Feb. 24, 2009
NORMAL, Ill. -
The Illinois State gymnastics team (6-7) is set to compete against in-state rival Illinois-Chicago on Wednesday. The meet is set to begin at 7 p.m. in Horton Field House and will be the final home meet of the season for the Redbirds.
Head coach Bob Conkling is really looking forward to competing against Illinois-Chicago especially after coming off two exceptional meets.
"The athletes really enjoy competing against UIC," said Conkling. "This will be the first of four meetings between our conference rival. We are expecting this to be a really tough meet for us, because UIC is ranked No. 43 and Illinois State is ranked No. 42, nationally. As for season team scores, we are only .075 points apart UIC is at 193.775 and ISU has a team total of 193.850. I am positive this meet with come down to which team hits the most routines."
Illinois State's three seniors, Mary Hankosky, Meaghan Kosman, and London Walder will be honored at the conclusion of the meet.
Sophomore Erica Schick led the Redbirds to a win over UW-La Crosse Sunday, 193.200-188.975. Schick racked up three career-bests on the uneven bars (9.825), the floor routine (9.850), and the all-around (39.00). She also picked up another season-high for her vault performance,9.700. In addition to Schick's outstanding performance, the `Birds also tallied a season-high for their floor routines with a score of 48.925.
After Sunday's meet against UW- La Crosse, the Redbirds moved up through the GymInfo rankings. The Redbirds are ranked second in the Midwest Independent Conference (MIC) on the balance beam and for the floor exercise with an average score of 47.856 and a 48.306, respectively. The Redbirds are also in the top-three in the MIC for their vault score, 48.067.
The Illinois State gymnastics team is also placing individuals in the top spots in the conference. Senior Meaghan Koshman is ranked No. 1 in the conference for her vault performances with an average score of 9.775. On the uneven bars, Schick is ranked in the top-three with an average score of 9.592. Sophomore Hannah Deutsch (9.722) and freshman Melissa Mann (9.669) take the No. 1 and No. 3 spots on the balance beam for the MIC. Deutsch is also listed in fourth place for the floor exercise with an average score of 9.697.
