CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – The competition was tight throughout the meet Friday, as Illinois State and Southeast Missouri State squared off in a conference battle with the Redbirds edging out the RedHawks by a score of 193.850-193.550.
"The energy was up and the girls were excited throughout the competition," head coach Bob Conkling said. "I felt like we stayed encouraged through each routine. We had a lot of great performances today from everyone and it was a very exciting and upbeat meet."
The Redbirds jumped out to an early lead with a 48.450 on the first rotation on bars and never trailed for the remainder of the meet. They followed that up with a solid vault score of 48.400 and a score of 48.350 on the floor. ISU capped off the win with their best rotation of the night on beam, with a score of 48.650.
Senior Amanda Mohler came up strong throughout the meet for the Redbirds with a pair of first-place finishes. She took the top spot on the beam with a 9.850 and placed first on bars with a score of 9.800.
"Amanda has been competing hard this season," Conkling said. "She really shows strong competition and has confidence through her routines."
Meredith LaRoche also continued her success during her freshman campaign by coming in second in the all-round with a score of 38.900. LaRoche tied for second on vault with a 9.725, scored a 9.675 on bars, a 9.700 on beam and tied first on floor with a 9.800.
"Meredith has really come out strong for us," Conkling said. "She once again had an amazing meet and continues to improve."
The Redbirds return to action Sunday, Feb. 28, at 2 p.m. The quad-meet will be hosted in Normal, against Michigan State, Wisconsin-Stout and Western Michigan.
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