VIDEO
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. – Illinois State freshman gymnast Gabrielle Cooke continues her season this weekend for the Redbirds at the NCAA South Central Regional Saturday, April 1 in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Cooke earned her spot at the regional with a qualifying score of 9.860 and will be one of two individuals competing on the floor exercise looking to advance to the NCAA Championships.
"Workouts have gone fast and Gabi has been very focused on what she needs to accomplish each day in practice," ISU head coach Bob Conkling said. "We have been working on all the small details to help her eliminate any chance of deductions by the judges on her floor routine. She has responded well in workouts this week, and is ready for the NCAA Regional."
Cooke is fresh off a great effort at the Midwest Independent Conference Championships, where she earned First-Team All-MIC honors on the floor and vault, with a conference title-winning effort on the floor. The Chicago native topped the leaderboard with a career-high score of 9.925 on floor and finished second overall on the vault with a score of 9.850. She also earned Second-Team All-MIC plaudits, after finishing fourth in the all-around competition with a total of 38.875.
"I'm most excited to see Gabi compete and get this experience as a freshman," Conkling said. "I am also excited to see some of the best gymnasts in college athletics."
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