NORMAN, Okla. – Collegiate gymnasts work all season with the hopes of competing on a national scale at the end of the year, and for three Illinois State gymnasts that goal has become a reality. The Redbird trio of Angelica Labat, Alana Laster and Jaye Mack have each punched their postseason tickets and will compete at the 2022 NCAA Women's Gymnastics Norman Regional on Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Lloyd Noble Center.
Labat will be competing in the all-around, while Laster (vault) and Mack (floor) have earned their spots as freshman in the postseason. Labat is set to rotate with the winner of the First Round competition between West Virginia and Arizona, Laster will rotate with Arkansas and Mack will rotate with Arizona State.
Labat heads to her second-straight NCAA Regional, after she competed in the all-around and won the vault competition at the 2021 Tuscaloosa Regional to advance to the NCAA Championships. The back-to-back Midwest Independent Conference Gymnast of the Year heads into the NCAA Regional tied for No. 36 nationally in the all-around with a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 39.310. During the 2022 season, Labat won the all-around ten times overall and was named the MIC Gymnast of the Week six times on way to winning the all-around at the 2022 MIC Championship. She holds a career-high all-around score of 39.475, which she set earlier this season against Southeast Missouri State and at last year's NCAA Regional in Tuscaloosa.
Laster will compete in the vault at the NCAA Regional, where she is tied for No. 53 with a NQS of 9.875. The 2022 MIC Newcomer of the Year has been stellar in her first season for the Redbirds, earning MIC Newcomer of the Week honors three times and Performance of the Week honors once. At the MIC Championship, Laster took home the conference title in the vault with a score of 9.900, which was her fourth score of the season over 9.0. She also finished second in the all-around behind Labat at the MIC Championship to cap off a stellar debut season. Her career high of 9.950 was achieved in a win at Southeast Missouri State earlier this year.
Mack's performance on floor all season has been inspired, as she heads into the regional tied for No. 56 in the country with a NQS of 9.900. The 2022 MIC co-champion on floor has posted scores of 9.9 or better in five meets, with a career-best of 9.925 achieved in back-to-back weeks at Southeast Missouri State and BYU. From February 18 to March 4, Mack went over 9.9 four-straight times and finished the season with consecutive scores of 9.875, including at the MIC Championship. During the 2022 season, Mack was a two-time MIC Newcomer of the Week selection and earned Performance of the Week honors once.
The top 12 all-around competitors and top 16 event specialists were selected to compete at the NCAA Regional based on national qualifying scores and were placed geographically, keeping individuals from the same team together. The top two teams and the top individuals event performers not part of an advancing team will advance to the NCAA Championships, April 14-16 in Fort Worth Texas.
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