McLean County Times

The Illinois State gymnastics team is set to host Northern Illinois for their home opener on Tuesday at Horton Field House. This event marks the second meeting between the two teams in five days, following a victory by the Redbirds last Friday in DeKalb.

Head Coach Bob Conkling expressed enthusiasm about competing at home, stating, "The team is excited to finally compete at home. Since we just competed Friday, we haven't had much time to train in between these two competitions, so we focused on improving those small details to help us increase our scores. The team is ready to put forward a great competition for a home crowd."

Illinois State currently holds the No. 26 spot nationally according to Road To Nationals rankings and boasts strong positions in floor and vault events. Their recent win over Northern Illinois featured a season-high score of 196.150, which ranks as one of the highest in program history. Junior transfer Jaly Jones has been pivotal this season, earning recognition as MIC Newcomer of the Week twice.

Northern Illinois comes into this meet ranked No. 55 nationally with a 1-5 record for the season. Senior Ellery Werner's performance on the balance beam was a highlight during their recent EMU Quad Meet where NIU secured third place with a score of 193.275. Interim head coach Nita Teague celebrated her first career win against Winona State during that meet.

For updates on Illinois State gymnastics, fans can visit GoRedbirds.com or follow the team's social media accounts.