CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 29 Illini gymnasts will continue their postseason journey in the first round of the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional on Thursday, Apr. 4 inside the Crisler Center. Competing for a spot in the second round's evening session, Illinois will compete at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET against No. 30 Central Michigan.

The winning team will advance to Friday's evening session against No. 2 UCLA, No. 14 Nebraska, and No. 27 West Virginia at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET.  The afternoon session at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET includes host No. 7 Michigan, No. 10 Alabama, No. 23 Penn State, and No. 26 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.

All three days of competition will stream live on FloGymnastics.

Rotation Order

Rotation order for round one of regional competition is based on national rankings. Since the Illini rank higher than the Chippewas they will rotate in Olympic order – vault, bars, beam, and floor. Central Michigan will begin on bars and conclude on beam.

The second round is divided into two sessions with the top two teams from each session advancing to the Regional Final on Saturday. Full rotation order for Friday's afternoon session is listed below.

If Illinois advances to the second round, they will begin the meet on bars in the evening session and will conclude the competition on vault. For the remaining competitors, UCLA starts on vault, Nebraska begins on beam, and West Virginia starts on floor. Full rotation order for Friday's evening session is listed below.

Road to Nationals – Four on the Floor Format

This season marks the first time the NCAA Championships will use a four-team format to determine the team final. It is a drastic change from the original format used from 1987-2018 that had a six-team format with two bye rotations. The byes have been eliminated in the NCAA Championship team final in order to make the meet TV friendly for the general audience.

The new postseason format still allows 36 teams to qualify into NCAA Regionals. 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 the first round. 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 the regional final, 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 Rewind – NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional

The Illini fell shy of qualifying to their fifth NCAA Championships berth in program history after finishing third with a 196.425 at the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional on April 7, 2018. In one of the most competitive regionals of the weekend, SEC powerhouses, Alabama (197.225) and Georgia (196.500) advanced out of Tuscaloosa. The Orange and Blue's third-place finish was the program's best since 2015. Illinois posted their first win against Michigan since 1990, breaking the Wolverines' 51 meet winning streak.

The Illini earned two top-five individual finishes as Rae Balthazor took fourth in the all-around with a score of 39.250, while former Illini Bridget Hodan posted a 9.850 on floor to tie fourth overall. Balthazor's finish in the all-around earned her an individual berth to the NCAA Championships, where she represented the orange and blue.

Regional History with the Illini

Illinois is seeking its first team regional title and fifth berth to the NCAA Championships in program history. This year marks the Orange and Blue's 16th consecutive season appearance and 32nd overall. In the women's gymnastics program's 45-year history, the Orange and Blue have been represented 38 times at NCAA Regionals.

The 2009 season was the first time the Illini qualified for the NCAA Women's Gymnastics National Championships in program history. At the 2009 NCAA Seattle Regional, Illinois finished second with a 196.700. Five years ago, is the last time the Orange and Blue saw an NCAA Championship berth with a second-place finish at the NCAA Minneapolis Regional with a 196.600.

Individually, the Illini have won 19 regional titles amongst seven Illinois gymnasts, including All-American Alina Weinstein.

Familiar Foes

The Illini have faced five of the eight competitors in the field 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 back to back seasons, 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. Illinois faced reigning NCAA Champions UCLA when the Bruins came to Champaign for the 2017 NCAA Regional inside State Farm Center. The only time the Orange and Blue faced the West Virginia Mountaineers was their 2000 season opener at the Ball State Cardinal Classic, which also included host Ball State, UIC, and Wisconsin-Oshkosh.

Last Time Out – B1G Weekend

Illinois is coming off its highest score of the season (196.650) at the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 23. The Illini placed second behind Big Ten Champion, Michigan (197.400) and finished ahead of Super Six finalist and Big Ten powerhouse, Nebraska (196.550). The runner-up finish is the highest at a conference championship since 2017 and marked the program's 11th top three finish and the sixth in the top two.

Individually, redshirt senior 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. Otto's multiple Big Ten individual titles puts her in the company of Kelsey Joannides (V, BB), Heather Singalewitch (FX, AA), and Illinois Athletics Hall of Famer Nancy Thies (two on vault, bars, floor, and all-around; one on beam). The Akron, Ohio native's second-place finish on beam (9.900) and Big Ten bars title earned her a spot on the Big Ten All-Championship Team on those respective events.

Also grabbing individual placements were sophomore Kasey Meeks and freshman Shaylah Scott. Meeks earned her ninth top-three finish on the season, placing fourth with a 9.850. In her first conference championship, Scott tied sixth on beam with a 9.875.

Postseason Signals the Arrival of Awards Season

Redshirt senior Mary Jane Otto, junior Karen Howell and sophomore duo Kasey Meeks and Kylie Noonan were named to the 2019 Big Ten All-Conference teams on March 18. Otto earned First Team All-Big Ten honors for her third First Team All-Big Ten recognition. Howell, Meeks, and Noonan were named to the Second-Team All-Big Ten list, all earning their first All-Big Ten recognition.

The Illini tied Super Six finalist, Nebraska, with the third-highest number of gymnasts to be honored by the conference with only Michigan (six) and Minnesota (five) earning more spots. This marks the sixth-time in program history that the Orange and Blue had at least four gymnasts selected to the all-conference team. With the addition of Howell, Meeks, and Noonan, the Fighting Illini now has 25 gymnasts named to All-Big Ten teams.

Among the remaining yearly regional awards up for grabs in two weeks are: Gymnast of the Year, Head Coach of the Year, Assistant Coach of the Year, and Administrator of the Year. The Illini have seven awards spread amongst five people from the above categories to date:

• Gymnast of the Year: Allison Buckley (2008), Alina Weinstein (2013)
• Head Coach of the Year: Bob Starkell (2005, 2007), Kim Landrus (2015)
• Assistant Coach of the Year: Bob Starkell (1998), Kim Landrus (2005), Amy Kruse (2008)

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 seven meets. Illinois is currently ranked 17th nationally with a 49.150 NQS and sit in the top three in the regional and conference rankings. 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 ranked Denver, sophomore Kylie Noonan also posted a career-high 9.875. Senior Haylee Roe returned to competition in the last week of the regular season, matching a career-high 9.875 on beam at the UC-Davis Quad Meet. At the Big Ten Championships, Otto earned second with a 9.900, while Scott tied for sixth in her first conference championship. Since the beginning of the season, the Orange and Blue have collected 18 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. 

Roe-ing Towards Success

Senior Haylee Roe may be short, but the energetic and vocal leader has been a positive force for the Illini this season. The Mesquite, Texas native hit a season-high 9.825 on floor against Penn State on Feb. 2 with her Vanilla Ice 80s theme floor routine. Battling through injuries this season, Roe made her comeback during the team's NorCal spring break trip. During the UC-Davis Quad Meet, Roe came out strong debuting a new Side Somi to Back Tuck Full dismount combo. In her comeback, she matched a career-high 9.875 to anchor the Illini beam lineup. Always spunky and energetic, Roe added back floor and vault to her repertoire. She wrapped up the regular season with a solid 9.825 on beam and matched a career-high 9.775 on vault. As a senior, Roe anchored the beam lineup at the Big Ten Championships with a 9.850.

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