Jan. 18, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Bringing the competition home to Normal, Ill., the Illinois State gymnastics team (0-1) will host Southeast Missouri State (2-0), Centenary (1-1) and Illinois-Chicago (0-2) this Friday at 7 p.m. in Horton Fieldhouse. The trio of teams traveling to Illinois State previously competed last weekend in Cape Girardeu, Mo, ending with SEMO capturing two wins.
Head Coach Bob Conkling believes having a home meet will benefit the Redbirds as they shoot for a first win.
"Home meets are always a benefit for any team. Our team has been confident and the preparation has been going a lot better than before," Conkling said. "Having the equipment and the floor you regularly use is always a positive thing."
Despite last week's loss to Central Michigan, Conkling hopes his team will maintain a positive outlook heading into this weekend's competition.
"Positive self talk will be important this weekend as well as a positive attitude. This weekend we will take each event one at a time. Keeping the team positive no matter what happens will help us in the end," Conkling said.
Against CMU, injuries took a toll on the `Birds as sophomore Meaghan Koshman, junior Cheryl Berezan and senior Tove Fjordholm were all sidelined. On Friday, Fjordholm and Koshman will be back in the lineup. However, sophomore Mary Hankosky, freshman Amanda Bressette and Berezan will not compete.
"Cheryl and Amanda will most likely be out for most of the season due to their injuries," said Conkling. "Mary's doctor's results will tell us if she will also be able to compete for us."
With four Midwest Independent Conference teams competing so early in the season, the level of excitement will rise within Horton Fieldhouse. Conkling says this meet will be extremely exciting and interesting for the gymnasts, the coaching staff and the audience.
