NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State gymnastics team is looking to build off a successful 2022 campaign with a competitive slate this season, as Redbird head coach Bob Conkling has announced 12 meets for the team's 2023 schedule which is set to begin on Sunday, January 8, at Western Michigan.
"I really like the schedule we were able to put together this year," Conkling said. "We have a lot of meets close to home this year, which is easier on our student-athletes as those long-distance bus trips can take a toll on them. I think its very well-rounded, starting with a good Western Michigan team that will let us know where we are at right from the start. Then, it just builds from there leading to the Midwest Independent Conference Championships in March at Southeast Missouri. Overall, it challenges us and will certainly make us better as we look to achieve the goals we've set for the year."
The season opener at Western Michigan will be followed by a pair of home meets in one weekend, as the Redbirds host MIC foe Lindenwood on Friday, January 13, and then two days later host Western Michigan on Sunday, January 15. The following weekend, ISU will head south to compete against the newly formed Greenville gymnastics program on January 21. The month will conclude with a home-and-home weekend against Northern Illinois, with a home meet on Friday, January 27, before heading to DeKalb on Sunday for a competition on January 29.
The second month of the season will begin with a home meet against MIC foe Centenary and Bowling Green on Friday, February 3, before the Redbirds head to Fort Worth, Texas, on February 11 to compete in the highly-competitive Metroplex Challenge. There, the Redbirds will compete in the afternoon session against national contenders Utah and Georgia before sticking around to catch the evening session, which features reigning NCAA National Champion Oklahoma, Alabama, Arkansas and Stanford.
"We have never competed in a meet like the Metroplex Challenge, so we are very excited to be a part of it," Conkling said. "Some of the best teams in the country will be there and several Olympians will be competing, so our team will get to compete against and watch the best of the best. Just being around that caliber of gymnast will show our team what they have to do to get to the next level and compete consistently at the national level."Â
Following the Metroplex Challenge, the Redbirds will host MIC foe Southeast Missouri for Senior Night on Friday, February 17, before heading to the East Coast on Sunday, February 26, to take on New Hampshire.
The final month of the season begins on the road at Southeast Missouri on March 3. The final regular season meet for ISU will take place on March 11, when the Redbirds head over on I-74 to take on Illinois, Kentucky and Northern Illinois in a quad meet in Champaign. Illinois State will then head back to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the second time in three weeks to compete in the MIC Championship hosted by Southeast Missouri on March 17, before NCAA Regionals begin on March 30.
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