The University of Illinois Fighting Illini Women’s Gymnastics team finished in third place at a quad meet on Mar. 15, competing against No. 13 Minnesota, No. 20 Iowa, and Northern Illinois.
This result marks the end of the regular season for the Fighting Illini, who now turn their attention to postseason competition. The team is preparing for the Big Ten Championships next weekend.
Head coach Josh Nilson said, “We have learned a lot this year: how to function as a team, how to compete with grit, how to persevere when things are not going completely our way. Every great story starts with people doing extraordinary things after learning hard lessons and overcoming great obstacles. I believe in this team and the bright future ahead.”
During the meet, Illinois started on bars with a team score of 48.625. Lyden Saltness earned the highest score for Illinois on bars with a 9.900, her sixth time reaching at least that mark this season. On beam, Callie Kauffman tied her career-high with a 9.775 while Alea Byrne matched her best score of the season at 9.850.
On floor exercise, Eden King tied her career-high with a 9.900 and took a share of third place in that event. Ava Banks contributed a 9.775 as well. The team’s final rotation was vault, where Summer Clancy led with a score of 9.800.
According to the official website, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Women’s Gymnastics is known by the nickname Fighting Illini within university athletics and shares this nickname with other teams at the university. The program conducts its home events in Champaign, Illinois and is centered in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois according to the official website. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level and is a member of the Big Ten Conference according to information from their official website.
Looking ahead, Illinois will compete alongside Nebraska, Rutgers, and Washington in Session 1 of the Big Ten Championships on Friday night at State Farm Center.
