CHICAGO, Ill. – The Illinois State women's gymnastics team competed against UIC, Northern Illinois, and No. 25 nationally-ranked Illinois in the annual Illinois Classic on Sunday. Illinois won the meet with a score of 195.025, UIC came in second with a score of 194.725, followed by Northern Illinois with a 194.400, and the Redbirds with 188.550.
"The team was not mentally strong throughout the meet today. We had major mistakes on every event, but we know that we are a lot better of a team than we showed today and will compete again on Wednesday to prove it," ISU head Coach Bob Conkling said.
Gabrielle Cooke was third in the all-around competition with a score of 39.075, aided by her solid performance on vault, where she tied for fourth place and posted a score of 9.775. She also earned a score of 9.700 on the uneven bars, followed by a strong effort on beam with a 9.775. The sophomore standout showcased a solid floor routine to earn a score of 9.825 to cap off her day.
In other action, sophomore Alyssa Wiggle posted a score of 9.700 on the floor and also earned a score of 9.650 on the uneven bars. Junior Meredith LaRoche earned a score of 9.675 on vault and teammate Anna Marema scored a of 9.700 on the uneven bars.
"Gabi Cooke had a great meet on all 4 events, and finished third in the all-around against a very strong group of all-around athletes. Alyssa Wiggle had, what I felt was, her best floor routine of the year and was solid on bars and beam too," Conkling said.
ISU returns to action Wednesday, March 14, as they welcome Kentucky to Redbird Arena. The meet is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in Normal, Ill.
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