Illinois Earns NCAA Regional Berth to Ann Arbor

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 29 Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team will make its 32nd NCAA appearance as announced by the NCAA on Monday afternoon. The Orange and Blue will head to the Crisler Center for the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional beginning on Thursday, April 4 at 2 p.m. CT.

Hosted by the Michigan Wolverines, Illinois will be joining reigning NCAA champions, No. 2 UCLA, current Big Ten Champions, Michigan, No. 10 Alabama, No. 15 Nebraska, No. 23 Penn State, No. 26 Ohio State, No. 27 West Virginia, and No. 30 Central Michigan. In 32 all-time regional appearances, Illinois has advanced to NCAA Regionals in each of the past 16 seasons. 2019 also marks the sixth consecutive season a Nadalie Walsh led squad advanced to an NCAA Regional.

In a dual meet, Illini will be competing against the Central Michigan Chippewas in the first round on Thursday, April 4 at 2 p.m. CT. Ranking higher than the Chippewas in the national rankings, Illinois will open the competition on vault, rotating in Olympic order – vault, bars, beam and floor.

The winning team of the first round will qualify to the second-round evening session against UCLA, Nebraska, and West Virginia on Friday, April 5 at 6 p.m. CT. The afternoon session includes host Michigan, Alabama, Penn State, and Ohio State. The top two teams from each of the two sessions will advance to the Regional Final, where the top two teams qualify to the NCAA Championships at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas on April 19-20.

If Illinois does not advance to the second round, five Illini will represent the Orange and Blue as all-around and event specialists – redshirt senior Mary Jane Otto (all-around), junior Karen Howell (all-around), sophomore duo Kasey Meeks (vault) and Kylie Noonan (floor), and Shaylah Scott (beam).

The Illini have faced five of the eight teams this season, including Big Ten foes Michigan, Nebraska, Penn State, and Ohio State. Illinois faced Central Michigan in their season opener in a quad meet where the Orange and Blue finished third overall. For the second year in a row, the Orange and Blue will face Michigan, Alabama, and Central Michigan in a regional setting. All three teams competed against the Illini last year at the 2018 NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional. Illinois finished third with the program's best finish since 2015. Also in Tuscaloosa, the Orange and Blue defeated Michigan for the first since the 1990 season after the Wolverines had won 51-straight meetings between the two programs. As an individual, junior Rae Balthazor, qualified to the NCAA Championships, representing the Orange and Blue as an all-arounder.

The last time the Orange and Blue faced the UCLA Bruins was in 2017 when Illinois hosted NCAA Regionals inside the State Farm Center. The Illini last faced the West Virginia in 2015 when the Mountaineers hosted NCAA Regionals.

The 2019 Ann Arbor Regional contains three teams that advanced to the 2018 NCAA Championships – NCAA Champions, UCLA, Super Six finalist, Nebraska, and Alabama. Four other teams alongside the Illini will look to return to NCAA Championship action – Michigan (2017 – last appearance), Ohio State (2012), Penn State (2014), and West Virginia (2000).

Illinois is coming off its highest score of the season (196.650) at the Big Ten Championships last Saturday. The runner-up finish is the highest at a conference championship since 2017, this marked the program's 11th top three finish and the sixth in the top two. Individually, Mary Jane Otto earned her second Big Ten bars title matching a career-high 9.975, including two perfect 10s from a pair of judges.

In the latest national rankings, Illinois ranks No. 29 with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 195.805. The Illini are also ranked in the top-30 in three events, sitting at 17th on beam (49.150), 23rd on bars (49.100), and 30th on vault (48.950). At the Big Ten Championships last weekend, Illinois won against five top-30 teams including No. 11 Minnesota and No. 17 Nebraska.

All four sessions of the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional will stream on FloGymnastics. Tickets are available for purchase here.

The Road to Four on the Floor Format

Each regional site will feature nine teams, three individual all-around competitors and four individual event specialists per event who have met the minimum National Qualifying Score (NQS).

Over three days, seven teams will automatically advance to day two, while teams on the first day will compete in a "play-in" meet. On the second day, eight teams will compete in two sessions of four, and the top two in each of those sessions will advance to the final day. During "Super Regionals," four teams will compete in one session and the top two teams will advance to the NCAA Championships held at the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas on April 19-20. In addition, the top all-around competitor and specialist on each event who is not on a qualifying team will also advance to the national championships.

At the NCAA Championships, the eight-team field will compete in two four-team semifinals on April 19. The top two teams in each semifinal advance to the "Four on the Floor" team final set for April 20.

Regional Field – April 4-6, 2019

The regional fields and predetermined host sites on the road to the 2019 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships are as follows:

Ann Arbor Regional (at Michigan)
1. UCLA 
2. *Michigan  
3. Alabama
4. Nebraska 
5. Penn State 
6. Ohio State
7. West Virginia
8. Illinois
9. Central Michigan

Athens Regional (at Georgia)
1. Oklahoma
2. *Georgia
3. Kentucky 
4. California
5. Missouri 
6. Iowa State
7. Maryland
8. NC State
9. New Hampshire

Baton Rouge Regional (at LSU)
1. *LSU
2. Utah
3. Minnesota
4. Auburn
5. Brigham Young
6. Arkansas
7. Arizona State
8. George Washington
9. Lindenwood (Missouri)

Corvallis Regional (at Oregon State)
1. Florida
2. Denver 
3. Boise State
4. *Oregon State 
5. Washington
6. Southern Utah
7. Stanford
8. Iowa
9. Arizona

* indicates host site

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