CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois women's gymnastics has a busy weekend ahead as the Fighting Illini wrap up the regular season with a pair of quad meets over three days on the road. The Illini first travel to UC-Davis for their fourth quad meet of the season on Friday night against No. 17 Washington, host UC-Davis, and Yale. Meet time is slated for 9 p.m. CT in The Pavilion. This will be the first time in program history that the Illini have faced the UC-Davis Aggies.

Illinois caps the weekend in the Bay area for a quad meet at No. 16 California. Along with the host, the Orange and Blue will take on Sacramento State and San Jose State on Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. CT inside Haas Pavilion. The Illini defeated the Bears at the 2014 Minneapolis Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships. It has also been 26 years since Illinois and California have competed against each other during the regular season.

Scouting the Opposition: UC-Davis Quad Meet  

• No. 17 Washington (8-6): Washington is led by head coach, Elise Ray-Statz, who is entering her third season as a head coach and eighth season overall… She has already led the Huskies to back-to-back NCAA Nationals (2017, 2018) for the second-time in school history… In her first season (2016-17) at the helm, Ray-Statz was named Pac-12 Gymnastics Coach of the Year and led the Huskies to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 1998… The Huskies won their first NCAA Regional event since 2012 en route to the 2018 NCAA Championships… Washington's deep roster is led by All-Pac 12 honorees Monica Riley and Evanni Roberson. Returners Kristyn Hoffa, Maya Washington, and Madison Copiak also add depth to the team. The Huskies welcome a group of six freshmen.
• UC Davis (10-8): The Aggies are led by John Lavallee, who is entering his 13th season as head coach... Lavallee has garnered many honors throughout his time at UC Davis, including six-time MPSF Coach of the Year... He has also guided the program to six MPSF team championships, including four straight from 2010 to 2013.... Under his tenure, Lavallee has had 19 student-athletes that earned at-large berths to NCAA Regionals… The Aggies young roster are led by All-MPSF honorees Aya Suzuki, Yasmine Yektaparast, Kelley Hebert, Kyla Kessler, Kara Jones, and Sarah Liddle. The squad also welcomes four fantastic freshmen.
• Yale (11-8): The Yale Bulldogs are led by Barbara Tonry, who is entering her 46th season as head coach. She has been at Yale since the team's inception in 1973, making it one of the most successful programs in Yale Athletics history… Under her tenure, Yale has captured 15 Ivy Classic championships since the first league meet in 1977… She led the Bulldogs to back-to-back ECAC Championship titles, including their first in 2017… Under her illustrious coaching career, Tonry earned the 2018 USAG Collegiate National Head Coach of the Year, 2017 ECAC Coach of the Year, and 1987 NCAA Eastern Region's co-Coach of the Year… The experienced Yale roster are led by USAG Collegiate All-Americans Kiarra Alleyne, Jessica Wang, Jacey Baldovino, Jade Buford, Rebecca Chong.

Scouting the Opposition: California Quad Meet  

• No. 16 California (9-5): California is led by co-head coaches Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell, who both enter their seventh season with the Golden Bears. Howell has been the head coach for all seven seasons, while Crandall Howell was an assistant and associate head coach for six years before being named co-head coach this season… Howell is already the winningest gymnastics coach in program history with a 110-86 career record and the first to reach 100 wins at Cal, surpassing the mark at the 2018 Pac-12 Championships, where the Bears finished third overall… Howell has also racked up many honors since becoming the head coach at Cal, including: 2016 NACGC/W National Coach of the Year, four-time NACGC/W Regional Coach of the Year (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016), and two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2013, 2016)… Crandall-Howell has also earned coaching accolades in her own right, including 2016 National Assistant Coach of the Year and 2015 NACGC/W West Region Assistant Coach of the Year… The Bears are coming off their second NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships appearance in three seasons… The young Golden Bears roster are led by All-American Toni-Ann Williams, All-Pac-12 honoree Nina Schank, and veterans Chelsea Shu, Seilnacht twins (Sofie and Sylvie), Cassidy Keelen, Alma Kuc, and Kyana George. California also welcomes five fantastic freshmen, including Milan Clausi who has already made an immediate impact.
• Sacramento State (2-14): The Hornets are led by Randy Solorio, who is entering his third season as head coach and 33rd season overall with the program... During his first season, Solorio guided the Hornets to the MPSF Championship and saw four of his gymnasts advance to the NCAA West Regional… The Hornets tied the 10th highest score in program history (195.400, quad meet vs. San Jose State and Seattle Pacific) and advanced at least three gymnasts to the NCAA regionals in 2017 and 2018… As an assistant coach with the Hornets, Solorio garnered honors, including two-time West Region Assistant Coach of the Year and 2015 MPSF Assistant Coach of the Year… Sacramento State's young roster is led by All-MPSF honorees Jackie Sampson, Alexis Belkoff, and Jordyn Brent. The Hornets also welcome five fantastic freshmen.
• San Jose State (8-9): In her first season, Joanne Bowers was named the sixth San Jose State head coach in August 2018… From 2007-2016, Bowers was the Washington head coach during which she returned the program to national prominence. Her teams competed in NCAA Regionals in each of her 10 years with the Huskies… Under her tutelage, she produced three NCAA regional individual champions and her athletes competed in seven event and all-around finals at six NCAA Championship meets… She has garnered many honors throughout her coaching career including 2009 West Region Coach of the Year, 2007 Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and 2001 NACGC/W Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year… Last season, the Spartans won back-to-back MPSF titles for the first time in program history… The San Jose State roster is led by First Team All-MPSF honorees Stephanie Relova, Ellie Pascoe-Long, Kaprece Nadonza, Taylor Chan, and Chelsey Andrada. The Spartans also welcome four fantastic freshmen.

