No. 23 Illinois (5-3, 1-3 Big Ten) vs Western Michigan (5-3, 4-0 MAC), at Michigan State (3-4, 2-2 Big Ten)
When	Western Michigan | Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 | 7 pm CT  Michigan State | Sunday, February 16, 2020 | 1 pm CT
Where	Huff Hall | Champaign, Ill. Jenison Field House | East Lansing, Mich.
Watch	BTN+ (Friday) | BTN+ (Sunday)
Live Stats	Illinois Live Stats (Friday)
Illini Links	Friday Meet Notes (PDF) | Sunday Meet Notes (PDF) | Record Book
Opponents	Western Michigan - wmubroncos.com | Michigan State - msuspartans.com
Shop	Online Store
Social Media	@IlliniWGYM  | #Illini | @IlliniWGYM  | Facebook  | YouTube

PREVIEW

The No. 23 Fighting Illini are back in action at Huff Hall on Friday, hosting Western Michigan in a non-conference meet. The Broncos are making their first trip to Champaign since 2011.

The Orange and Blue are coming off a 195.725-195.425 win over Penn State last Friday, having recorded their second-best team score of the season. Shaylah Scott, Karen Howell, and Kylie Noonan each earned event titles as the Illini earned their first Big Ten win.

Western Michigan is fresh off its highest team score of the year, and 195.750 performance in a MAC victory over Ball State. The Broncos are 4-0 in the MAC and opened the season with a win over Michigan State, their only defeat coming in a fourth-place finish in a quad meet at Arizona.

Michigan State snapped a two-meet losing streak on February 8 with a 195.675-193.800 win over Rutgers. Junior Lea Mitchell is tied for 30th in the country with an average all-around score of 39.258

IN THE RANKINGS

Illinois enters the seventh week of the season at No. 23 in the Road to Nationals standings, based on average team score. The Illini moved up two spots from No. 25 in the Week 6 rankings, their first rise in the RtN rankings of 2020. Illinois is ranked 24th in the country on bars, 27th on floor, 31st on beam, and 36th on vault. 

Individually, freshman Mia Takekawa is tied for 18th in the country in the all-around with an average score of 39.325. Sophomore Shaylah Scott is tied for 24th on beam (9.871).

ILLINOIS NOTES

• Mia Takekawa's 10.0 on Jan. 9 is one of just five perfect scores in the country on beam through the first six weeks of the season. It is one of just two by freshmen, joining LSU's Kiya Johnson.

• Takekawa's eight individual titles are the most by an Illini freshman since Allison Buckley won 19 in 2008.

• Illinois' vault lineup in the first two meets of the year featured four freshmen, marking the first time the Illini had used four freshmen on one apparatus since February 24, 2008. The 2020 season is just the third since 2008 in which four freshmen officially competed for Illinois.

• The Illini moved up in the Road to Nationals standings for the first time in 2020 this week after recording their second-highest team score of the year against Penn State.

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