Illinois State gymnast, Michelle Huston set a school record on the floor exercise (9.95), leading the Redbird gymnasts to a new team floor school record (49.350) en route to a loss (194.800-195.350) to Illinois-Chicago at Horton Fieldhouse on Sunday night.
The Redbirds began the night on vault. Small steps on landings led to deductions, but with solid efforts by the entire lineup, the team scored a 48.525. Rena Fox and Heather Mohler scored the highest on vault for ISU with a pair of 9.75s. Strong efforts were put forth by both Huston and Dana Luther.
The second rotation had the Birds on bars. High scores by Heather Mohler and Huston propelled the Redbirds to a team score of 48.525. Annie Chapman, who competed despite an ankle injury, turned in a strong performance to score a 9.800 for the team.
For the third rotation, ISU was on beam. Denise Houda and Mohler grabbed top scores on the beam for the Redbirds (9.850 and 9.775). Seniors, Luther and Huston scored a 9.725 and a 9.700, respectively.
During the fourth and final rotation, the Redbirds turned on their charm, upped their difficulty, and dazzled the judges to receive a total score of 49.350 to win the floor exercise, set a new school record, and win the fourth rotation.
ISUs win in the fourth rotation was not enough to overcome the UIC Flames, as the Redbirds lost for the first time at home this season.
In the all-around competition, UIC came out on top as Cheryl Rubinger won first-place honors. Competing for ISU, Huston, Houda, and Mohler filed in at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th places, respectively.
Michelle Huston also scored a new career-best during the all-around competition with a 39.200.
