NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State gymnastics will look to defend its Midwest Independent Conference Championship from 2025, as first-year head coach Cassandra Ringer has announced a competitive 2026 slate that features 11 meets and several top gymnastics programs from around the country.
The team will host an intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, Dec. 7, as a warmup for the regular-season opener on Saturday, Jan. 10 at the Border Battle meet at Iowa with the host Hawkeyes, Iowa State and Illinois. The Redbirds will then head to Chicago for the annual Windy City Invitational on Friday, Jan. 16, where ISU will compete against MIC foe Centenary, Fisk and Wilberforce.
ISU will host its first meet of the year just two days later on Sunday, Jan. 18, when the Redbirds welcome in Centenary for a dual meet between the two conference opponents. Competition in the month of January will come to an end on Saturday, Jan. 24 at Central Michigan against the Chippewas. The following weekend, the Redbirds will travel to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to compete against MIC foe Southeast Missouri State in the first of two dual meets with the Redhawks. A tri-meet at Ball State with Kent State will follow on Sunday, Feb. 8, before the Redbirds host SEMO for a Valentine's Day meet on Saturday, Feb. 14.
The Redbirds will host their final regular season meet at home on Monday, February 23, when they welcome in Northern Illinois before ISU heads to Michigan on Friday, Feb. 26, for a tri-meet with Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. That will be the final meet for the month of February, as the Redbirds return to action on Friday, March 6 at Western Michigan before wrapping up the regular season on Sunday, March 15, in Pittsburgh against host Pitt and West Virginia.
The season opener will take place on January 3 at Missouri for a quad meet with Ball State and Southeast Missouri State, before the Redbirds compete the following Saturday on January 11 at the Western Michigan Next Level Podium meet against WMU, George Washington and Pitt. That will be the final tune-up for the Redbirds in the regular season, before they host the 2026 Midwest Independent Conference Championship in Normal on Friday, March 20, before the NCAA Regionals begin on April 1.
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