Nov. 17, 2010
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State gymnastics head coach Bob Conkling added two new student-athletes during the early signing period, as Samantha King (Canton, Mich.) and Riley Childress (Huntsville, Ala.) signed National Letters of Intent to join the Illinois State gymnastics team for the 2011-2012 season.
Conkling is excited about the new recruits and looks forward to seeing what they will bring to the team next season.
"I believe that both gymnasts will help contribute to the team's success in many different ways," Conkling said. "The best thing about both of these recruits is that they have continued to show improvement during the recruitment process."
King is a senior at Salem High School and competes with the Michigan Academy of Gymnastics. King maintains a 4.0 grade point average at SHS and is a four-time regional qualifier and a two-time Junior Olympic National Qualifier.
"Samantha is a very clean and consistent gymnast that is strong on every event, especially balance beam and floor exercise," Conkling said. "Sami is the type of gymnast that you want to watch over and over again because of her beautiful style and grace when performing her routines."
Childress attends Faith Heritage High School and competes with Gymstars in Collierville, Tenn. Childress is two-time, level ten regional qualifier and a two-time member of the Alabama State Championship Level Ten Team. Childress was a Junior Olympic National Qualifier in 2009 and placed second in the all-around at the Alabama State Meet.
"Riley is a very naturally talented gymnast with a lot of power and difficulty on each event," Conkling said. "Riley is improving her gymnastics difficulty, consistency and form with new coaches Donna & Gene Alexin. I look forward to seeing just how good Riley will be by the time she arrives at ISU next fall."
The Redbirds will open their 2011 season against Southeast Missouri State at Horton Field House, Jan. 8, at 5 p.m.
GoRedbirds.com: Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
