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University of Illinois Athletics

2023 Women's Gymnastics Roster

Mark Jones / Illinois Athletics
Mark Jones / Illinois Athletics

Rachel Borden

  • Position All-Around
  • Height 5-3
  • Class Graduate Student
  • Hometown Naperville, Ill.
  • High School Neuqua Valley High School
  • Instagram rach599
  • Twitter Rach599

Biography

Career-High Scores 

Event Career-High Score
Bars 9.875 | at Kentucky | 2/2/22
Beam 9.875 | State of Illinois Classic | 3/9/19

Collegiate Honors

  • Three-Time Academic All-Big Ten (2021, 2022, 2023)
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar (2023)

Graduate Student - 2023

  • Academic All-Big Ten 
  • Big Ten Distinguished Scholar
  • Competed in all 13 meets on bars
  • Scored a season-high 9.85 three times (vs. Missouri, at Metroplex Challenge, vs. Michigan)

Graduate Student - 2022

  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Competed in all 13 meets on bars and beam
  • Scored a career-high 9.875 on bars at Kentucky
  • Tied her career high score on beam at the Illinois Quad Meet 

Senior - 2021

  • Academic All-Big Ten
  • Competed in all 11 meets 
  • Scored a career-high 9.85 on bars at Minnesota
  • Recorded a season-best performance 9.85 on beam with a score of at the Big Five Meet

Junior - 2020

  • Competed in all 11 meets
  • Made her collegiate debut on bars against Penn State

Sophomore - 2019

  • Posted a career-high 9.875 on beam to place third at the State of Illinois Classic on
  • After becoming a viral sensation overnight, Borden led off the beam lineup at the Big Five Meet

Freshman - 2018

  • Attended Illinois, but did not compete with the team

High School/Club 

  • 2017 Junior Olympic National Qualifier
  • Third on beam at 2017 Region 5 Championship
  • First on beam at the 2016 Illinois State Championships
  • Second on beam at the 2015 J.O. National Invitational Tournament 
  • First on beam at the 2015 Region 5 Level 10 Championship 
  • First on beam at the 2014 J.O. National Invitational Tournament 
  • Trained under renowned coaches Jiani Wu and Yuejiu Li at Legacy Elite Gymnastics

Personal 

  • Born May 28, 1999
  • Parents are Eric Borden and Rebecca Kasper-Borden
  • Two sisters, Natalie and Audrey
  • While in high school, she was an Indian Prairie School District 204 Scholar and AP Scholar
  • Graduated December of 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering
  • Currently pursuing her master’s of science in finance
  • Chose Illinois because of, "its outstanding engineering programs. When I visited, I fell in love with the campus and I knew this was the school for me"

Historical Player Information

  • 2019Sophomore

    All-Around
    5'3"
  • 2020Junior

    All-Around
    5'3"
  • 2021Senior

    All-Around
    5'3"
  • 2022Graduate Student

    All-Around
    5'3"
  • 2023Graduate Student

    All-Around
    5'3"