Redbird Gymnasts Ready To Compete For MIC Championship

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – A season full of high scores, career bests and weekly honors has all led to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, as Illinois State will look to bring home a conference championship on Friday at the 2023 Midwest Independent Conference Championship hosted by Southeast Missouri State.

The Redbirds will compete against Centenary, Lindenwood, Southeast Missouri State and Texas Woman's for the conference title, which will be streamed live on ESPN+ beginning at 5 p.m. CT. The teams are all closely grouped in the latest Road To Nationals rankings, which should result in a competitive championship meet.

"The team looked strong in workouts this week and are ready for the MIC Championships on Friday," ISU Head Coach Bob Conkling said. "All the teams in the MIC have had strong competitions this season and are grouped relatively close average score wise, which should make for a battle at the championships. We are ready for the challenge."

Redbird Team Notes:
•    The Redbirds head into the MIC Championships with the highest team National Qualifying Score (NQS) in the conference at 195.010.
•    ISU is currently ranked No. 52 in the country, just ahead of Lindenwood at No. 54 (194.945), Southeast Missouri at No. 56 (194.845) and TWU at No. 57 (194.825).
•    Illinois State has also posted the highest average meet score in the conference this season of 194.517, with a season-high score of 195.850 that is the fourth-highest score in school history.
•    The Redbirds also hold the highest event NQS scores in the MIC on vault and floor this season. 
•    ISU ranks No. 35 in the country on floor and No. 39 on floor in the latest Road To Nationals rankings.

ISU Gymnast Notes:
•    Angelica Labat heads into the meet as the favorite to win the all-around crown for a third year in a row. The two-time defending MIC Gymnast of the Year has put together a solid senior campaign, as she posted the highest all-around score of the year in the conference at 39.400 and has the top NQS score in the league at 39.140, just ahead of teammates Nirel Bart-Williams in second and Alana Laster in fourth. 
•    Labat also heads into the meet with the highest NQS on bars in the league at 9.835 and ranks second on vault behind Laster, who holds the top spot in the conference with a NQS of 9.860 and will look to defend her conference title from 2022.
•    Sophomore Jaye Mack will look to defend her conference title from a year ago on floor, as she heads into the meet ranked first in NQS with a 9.885, thanks to the highest individual event score of the year with a 9.950 … Bart-Williams is right behind in second, with her NQS of 9.875 and top score of 9.925 set multiple times.
•    Bart-Williams, a three-time MIC Newcomer of the Week selection in 2023, could also make some noise in her first MIC Championship as she ranks second behind Labat in the all-around rankings and is ranked in the top 5 on vault, beam and floor.

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