NORMAL, Ill. – After a standout freshman campaign, Illinois State gymnast Mia LeBlanc was named the Midwest Independent Conference Newcomer of the Year at the annual pre-championship banquet hosted by Illinois State in the Aaron Leetch Club on Thursday night.
LeBlanc is the fifth ISU gymnast to be honored as the MIC Newcomer of the Year and the second in three seasons, following teammate Ally Lau, who took home the honor in 2024.
The Merrimack, New Hampshire, native was a model of consistency for the Redbirds in her first season at ISU. A five-time MIC Newcomer of the Week selection during the year, LeBlanc consistently improved as the season went on and became one of the highest scoring gymnasts of the season for the Redbirds.Â
She competed nearly every meet on beam and bars, with a season-best score of 9.725 on bars and 9.750 on floor. LeBlanc also competed on vault, with a season-best 9.750 at Eastern Michigan, and added beam to her repertoire over the final month of the season, scoring a high of 9.700. That led to a pair of all-around finishes for LeBlanc, with her best score of 38.675 coming against EMU and WMU.
LeBlanc and the Redbirds will look to defend the MIC title on Friday night, when they host the 2026 MIC Championship at 6 p.m. at CEFCU Arena in Normal.
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