After two consecutive years as participants in the NCAA Regionals, the Illinois State gymnastics team is excited to start another competitive season with hopes of making a third trip to the national championship. With the return of 13 gymnasts and the welcome addition of four newcomers, the 2003 squad has the right combination to advance even farther than Redbird teams of the past and will start their climb to the top against Wisconsin-La Crosse, Sunday, at 2 p.m. in the home opener at Horton Field House.
The girls are very excited to get going, second-year head coach Beth Larson said. They have been training extremely hard the entire fall semester and in my mind, I feel they look to be one of the best Redbird gymnastics teams yet.
The talent and depth of the 2003 squad is highlighted by the return of four seniors who have helped escalate the Redbird gymnastics program into a top contender in the Midwest and nationally. Denise Houda, Kristy Kreinbrink, Heather Mohler and Jaime Reineck all return and will be competing in three or more events each.
The strong group of seniors, captained by Jaime and Kristy, will give us a core of strength and experience that will be necessary to lead this years team to a third consecutive NCAA regional bid, Larson continued.
Not only will the Redbirds be looking for leadership and direction from its long list of returnees, but also from an extremely talented group of freshmen, led by Amy Biedenharn.
One of our strongest newcomers, Amy Biedenharn, who is from Ohio, has already set the standards for being consistent and strong, Larson said. She will contribute greatly to the vault, beam and floor lineups.
While the 2003 season will be a challenge with gym powers Missouri, Illinois-Chicago and Illinois on the schedule, the Redbirds have set goals for the season and plan on taking every day in stride; starting Sunday against Wisconsin-La Crosse.
Wisconsin-La Crosse is a Division III school and the benefits of us starting this season out with this team is that we give ourselves the opportunity to go out and show the crowd what the 2003 Redbirds are made of, Larson said. And it also gives us the opportunity to take advantage of trying new things, whether that is new athletes or skills.
I feel there is a whole new level of confidence and excitement on this team, Larson continued. Compared to my first year as head coach it helps having one year under my belt. There is established trust in athletes and that just continues to help in gym.
