Feb. 29, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
After a week off, the Illinois State gymnastics team (6-1) will return to action Sunday March 2, 2008. The Redbirds will host Southeast Missouri State (3-4) and Wisconsin-Whitewater (9-4). The tri-meet will be held in Horton Field House, with routines beginning at 4 p.m. The meet marks the second time the Redbirds will face conference-rival SEMO. The last time the two teams met was on Jan. 25, 2008. The Redhawks defeated the Redbirds, 192.200-194.050.
The Redbirds last meet was on Feb. 17. ISU defeated host Alaska-Anchorage on Feb. 15, 189.450-186.425, and secured the sweep with a 191.150-188.625 win on Feb. 17.
Head coach Bob Conkling feels that his team's short break will be beneficial for the second half of its season.
"I feel that the break was good for the gymnast," said Conkling. "Their routines are solid enough to have a weekend off and it was good for them to be able to rest their bodies. Gymnastics is a tough sport to practice all week and compete on the weekends. It can really affect your body. The gymnasts had good work outs and they are ready to compete. "
Freshman Hannah Deutsch currently leads the Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) in two individual events. Deutsch leads the conference on the balance beam and floor routine with an average score of 9.786 and 9.750, respectively.
Junior co-captain Meaghan Koshman leads the conference in the vault routine with an average score of 9.817. Koshman is the only MIC gymnast to score a 9.900 on a vault this season.
Senior co-captain Amanda Candler holds second-place in the conference on the uneven bars with an average score of 9.668.
Conkling is preparing his team for the second half of their season, which will be the toughest part of their schedule.
"We are not upgrading the difficulty in our routines," said Conkling. "We are working on the finer points in their routines and cleaning them up. The gymnasts are mentally ready for the second half of the season and they looked great in practice. I am proud of them all."
Sunday's meet will have six rotations instead of four, due to the three-team competition.
