PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Only one meet remains for Illinois State gymnastics before hosting the 2026 Midwest Independent Conference at CEFCU Arena on March 20, as the Redbirds head to Pennsylvania to take on Pitt and West Virginia in the regular season finale.
SETTING THE SCENE
The Redbirds have their final regular-season meet against Pitt and West Virginia, with the meet set to begin at 1 p.m. CT on Sunday at Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh. Live video will be provided on ESPN+ and live stats can be found via Virtius.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
•   The Redbirds enter the weekend ranked 55th nationally, with an average score of 193.284.
•   Last time out, Illinois State was right with host Western Michigan through the first two events of the meet. However, the host Broncos would pull away from the Redbirds over the final two routines to pick up a 194.625-193.475 victory in the second-to-last meet of the regular season.
•   Audrey Hiatt tied for the event win on beam with a career-high score of 9.800 and Savannah Ray tied for third overall with a score of 9.725.
•   For the fourth time this season, freshman Mia LeBlanc was voted the MIC Newcomer of the Week, following her strong performance for the Redbirds at Western Michigan. LeBlanc earned her first win in the all-around, competing in the event for just the second time this season. The Merrimack, N.H., native was consistent on all four events for the Redbirds, with her highest score coming on the floor where she finished in a tie for eighth place with a score of 9.700. That led to a final score of 38.500 for the freshman, who continues to improve as the season progresses.
SCOUTING PITTSBURGH
•   Western Michigan enters the weekend ranked 37th nationally, with an average score of 195.256.
•   Pitt recorded a 196.000 at Propst Arena last Sunday night, marking its second consecutive meet scoring at least a 196.000. The Panthers ultimately fell to No. 6 Georgia (198.075), No. 14 Clemson (196.875) and No. 17 Auburn (197.200) in the contest.
•   The Panthers earned a season-high 49.225 on bars, with Hallie Copperwheat delivering a 9.900, while Camryn Chiu added a solid 9.875. Pitt's floor team also continued its momentum, recording a 49.300. Freshman Mali Morgan earned a career-high 9.900, followed by a pair of 9.875 scores from Emily Todd and Madi Bell.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
•   West Virginia enters the weekend ranked 47th nationally, with an average score of 194.597.
•   West Virginia scored a 195.725 to finish in second place behind No. 21 NC State, who scored a 196.65, inside Valvano Arena on Friday night.
•   The score marked WVU's fourth straight 195.0+ team score, while it also is the Mountaineers' third-highest score of the campaign. West Virginia used scores of 48.85 on vault and uneven bars, 48.95 on balance beam and a 49.075 on floor exercise.
•   In the all-around, Kayla Smith secured a new career-best total on all four events with a 39.225 to earn first place.
For all latest on Illinois State gymnastics, stay tuned at GoRedbirds.com and follow the team on Instagram (@redbirdgymnastics), on X (@redbirdwgym) and Facebook.
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