NORMAL, Ill. – With No. 18 ranked Iowa State coming to town, the Illinois State gymnastics squad knew it had a tall task in front of it. Thanks to strong performances throughout and a big finish on floor, the Redbirds upset the Cyclones, 194.150-193.875, Sunday afternoon at historic Horton Field House.
Scoring Breakdown:
•   Vault: Iowa State 48.850, Illinois State 48.525
•   Bars: Iowa State 49.050, Illinois State 48.775
•   Beam: Illinois State 47.900, Iowa State 46.800
•   Floor: Iowa State 49.175, Illinois State 48.950
Thoughts from Coach Bob Conkling:
"Just having them battle for competition spots has really changed the team's dynamic over the past few weeks. No one knows if their spot is safe week to week, so that pushes everyone to work harder and be more consistent. That competition is now starting to show in the meets and that's been exciting to see. After our beam performance I wasn't sure we had any chance to win the meet, but I told the team to go out, hit the routines they are capable of and have fun. When the scores came up, I told them to hold and make sure the scores were correct because I had no idea what they had gone on with Iowa State on beam. Once we knew it was official, it was great to see their excitement, but I told them we still have a lot of work to do before our conference meet."
Team Notes:
•   The Cyclones maintained a small 97.900-97.300 lead over the Redbirds after the first two rotations but widened that gap to almost two full points after ISU struggled a bit on beam on the third rotation.
•   However, it was not over as Iowa State had three falls on beam and posted a 46.800.Â
•   That left the door open for the Redbirds, who scored a 48.950 on floor to come from behind for the big victory.
Gymnast Notes:
•   Cameron Topp tied for first place on floor with a 9.875 to lead the way for the Redbird comeback victory … that mark tied a season best for Topp who was one of two Redbirds to post scores of 9.800 on the event as Mia Quigg tied for fourth with a 9.825.
•   Reigning MIC Gymnast of the Week Angelica Labat took home an event win on bars, tying her career high with a 9.875 … she finished just ahead of teammate Sofia Iribarren in second with a 9.850.
•   Isabelle Fox finished second in the all-around for the Redbirds with a 38.875 behind Iowa State's Adnerys De Jesus … she finished second on beam with a 9.775 and was sixth on floor with a 9.800.
•   Freshmen Jazmine Neely (9.775) and J'Chelle Heard (9.750) finished third and fourth, respectively, on vault for the Redbirds.
Up Next:
The Redbirds return to action next Friday for a tri-meet with host Southeast Missouri State and fellow MIC foe Centenary in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
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