NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State gymnastics team fell behind after the first rotation Saturday in its home opener against Southeast Missouri State, but the Redbirds took the lead after the second rotation and never looked back in a close 192.075-190.925 victory over the Redhawks inside Horton Field House.
Scoring Breakdown:
•   Vault: ISU 48.125, SEMO 46.975
•   Bars: SEMO 48.500, ISU 47.625
•   Beam: ISU 47.750, SEMO 47.625
•   Floor: ISU 48.575, SEMO 47.825
Thoughts from Coach Bob Conkling:
"I'm so proud of our team right now. We had a lot of the team out of workouts last week and to have most of them back this week was great. We have some work to do this week, but it was a big step forward for the team. I'm excited to see them continue to move forward and improve for next weekend's two competitions."
Team Notes:
•   The Redhawks took the lead after the first rotation, posting a score of 48.500 to take an early advantage over the Redbirds who scored a 48.125 on vault.
•   ISU fought back and posted a 47.625 on bars, while SEMO struggled on vault with a 46.975 to take a narrow lead at the halfway mark of the meet.
•   Things stayed close after the third rotation, as the Redbirds headed into the final event with just a two-tenths of a point lead.
•   A strong effort by the 'Birds on floor with a team score of 48.575 helped them pull away from the Redhawks for the victory.
Gymnast Notes:
•   Angelica Labat (38.775) and Isabelle Fox (38.725) both posted strong efforts in the all-around, with Labat narrowly edging her teammate Fox out for the all-around win.
•   The Redbirds took the top four spots on vault, with J'Chelle Heard picking up the event win with a 9.725 … Labat (9.675), Charlise Doctor (9.625) and Fox (9.625) rounded the top four for the 'Birds.
•   Labat also had a strong finish on bars with a 9.750 to finish in a tie for second place and added a fourth-place finish on beam with a 9.675.
•   Fox posted the top score on beam of 9.775 to win the event and added a third-place finish on floor with a 9.725.
•   The Redbirds dominated on floor, taking the top five spots with Cameron Topp leading the way for the win with a 9.750 … Savannah Remkus (9.725), Fox (9.725), Mia Quigg (9.700) and Labat (9.675) rounded out the victory for ISU.
Up Next:
The Redbirds return to action Friday, Feb. 12, when they compete in the GymQuarters Invitational in St. Charles, Missouri. Competing teams include Lindenwood, Eastern Michigan, Southeast Missouri, Air Force and Ball State.
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