McLean County Times

The Illinois State gymnastics team is preparing for its next competition at the Podium Challenge in Battle Creek, Michigan. The event will feature teams from Western Michigan, George Washington, and Pittsburgh and is hosted by Next Level Gymnastics at Kellogg Arena.

Head Coach Bob Conkling of Illinois State expressed confidence in his team's performance leading up to the event: "The team has looked strong in workouts this week, so we are excited for this competition. There are four good teams competing that all should be battling for the top spot at the end of the night."

In their season opener, Illinois State achieved a team score of 194.800 at the Mizzou Beauty and the Beast meet. Notably, Alana Laster won the vault with a score of 9.875. Newcomer Jaly Jones placed third overall in the all-around with a score of 38.900, while teammate Mya Robinson finished fifth with a total score of 38.475.

Western Michigan began their season with a narrow loss to No. 11 Michigan State, scoring 196.850-194.675 last Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Emily Krzciok delivered an impressive performance on beam with a career-high score of 9.900.

George Washington's gymnastics team is set to start its season under new head coach Stephanie Worrell at this weekend's challenge. Last year, GW achieved a program record score of 197.200 and had two individual NCAA Regional selections: Kendall Whitman and Maya Peters.

Pittsburgh will also commence its season at this event, returning NCAA Regional participants Jah'Liyah Bedminster and Jordyn Ewing along with Hallie Copperwheat, who has qualified twice for NCAA Regionals.

Fans can follow Illinois State gymnastics updates on GoRedbirds.com or through their social media channels on Instagram (@redbirdgymnastics), X (@redbirdwgym), and Facebook.