Illinois is set to face No. 24 Penn State in a women's gymnastics meet on January 31, 2025, at Rec Hall in University Park, Pennsylvania. The Illini aim to recover from their recent defeat against UCLA as they head into their second road contest of the season.
Penn State comes into the match with a record of 6-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten. The Nittany Lions recently secured a victory over Rutgers with a score of 194.825 in their first home Big Ten dual meet this season. "The team's win against Rutgers improves its 2025 home record to 3-0 and is its first conference win of the season," noted Penn State's performance report.
Graduate student Gabbie Gallentine led Penn State on bars with a standout score of 9.9, contributing to the team's new season-best score of 49.250 on that apparatus. Kalea McElligott also performed well across three events against Rutgers, securing notable scores including a top floor score of 9.875.
Illinois, holding a record of 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten, was defeated by UCLA with a scoreline of 197.200-194.700 in their previous outing at Pauley Pavilion. Chloe Cho emerged as Illinois' standout performer during that meet, achieving career-high scores on both vault and beam.
Cho's performances have earned her recognition as Big Ten Freshman of the Week following her achievements against Nebraska earlier this month. Her consistent performances have made her one to watch this season alongside junior Arielle Ward.
Ward has been named among the Big Ten's Gymnasts to Watch for her contributions primarily on vault and floor events last season.
Amelia Knight returns for an additional year after initially planning to conclude her collegiate gymnastics career last year. Knight has consistently contributed since her freshman year and continues to be an integral part of the team under Head Coach Nadalie Walsh's guidance.
Walsh is currently in her eighth season with Illinois, holding an overall Division I career record of 155-186-1 and leading Illinois with a record of 91-60-1 during her tenure.
The upcoming meet will be broadcasted on B1G+ network, allowing fans to follow live updates through Road To Nationals statistics platform.
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