Traveling to Champaign, Ill. for the second time this season will provide much more competition for the Illinois State gymnastics team. Not only will the squad face Illinois, but they will also take on Northern and Illinois-Chicago at the State of Illinois Classic, Saturday.
Scheduled to start at 7 p.m., the meet will be held in Huff Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois.
The Redbirds have seen all the competing teams at previous points throughout their 2004 campaign. This four-way meet will mark the third meeting between the Birds and the Fighting Illini. Although Illinois has come out on top in all meetings to date, several Redbird gymnasts carded their highest individual scores of the season at the last dual meet held on February 27.
Illinois State has also competed against the Huskies of Northern Illinois twice already this season; one meeting was just last weekend (March 6) at the Corvette Cup in Columbia, Mo. The Redbirds fell to Northern in this meeting, 192.875-191.750. However, in the teams first competition, the Birds bested the Huskies, posting their first win of the season, 192.275-191.600.
The meeting between ISU and Illinois-Chicago at Saturdays meet will be the second between the teams this season. The Flames outscored the Birds, 193.575-190.250, in the teams first competition. Illinois State and UIC will face off again on Wednesday, March 17, for their third and final meeting of the season before the Conference Championship meet, hosted by Illinois State, scheduled for March 20.
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