 |
Maryland |
Iowa |
Ohio State |
Illinois |
Minnesota |
Michigan |
| 6 |
Michigan |
Maryland |
Iowa |
Ohio State |
Illinois |
Minnesota |
Illinois Notes
- The Orange and Blue tallied a season-high 196.850 team score at the B1G Five Meet to earn a spot in Saturday's Big Ten Championships evening session. The 196.850 team score sits at No. 7 in the Illinois record books.
- UI hit season-high marks on bars (49.275) and floor (49.400) at the B1G Five Meet. The floor score is good for the third-highest in Illinois women's gymnastics history and the bars score sits at No. 10 on the all-time team bars scores.
- 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.
- Sophomore Rae Balthazor won the bars, beam and all-around event titles at the B1G Five Meet. Balthazor hit career-best marks on beam (9.900), floor (9.925) and in the all-around (39.525) during the competition. The all-around tally matches the ninth-highest all-around score by an Illini gymnast.
- 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.
- 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).
- Biondi scored a career-high 9.875 on vault at the B1G Five Meet. The 9.875 is highest tally on vault by an Illini this season.
- 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.
- Sophomore Lindsay Dwyer hit a career-high 9.850 on bars versus Lindenwood and BGSU.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Graduate student Sarah Lyons debuted on bars at Minnesota and hit a 9.850 to lead the Illini on the apparatus.
Three Illini Earn All-Big Ten Honors
Rae Balthazor, Nicole Biondi and Bridget Hodan were named to the 2018 Big Ten All-Conference teams on March 19. Balthazor and Biondi each garnered their first All-Big Ten honors with Balthazor claiming First-Team All-Big Ten accolades and Biondi named to the Second-Team All-Big Ten list. Hodan garnered First-Team All-Big Ten honors for the second All-Big Ten award of her career.
Balthazor Collects B1G Gymnast of the Week Award
Balthazor earned Illinois' first B1G Gymnast of the Week award on Monday afternoon. After winning three individual event titles at the B1G Five Meet last Saturday, Balthazor helped Illinois claim a season-best 196.850 team score for first place in the competition.
Biondi Earns B1G Co-Freshman of the Week
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 was the first Illini to win a Big Ten weekly award in 2018.
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