Mia Scott Team Manager | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Mia Scott Team Manager | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
No. 24 Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team secured a victory over Rutgers with a score of 195.650-194.925 at the annual I AM meet held in Huff Hall, Champaign, Illinois. The event took place on Sunday afternoon.
Head coach Nadalie Walsh expressed her hopes for the meet, stating, "My hopes for the I AM meet is to show the community we're not only an amazing gymnastics team but we also have hearts that care about the mental wellness and wellbeing of the community." She added, "Being able to teach people the power of positive thoughts to displace anxiety is so needed across our culture."
With this win, Illinois improves its record to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play, while Rutgers drops to 3-6 overall and remains winless in conference competition at 0-3.
The Illini had standout performances with three event winners: Mia Takekawa excelled on bars, Mia Townes led on floor exercises, and Abby Mueller achieved a score of 39.000 in the all-around category.
Arielle Ward delivered the best vault performance for Illinois with a score of 9.825. Freshman Olivia Coppola followed closely with a score of 9.80.
Takekawa's performance on bars earned her a top score of 9.90, accompanied by strong performances from Ward, Amelia Knight, and Destiny Denning who each scored 9.875.
On beam, Takekawa again led her team with a score of 9.875 while Kaitlyn Ewald contributed with a score of 9.850.
Townes claimed first place on floor exercises with a score of 9.90 as Ward followed up with another impressive performance scoring 9.850.
Reflecting on their performance Coach Walsh stated: "Even though this wasn't our best showing, there's a lot for us to learn from this competition," adding optimism about future competitions by saying "I'm excited for the team to get more aggressive; as they become more aggressive I think they'll be more focused on the routine they're doing and not worry about the scores they get."
Looking ahead, Illinois will face No.13 Michigan State next in their ongoing conference competition scheduled for broadcast at B1G+ at 6 p.m CT.
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