NORMAL, Ill. – Following a strong comeback performance at Towson to take second place in the quad meet last Saturday, a trio of Illinois State stars earned weekly honors from the Midwest Independent Conference on Wednesday. Senior Alana Laster was named the Gymnast of the Week, junior Jaly Jones was named Co-Newcomer of the Week and Reese Grolla earned Performance of the Week honors in the weekly vote.
Laster competed in the all-around for the first time this season and was able to help the Redbirds rally from a tough start to the meet to finish second overall at Towson. After a disastrous start to the meet on bars, Laster and the Redbirds fought back with three straight events scores of 49 plus to end the meet. Laster bounced back from her disappointing effort on bars to tie for win on floor with a 9.875 and then won outright on the vault with a season-high 9.925 on vault. That led her to a tie for second place in the all-around, with a score of 38.500.
Jones had another strong performance for the Redbirds at Towson, as the Lindenwood transfer recorded a pair of Top 10 finishes, with her best performance of the night coming on beam with a 9.825 to finish tied for sixth. She also competed on floor, scoring 9.750 to place eighth overall.
Grolla had a career night in Illinois State second-place finish, as the Calgary, Alberta, Canada native posted a career-best score of 9.925 to win the balance beam, as the Redbirds scored a 49.225 as a team on the event to climb back from a disastrous start to the meet. Grolla also competed well on bars, scoring a 9.775 to tie for seventh place. The 9.925 is her second score of over 9.9 on beam this season.
The Redbirds return home to host Greenville for a Valentine's Day meet at CEFCU Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday. Fans are encouraged to wear black, and the Redbirds will recognize professors who have made a difference in their lives as part of Faculty Appreciation Night.
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