NORMAL, Ill. – Illinois State posted strong performances in a pair of meets last week and for their efforts, a trio of Redbird gymnasts earned weekly honors from the Midwest Independent Conference.
For the third time this season, freshman Mia LeBlanc won MIC Newcomer of the Week honors while junior Ally Lau took home MIC Performance of the Week honors for the second time this season. Rounding out this week's honorees is Courtney Woods, who was voted as this week's MIC Coaches Choice Award winner.
LeBlanc continues to impress in her first season with the Redbirds. She had a pair of strong performances last week, with a pair of Top 3 finishes in a win on Monday and a second-place finish in the all-around on Friday at Eastern Michigan. In ISU's home win over Northern Illinois, LeBlanc tied for second on floor and tied for third on the beam to help the Redbirds pick up the win over the Huskies. Then on Friday, LeBlanc competed in the all-around for the first time in her career (and first Redbird to do it this season) and finished in second place overall with a 38.675, with her best finish coming on the vault.
Lau put together a pair of masterful performances for the Redbirds on beam last week, with a pair of top two finishes. On Friday at Eastern Michigan, she scored a 9.850 to place second overall, but that was not her best performance of the week. On Monday against Northern Illinois, Lau scored a career-high 9.900 on beam to win the event and help the Redbirds to a team victory over the Huskies. The 9.900 is the highest individual event score of the season for any Redbird gymnast and bested her previous high of 9.875 on beam.
Woods was selected for Coaches Choice Award, which is awarded weekly to student-athletes who demonstrate exceptional leadership, team spirit, and performance. Selected by conference head coaches, the award highlights athletes who overcome adversity or contribute significantly to their team's culture. Last week, Woods put together a pair of strong performances for the Redbirds against Northern Illinois and in the Eastern Michigan tri-meet, with her best score of 9.850 on beam on Saturday to post a season high.
Illinois State returns to competition on Friday, March 6, when the Redbirds compete against Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, with action set to start at 4 p.m. CT.
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