BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – With the season opening meet under its belt, the Illinois State gymnastics team heads to Michigan for a unique competition in week two, as the Redbirds will compete against Western Michigan, George Washington and Pittsburgh at the Podium Challenge hosted by Next Level Gymnastics on Saturday at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek, Mich.
SETTING THE SCENE
Next Level Gymnastics will serve as host of the annual podium meet, with local favorites Western Michigan competing close to home. There will be no live video available for the meet, but live stats can be found through StatBroadcast on the gymnastics schedule page at GoRedbirds.com.
THOUGHTS FROM ISU HEAD COACH BOB CONKLING
"The team has looked strong in workouts this week, so we are excited for this competition. There are four good teams competing that all should be battling for the top spot at the end of the night."
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
•   The Redbirds opened the season with a team score of 194.800 at the Mizzou Beauty and the Beast last weekend, finishing third behind host Mizzou and just behind Ball State.
•   Alana Laster took home the win in the vault with a score of 9.875, while newcomer Jaly Jones came in third overall in the all-around with a score of 38.900 as teammate Mya Robinson finished fifth overall with a total score of 38.475.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
•   Western Michigan opened the 2025 season with a 196.850-194.675 loss at No. 11 Michigan State last Saturday afternoon. Â
•   WMU's top individual performance came from sophomore Emily Krzciok, who won on beam with a career-high score of 9.900 on the team's final event of the day.
SCOUTING GEORGE WASHINGTON
•   Under the guidance of first-year head coach Stephanie Worrell, the GW gymnastics team will begin its 2025 slate at the Next Level Podium Challenge on Saturday.
•   GW finished the 2024 season with a new program record score of 197.200, alongside two individual NCAA Regional selections in returners Kendall Whitman and Maya Peters … co-captain Whitman is the reigning EAGL floor champion and senior gymnast of the year and has earned three trips to the NCAA Regionals as an individual competitor.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH
•   Pitt will also kick off the 2025 season this weekend at the Next Level Podium Challenge.
•   The Panthers return a pair of 2024 NCAA Regional participants in Jah'Liyah Bedminster and Jordyn Ewing, along with two-time NCAA Regional qualifier Hallie Copperwheat.
FOLLOW US
For all latest on Illinois State gymnastics, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on Instagram (@redbirdgymnastics), on X (@redbirdwgym) and Facebook.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Â Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
