NORMAL, Ill. – Heading into the final rotation of the night, Illinois State trailed Northern Illinois by over half a point however the Redbirds rallied for a strong finish on the floor to overtake the Huskies for the 192.700-192.650 victory on Monday night inside historic Horton Field House.
Scoring Breakdown:
• Illinois State: 192.700
• Northern Illinois: 192.650
Thoughts From Coach Ringer:
"We focused all week about anchoring into the little things and to finishing throughout the meet. I stressed to the team today to be proud to be Redbirds and to go out in the final regular season home meet and showcase that. Heading into that last rotation, I could see in in their faces that the were ready to fight to the finish. This group has struggled to finish meets at times this season, so coming back and finishing strong when things weren't always smooth and winning by the smallest of margins was big for this group tonight. I'm so proud of Ally (Lau) because she has struggled with her confidence, but she fought through that and came up with a career-high 9.9 on beam to really get us going. Then, that final routine by Jaly (Jones) was so good and was just enough to help us pick up the win."
Team Notes:
• NIU held a small lead after the first rotation, as the Huskies went 48.150 on bars while the Redbirds scored 48.075 on the vault.
• The Redbirds fell behind at the halfway point of the meet, as they scored 47.800 on bars in rotation No. 2 to fall behind NIU by 0.675 after the Huskies 48.400 on vault.
• A 48.175, highlighted by a 9.900 by Ally Lau, pulled the Redbirds a bit closer to the Huskies after the third rotation, as they trailed 144.700-144.050 heading into the fourth rotation.
• ISU rallied in a big way in the fourth and final rotation, as the Redbirds scored a 48.650 on the floor thanks to a clutch final routine by senior Jaly Jones to edge out NIU, which scored 47.950 on beam.
Gymnast Notes:
• Sammie Wolff tied for the event win on vault with a 9.800, and Savannah Ray tied for fourth place with a score of 9.700.
• Madyson Baucom posted a score of 9.725 on bars to finish in sole possession of third place, just ahead of teammate Julia Heiner who finished in a tie for fourth place with a 9.700.
• Lau was the big winner of the night, scoring a career-high 9.900 on beam to win the event outright. The 9.9 score is the highest individual score for a Redbird this season and is the first 9.9 or better on beam since February 8, 2025, when Reese Grolla scored a 9.925. Mia LeBlanc and Courtney Woods were also strong on the event, finishing in a tie for third place with scores of 9.700.
• Jones took the event win on the floor with her season-best score of 9.875, which proved to be the clinching routine for the Redbird victory over the Huskies. Mia Oh and LeBlanc rounded out a strong rotation as the duo tied for second place with scores of 9.750 each.
Up Next:
Illinois State is back in action on Friday night, when the Redbirds travel to Ypsilanti, Michigan, for a tri-meet with Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan. Action is set to begin at 5 p.m. CT at the Gervin GameAbove Center.
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