University of Illinois
NCAA Regional
Illini Seek NCAA Bid at Tuscaloosa Regional
April 5, 2018 | Women's Gymnastics
2018 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional
| Date | Saturday, April 7 | 4 pm CT |
| Location | State Farm Center | Champaign, Illinois |
| Live Links | Live Scoring | SECNetwork+ |
| Illinois Information | Meet Notes | Record Book |
The Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team will compete in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on Saturday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at Coleman Coliseum. Competition is slated to begin at 4 pm and will be featured on SEC Network+. The Illini will compete against Alabama, Central Michigan, Georgia, Michigan and Missouri and begin the competition on bars. Illinois is coming off a third-place finish at the Big Ten Championships on March 24.
Meet Facts
- Illinois will make the program's 30th NCAA Regional appearance. The Illini have qualified for 15-straight NCAA Regionals.
- The Illini will compete against Alabama, Central Michigan, Georgia, Michigan and Missouri.
- The last time the Orange and Blue competed in an NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional in 2011, the Illini earned a second-place finish with a team score of 195.925 to qualify for the NCAA Championships.
- 2018 marks the fifth-straight season a Nadalie Walsh-led squad will compete in the NCAA Regional Championships.
Illinois Notes
- The Orange and Blue tallied a season-high 196.850 team score at the B1G Five Meet, which 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 scored career-best marks on bars (9.925) and floor (9.900) at the B1G Championships.
- 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. Noonan then hit a career-high mark on floor of 9.850 at the Big Ten Championships.
- 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.
Hodan Earns B1G Beam Title
Senior Bridget Hodan became Illinois' 17th Big Ten Individual Champion in program history at the 2018 Big Ten Championships at the State Farm Center on March 24. Hodan won the Big Ten Beam title with a 9.900. The title is the eighth Big Ten beam title in Illinois women's gymnastics history and the second-straight for the Orange and Blue.
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.
Illini Garner B1G All-Academic Honors
10 members of the Illinois women's gymnastics team earned Academic All-Big Ten honors this season. Rae Balthazor, Rachael Donovan, Lindsay Dwyer, Jordyn Givens, Bridget Hodan, Mary Jane Horth, Karen Howell, Brittany Jones, Sarah Lyons and Haylee Roe were named to the Big Ten list. To be eligible for the academic all-conference selection, student-athletes must be letterwinners who are in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.
