McLean County Times

The Illinois State gymnastics team is preparing for the Windy City Invite in Chicago, marking a significant event as it includes a women's collegiate competition for the first time. The event, held at Navy Pier, will feature Illinois State competing against Wisconsin-Stout, Fisk University, and Wilberforce University.

Former Redbird gymnast Apollonia Barrientos has played a role in organizing the NCAA Women's gymnastics session for this inaugural competition. Illinois State's head coach Bob Conkling expressed confidence in his team's preparation: "The team has worked on consistency and details this week... We've been focused on increasing our scoring potential and I feel we are ready and capable to score higher than our first two meets of the season."

Illinois State recently achieved a second-place finish with a season-high score of 195.100 at the Next Level Gymnastics Podium Challenge in Michigan. Junior transfer Jaly Jones contributed significantly with three Top 5 finishes, earning her the Midwest Independent Conference Co-Newcomer of the Week honor. Senior Alana Laster also tied for first place on vault with a score of 9.850.

Wisconsin-Stout enters the competition after falling to UW-Whitewater in their season opener but secured wins in individual events like vault and floor exercise through athletes Jessica Qualich and Effie Ferguson respectively.

Fisk University placed third at their recent MLK Jr. Invitational behind Rutgers and William & Mary but ahead of Wilberforce. This weekend marks their second encounter with both Wilberforce and Illinois State.

Wilberforce University continues its journey as one of only two HBCUs with women's gymnastics programs since debuting last fall under head coach Dr. Morgan Byrd.

For updates on Illinois State gymnastics, visit GoRedbirds.com or follow them on social media platforms including Instagram (@redbirdgymnastics), X (@redbirdwgym), and Facebook.