McLean County Times

Redbirds Finish Third Against Nationally Ranked Kentucky & Illinois

It was the final tune up for Illinois State prior to next week's Midwest Independent Conference Championship, as the Redbirds made the short trip to Champaign, Illinois, to take on the host Illini and Kentucky. The No. 12 ranked Wildcats performed as expected winning the meet with a score of 197.800, followed by Illinois with a 196.800 and the Redbirds in third with a 193.850 at Huff Hall on Saturday afternoon.

Scoring Breakdown:•    #12 Kentucky: 197.800•    #22 Illinois: 196.800•    Illinois State: 193.850

Thoughts From Head Coach Bob Conkling:"We were competitive on vault and floor, but not on bars and beam which were both rough events for us today. We are much better than we competed today, so it is something the team will need to work on this week before we head to the conference meet on Friday."

Team Notes:•    The Redbirds struggled out of the gate on beam, posting a 47.275 as Illinois and Kentucky both posted scores of 49.000 or better in the first rotation.•    ISU bounced back in a big way on floor in the second rotation, scoring 49.425 which is the second-highest score in school history … it featured two scores of 9.9 or better and all five counting scores were 9.850 or better.•    The momentum kept going for the Redbirds on vault, as ISU went 49.125 to continue to climb out of the early hole headed to the fourth and final rotation.•    Unfortunately for the Redbirds, the struggles arose on bars as they posted a 48.025 to cap off the competition.

Gymnast Notes:•    Alana Laster took the event crown on vault, tying her season high of 9.925 to lead the way for the Redbirds.•    Jaye Mack set a new career high of 9.950 on floor to tie for second place overall on the event.•    Nirel Bart-Williams also had a great showing on floor, posting her third score of the year of 9.9 or above with her score of 9.900 to tie for sixth place.•    Senior Angelica Labat posted a 39.225 in the all-around to finish in third place overall, following her season-high score of 39.400 last week.

Up Next:It's championship season for the Redbirds, as they head to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, on Friday, March 17, to compete for the Midwest Independent Conference Championship at Houck Field House. The meet is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App:  Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Athletic Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more. 

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