CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illini return to Huff Hall to complete their home slate, starting with Senior Night on Friday against No. 6 Denver. The Daddy-Daughter theme will begin at 7 p.m. CT with the competition and the senior night ceremony to follow. Illinois has four seniors that will be honored – Mary Jane Otto, Rachael Donovan, Julia Hutcherson, and Haylee Roe.  The meet will stream live on BTN Plus and FloGymnastics, featuring Orri Benatar and former Illini Sarah Lyons, as commentators.

The last time the Orange and Blue won against the Pioneers was the 2012 NCAA Champaign Regional hosted by Illinois, where the Illini finished third (195.725) and Denver in fourth (194.875). Fighting Illini legend, Alina Weinstein, won beam and the all-around to qualify to the 2012 NCAA Championship as an individual. The 2008 season was the last time Denver traveled to Champaign for a dual meet against the Illini.

Marketing Promos and Giveaways – Daddy-Daughter Night

Create fun-filled memories with your children for Daddy-Daughter Night on Friday inside Huff Hall! All families with children who are in 8th grade or younger are invited to pre-register for the event HERE. Those that register will receive reserved seating, along with a picture frame and bows for their children. It will be a fun-fill day of fun with the following activities:

• Caricature artist: will be drawing sketches of fans from 6:30-9 p.m.
• DIY Picture Frame Station: pre-register for the event and decorate your own picture frame at our picture frame station.
• Photo Booth: Take pictures at our Illini photo booth!

Additionally, the first 300 fans will receive special a special senior poster with our graduating class. All Students who check-in on the Oskee Rewards app at the meet will be entered in a student raffle to win a Fitbit.

Senior Sensations 

Against No. 6 Denver on Friday night, the Illini will celebrate their 2019 senior class, which includes Mary Jane Otto, Rachael Donovan, Julia Hutcherson, and Haylee Roe. All four letterwinners have helped Illinois earn two top-three finishes at the Big Ten Championships (runner-up –2017; third-place – 2018) and a top finish at the 2018 Big Five Meet. They also helped the Illini to the fifth best program record best score of 196.875, while also recording wins over perennial Big Ten programs, Michigan and Nebraska, in 2018. 

• Mary Jane Otto: A sixth-year gymnast, Otto earned 2015 NACGC/W First-Team All-America honors on bars and Second-Team All-America honors in the all-around. The Akron, Ohio native was named to the First-Team All-Big Ten lists in 2015 and 2017. After missing the first half of her freshman season due to injury, she was a key contributor to the 2014 NCAA Championship team that finished 11th overall. The 2017 Big Ten bars champion has collected 23 individual titles on all four events and the all-around, including 12 on bars and seven on beam. Otto holds the second-highest bars score in Illinois history with a 9.975 and fifth all-around score with a 39.575. 
• Rachael Donovan: The 2018 Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Donovan has been a consistent contributor in the bars lineup this season. She competed in three meets during her freshman campaign, including her collegiate debut at Missouri on Jan. 8, 2016 on bars with a 9.625. The Bethlehem, Pa. native hit her career-high on bars this season at Nebraska on Jan. 26 with a 9.875. 
• Julia Hutcherson: The Canton, Ga. Native made an impact her freshman year, competing on vault 10 of the final 11 Illinois meets in 2016. In her collegiate debut, she recorded a 9.600 on vault against Michigan on Jan. 22, 2016. The letterwinner recorded her career-high of 9.650 on vault against Lindenwood and at the Big Five Meet in 2016.
• Haylee Roe: An integral part of the Illini's event rotation, Roe competed on three out of the four events during her career. As a freshman, Roe made her collegiate debut at Missouri on Jan. 8, 2016, competing on vault and recording a 9.750 on floor. Last season marked Roe's breakout year, where the Mesquite, Texas native won two event titles on floor, while recording a career-best 9.900 on floor against Missouri and UIC on Feb. 25, 2018. 

Otto graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology in 2017 and Master of Public Health (MPH) in 2018. She will graduate in August 2019 with a Masters in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism degree. Donovan, Hutcherson, and Roe are all slated to graduate this May.

Scouting the Opposition | Denver (13-2)

The Denver Pioneers are led by head coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, who is entering her 21st season at the helm. She was named the program's fourth head coach on August 17, 1998… Kutcher-Rinehart holds an overall record of 373-177-4 (.673)… Denver has made 20-consecutive appearances at NCAA Regionals and four NCAA Nationals team berths (including back-to-back appearances in 2007 and 2008)… Under Kutcher-Rinehart, the Pioneers have finished the season in the top 25 every season, including nine seasons in the top 15… Kutcher-Rinehart has earned four regional coach of the year (2007, 2017-18 – North Central Region, 1999 – Region 2) and two conference coach of the year honors (2002 – WGC, 2018 – Big 12)… Last season, DU was ranked inside the top 15 for the entire season including three weeks in the top 10. Lynnzee Brown represented DU at the 2018 NCAA National Championships as an individual all-around competitor… The talented roster is led by All-Americans Maddie Karr and Kaitlyn Schou. 2018 Big 12 co-Newcomer of the Year, Lynnzee Brown, and All-Big 12 Championship Team member, Emily Glynn also add depth to the squad. Denver also welcomes four fantastic freshmen to the 2019 roster.

