ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Competing for the second time this weekend, the Illinois State gymnastics squad bounced back in a big way on Sunday posting their best team score since the end of the 2019 season as the Redbirds were just edged out by Lindenwood 195.000-194.900 at Robert F. Hyland Arena.
The 194.900 scored by the Redbirds were the most since posting a 195.075 on March 9, 2019, at the Illinois Classic.
Scoring Breakdown:
•   Vault: LIN 49.000, ISU 48.775
•   Bars: LIN 48.775, ISU 48.450
•   Beam: ISU 48.525, LIN 48.375
•   Floor: ISU 49.150, LIN 48.850
Thoughts from Coach Bob Conkling:
"What a difference from Friday night to today. They were a totally different team in the best possible way. They were aggressive, determined and battled from the first routine to the last. It was a close meet and it's hard to lose close ones like this, but today they looked like the team us coaches always believed they were. They needed to start believing it as a team before it was going to happen and they showed what they can the rest of this season."
Team Notes:
•   Lindenwood took a narrow 49.000-48.450 lead after the first rotation, as the Redbirds put up a solid score on bars.
•   The Lions maintained a small lead after the second rotation, as ISU posted a 48.775 on vault to keep the margin small at 97.775-97.225.
•   The Redbirds pulled ahead slightly after rotation No. 3, following a big score of 49.150 on floor put them up 146.375-146.150 headed into the final event.
•   Lindenwood was able to just edge out Illinois State with their performance on the floor, as they posted a 48.850 compared to a 48.525 for ISU on beam to win the meet by just a tenth of a point.
Gymnast Notes:
•   Angelica Labat (39.000) just edged out her teammate Isabelle Fox (38.950) for her second all-around win of the weekend.
•   Labat won on beam with a 9.850, followed in second place by teammate Mia Quigg with a 9.775 as the Redbirds took the top two spots in that event.
•   Sofia Iribarren tied for first on bars with a 9.825, and Fox and J'Chelle Heard led the way for the 'Birds on vault with identical scores of 9.800 to tie for third place.
•   Cameron Topp won on floor for the second time this season, posting a 9.875 to win the event … she was followed by Iribarren in second place with a 9.850 and Quigg tied for third with a 9.825.
Up Next:
Illinois State returns home next Sunday, when it hosts Iowa State at Horton Field House for a 1 p.m. meet. In accordance with state and local guidelines, fans are currently not allowed to attend home ISU Athletics events.
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