McLean County Times

A trip to Chicago proved successful for the Illinois State gymnastics team as they achieved their best performance of the season. The Redbirds secured a victory at the Windy City Invite on Friday night at Navy Pier with a score of 195.650.

The scoring breakdown for the event was as follows: Illinois State led with 195.650, followed by Fisk with 192.225, UW-Stout with 187.000, and Wilberforce with 177.025.

Coach Conkling expressed satisfaction with the team's performance, stating, "The team had another strong night, as they continue to improve on their team score. I'm so happy with how they stayed focused from the start to the finish of the competition."

The Redbirds started strong on vault with a score of 48.825 and continued their momentum on bars with a score of 48.625. They set a season-best on beam with a tally of 48.900 and concluded the meet on floor with a season-high score of 49.300, which ties for the tenth-highest mark in program history.

Senior Jaye Mack delivered an impressive performance by tying for the highest score of the night with a 9.900 on floor and also winning on beam with a score of 9.825. On beam, Leah Davis, Reese Grolla, and Jaly Jones tied for second place each scoring 9.775.

Alana matched Mack's top score of the night by winning vault with a 9.900 while Mack and Maya Robinson tied for third place scoring 9.775 each.

On bars, Jada Beswick was Illinois State's top finisher coming in second place with a score of 9.800 followed closely by Grolla in third place at 9.775.

On floor exercise, Sara Wabi and Laster tied for second place scoring 9.875 just behind Mack's leading performance while Jones finished fourth at 9.850.

Illinois State will next compete against Northern Illinois Huskies in DeKalb, Illinois on Friday, January 24th at the Convocation Center starting at 6 p.m.

For more updates on Illinois State gymnastics follow GoRedbirds.com or check out their social media channels including Instagram (@redbirdgymnastics), X (@redbirdwgym), and Facebook.