Mia Scott Team Manager | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Mia Scott Team Manager | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois women's gymnastics is preparing to face Ball State in the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional. The competition is scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. CT at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This marks Illinois' 20th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Regionals.
The winner of this Round 1 dual will advance to Round 2, where they will compete against No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 16 NC State, and No. 17 Ohio State on Thursday at 6 p.m. CT for two spots in the Regional Final.
In another part of the Ann Arbor Regional bracket, No. 8 Alabama, host team No. 11 Michigan, No. 23 Kent State, and No. 25 Penn State are set to compete.
Ball State enters the regionals after a strong performance at the Mid Atlantic Conference Championships with a score of 196.475, just slightly behind first-place Western Michigan by .05 points.
Ball State's gymnasts claimed four conference titles: Ashley Szymanski won vault with a score of 9.925; Suki Pfister took first place on floor with a score of 9.900; Zoe Middleton won both beam with a score of 9.900 and all-around with a total score of 39.525.
Currently ranked No. 34 in the Road to Nationals rankings, Ball State is three spots below Illinois, which ranks at No. 31 following their participation in the Big Ten Championships.
Historically, Illinois has faced Ball State twice before and emerged victorious both times—in a dual meet in 2004 and again in a tri-meet in 2013 that included UIC as well.
This upcoming match will be notable for Illini head coach Nadalie Walsh as it marks her first time competing against her former team since she coached Ball State from 2008-13.
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