McLean County Times

The Illinois State gymnastics team is preparing for a significant challenge as they head to Huff Hall to compete against Illinois and Washington. This will be the Redbirds' first encounter with Big Ten Conference teams this season. The meet, scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m., will be available for streaming on Big Ten Network +.

ISU Head Coach Bob Conkling expressed anticipation for the event, stating, "We are looking forward to going against two quality Big Ten teams on Saturday. It should be a good competition with a lot of good gymnastics to watch. We hope we have a lot of Redbird fans make the trip over to Champaign to cheer us on."

Currently ranked No. 34 nationally, ISU stands out in vault and floor events, holding positions No. 23 and No. 24 respectively in national rankings. Senior Alana Laster is notable for her performance on vault, ranking No. 21 individually and being a two-time NCAA Regional qualifier.

In their recent dual-meet victory over Greenville, the Redbirds achieved their third-highest team score of the year with 195.275 points. Standout performances included Sara Wabi and Jaly Jones receiving Midwest Independent Conference honors for their contributions.

Illinois holds a No. 21 national ranking, excelling particularly in floor exercises where they rank No. 14 nationally. Freshman Chloe Cho has been instrumental in their success, recently achieving a career high on vault and winning multiple awards.

Washington ranks No. 38 nationally with strong performances on beam where they hold the No. 23 spot in national rankings. Recent individual achievements include Taylor Russon's personal best on beam.

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