Last Time Out

The Illini garnered season-highs on beam (49.400) and floor (49.200), but the deficit was too much to overcome as Illinois was edged by UIC, 196.150-196.075 at the State of Illinois Classic held Saturday afternoon inside Huff Hall. Rounding out the field was Northern Illinois (195.750) and Illinois State (195.075), who finished third and fourth, respectively.

Starting the meet on vault, the Illini earned a respectable 48.775 led by sophomore Kasey Meeks, who tied for second with a 9.825. Junior Lindsay Dwyer led off the Illini with a solid 9.800 to match a career-high.

Returning to the bars lineup, junior Morgan Bixler posted a solid 9.775. Redshirt senior Mary Jane Otto recorded a solid 9.850, while senior Rachael Donovan anchored the lineup with a 9.800.

With Illinois trailing the field, the beam team hit six-for-six to help the Orange and Blue battle back. The Illini's total of 49.400 tied for the second-highest beam score in program history. On the team for less than a month, sophomore Rachel Borden posted a career-high 9.875, placing third overall. Otto and freshman Shaylah Scott both captured the beam title with career-highs of 9.925. The score tied them for the seventh best individual beam score in program history.

Illinois moved up to third going into the final rotation with a 146.875. Scott opened up the floor lineup with a career-high 9.900, while Noonan and junior Karen Howell also posted a pair of 9.900s to close out the floor lineup. The score was a career-high for Howell. The season-high 49.200 team total boosted the Orange and Blue to second-place.

Beam Queens 

Ever since Iowa, the Illini have been beaming on the balance beam, posting season-highs and earning at least 49.000+ for the past four meets. In their home finale, Illinois matched the second-highest beam score in program history with a season-high 49.400. An overnight viral sensation, sophomore Rachel Borden has added a spark to the lineup, providing a calm demeanor as the lead-off. After only three meets, Borden has already hit a career-high 9.875, earning her first top-three finish at the State of Illinois Classic. Sixth year gymnast Mary Jane Otto and Shaylah Scott also captured the beam title at the State of Illinois Classic for career-highs of 9.925. The score tied them for the seventh best individual beam score in program history. On the event, Otto has earned eight career titles, while Scott has three. Against top 10 Denver, sophomore Kylie Noonan also posted a career-high 9.875. Since the beginning of the season, the Orange and Blue have collected 17 top three individual finishes on the event.

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. Borden hit a career-high 9.875 in the Illini's home finale at the State of Illinois Classic on March 9.

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. 

Road Warriors 

The Illini will cap the regular season with a road trip to the NorCal area for a pair of quad meets. First, Illinois will travel to Davis, Calif. for a quad meet against No. 17 Washington, host UC-Davis, and Yale on Friday night. The Illini wraps up the weekend in Berkeley, Calif. for a quad meet against host No. 16 California, Sacramento State and San Jose State on Sunday afternoon. After the regular season, the Illini will have logged a total of 3,557.5 miles in travel since the start of the season in January.

Next rotation: Postseason Begins at the Big Ten Championships

Postseason play begins next weekend when Illinois treks to Happy Valley for the Big Ten Championships hosted by Penn State on Saturday, March 23 at Rec Hall in University Park, Pa. After placing third in the evening session of the Big Five Meet in February, the Fighting Illini earned a spot in the evening session (4 p.m. CT). The afternoon session begins at 11 a.m. CT with both sessions airing live on BTN.

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