March 23, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State gymnastics team will compete this Sunday at 2 p.m. in DeKalb, Ill. at the State of Illinois Classic. ISU will go up against Midwest Independent Conference rival Illinois-Chicago and Mid American Conference teams Illinois and Northern Illinois. The Redbirds hold a 2-1 record against the Flames and are 0-1 against Illinois. The `Birds have yet to compete against NIU during their 2007 season.
Head coach Bob Conkling believes the gymnasts are ready to compete and will perform well on Sunday.
"The girls have been polishing up their routines and working on eliminating their reductions," Conkling said. "They are ready and prepared to do well. It's going to be tight because the teams are pretty close this year. Getting the girls to hit is the most important part on Sunday."
The `Birds will continue their ever-changing lineup due to new injuries and illnesses on the team. Mary Hankosky, a consistent 9.725 bar swinger, will not be able to compete the rest of the season due to a sudden appendicitis attack and surgery on Friday afternoon.
"Having Mary out makes our bar lineup suffer but I'm glad we have other athletes that can step in and take her place," Conkling said.
Shanelle Richardson, who made her debut this season, will step in and compete on the vault for Hankosky. Freshman Andrea Orris will compete on the uneven bars.
Senior Whitney Albright will not be competing in her normal position as an all-arounder at the state meet and will also step out of the floor exercise to prepare her for the MIC Championships and rehabilitate her ankle. Freshman Lisa Mulchek will take her place and will also compete on her usual event, the balance beam.
"It's going to come down to which team comes out and hits each of their routines," Conkling said. "Having the same teams each year makes the battle more intense. After last year, it's anyone's competition."
