Illinois State University’s gymnastics team secured a narrow win over Northern Illinois on Monday night, overcoming a deficit in the final rotation to finish with a score of 192.700 to 192.650 at Horton Field House.
Northern Illinois held an early lead after the first rotation, scoring 48.150 on bars compared to Illinois State’s 48.075 on vault. The Redbirds fell further behind in the second rotation, trailing by 0.675 points after scoring 47.800 on bars while NIU posted a 48.400 on vault.
In the third rotation, Ally Lau scored a career-high 9.900 on beam—the highest individual score for an Illinois State gymnast this season—helping close the gap as ISU trailed 144.700-144.050 heading into the final events.
Coach Ringer commented, “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 they 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.”
The decisive moment came during floor routines in the fourth rotation where senior Jaly Jones delivered a season-best score of 9.875, securing first place in that event and clinching victory for Illinois State as NIU managed only 47.950 on beam.
Other notable performances included Sammie Wolff tying for first place on vault with a score of 9.800; Savannah Ray tied for fourth with a score of 9.700; Madyson Baucom finished third on bars at 9.725; Julia Heiner tied for fourth with a score of 9.700; Mia LeBlanc and Courtney Woods both tied for third place on beam at 9.700 each; Mia Oh and LeBlanc also tied for second place in floor routines with scores of 9.750.
Illinois State Redbirds is affiliated with Illinois State University and competes in NCAA Division I events across various regions (source). The program benefits from resources such as fan engagement platforms providing news, schedules, rosters, tickets, merchandise, and other community offerings (source). The athletic department utilizes facilities like OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center for athlete preparation (source) and supports competitiveness through initiatives like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund (source).
Next up for Illinois State is an away tri-meet against Eastern Michigan and Western Michigan scheduled for Friday night at Gervin GameAbove Center in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
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