Last Time Out

With another season-best beam rotation this year, the Illini women's gymnastics team placed third with a 195.525 in a competitive evening session at the Big Five Meet hosted by Elevate the Stage in Toledo, Ohio. For the third consecutive season, Illinois earned a spot in the evening session of the Big Ten Championships in March. No. 8 Michigan (197.750) and No. 14 Minnesota (196.700) took the top two-spots.

Illinois conquered the beam in the first rotation, resetting a season-high total with a 49.075. The Illini has recorded back-to-back 49.000+ on beam this season. After becoming a viral sensation overnight, sophomore Rachel Borden fought through nerves, leading off the Orange and Blue with a 9.625. Sophomore Kylie Noonan (9.800) and junior Karen Howell (9.850) both recorded season-highs on the event.

Following the bye and floor rotation, freshman Shaylah Scott made her collegiate vault debut with a solid 9.700. Illinois closed out the meet with an impressive 49.050 on bars, recording their fourth 49.000+ on the event. Redshirt senior Mary Jane Otto and junior Lindsay Dwyer both recorded season-highs with 9.900 and 9.825, respectively. Senior Rachael Donovan clinched the third-place finish with a 9.850.

All a Borden

From team manager to student-athlete, sophomore Rachel Borden was only on the team one day until she donned the Orange and Blue for an exhibition beam routine at Iowa on Feb. 16. An overnight sensation, Borden's 9.700 routine went viral and has taken the gymternet by storm with unique skills and originality that is unseen in collegiate gymnastics. The Big Five Meet hosted by Elevate the Stage marked the first time Borden made the beam lineup, leading off the Illini in their first podium meet with a 9.625.

The in-state product from Naperville, Ill. spent her club career at the prominent and elite Chicago area-based club, Legacy Elite Gymnastics. Under the guidance of owners and head coaches, Jiani Wu and Yuejiu Li, Borden spent five years as a level 10 gymnast and persisted through the ups and downs of the sport to reach her goal of qualifying to the Junior Olympic National Championships during her senior year in 2017.

The Chemical Engineering major's inspirational story has gotten the attention of national media, such as FloGymnastics, Inside Gymnastics, and the Gymternet podcast. With her cast handstand to reverse planche mount and perfect toe point, Borden puts the "artistic" back in Artistic gymnastics. 

Otto Nominated for AAI Award 

Redshirt senior Mary Jane Otto was named one of the 25 nominees for the prestigious AAI Award. The preliminary ballot will be narrowed down to six finalists later this season. The award recognizes the most outstanding senior female gymnast in the nation and is considered the "Heisman Trophy" of gymnastics. The honor is voted on by NCAA women's gymnastics head coaches and sponsored by American Athletic, Inc. (AAI).

A sixth-year gymnast, Otto exemplifies leadership in the gym and in the classroom. Otto is a multiple All-American and All-Big Ten honoree that has been ranked in the top 10 in the nation on uneven bars and top 15 in the all-around. She has collected 23 individual titles on all four events and the all-around, including 12 on bars and seven on beam. Otto holds the second-highest bars score in Illinois history with a 9.975 and fifth all-around score with a 39.575.

Missing the first half of her freshman season due to injury, Otto hit all 16 routines, competing on vault, bars, and floor. She was also a key contributor to the 2014 NCAA Championship team, which was the last time Illinois qualified to NCAAs as a team. After a successful sophomore campaign, Otto battled injuries during the next two years before returning to the all-around at the Michigan State meet on Feb. 8, to capture her first all-around title since 2016.

Excelling in the classroom, the 2017 Big Ten bars champion is a four-time Scholastic All-American, three-time All-Academic Big-Ten honoree, and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. Graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology in 2017 and Master of Public Health (MPH) in 2018. She will graduate in August with a Masters in Recreation, Sport, and Tourism degree.

For three years, Otto was a part of the Illinois Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the Illini Leadership Program. She also gives back to the local community by volunteering with Buddy Walks, Feed My Starving Children, and the Hope Center.

Next Rotation 

The Orange and Blue will return to Huff Hall for their home finale, hosting the annual State of Illinois Classic next Saturday, March 9 at 2 pm CT. Illinois will compete alongside the top teams in the Land of Lincoln – Northern Illinois, Illinois State, and UIC. The event will stream live on BTN Plus and FloGymnastics, featuring Orri Benatar and former Illini Sarah Lyons as commentators.

The Club Gymnastics Day theme will offer a prize to the gymnastics club that brings in the most attendees to the meet. Following the meet, the Orange and Blue will be hosting their last free youth clinic of the season. Select athletes from each team will be assisting with our youth clinic after the meet. For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.

Illinois has won 11 consecutive State of Illinois Classic meets, with two won inside Huff Hall. The program's best team vault score (49.425) came at the State of Illinois Classic on February 21, 2014. 

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