Illini Sweep in Saturday Showdown with Gophers

Women's Gymnastics February 4, 2017

Illini Sweep in Saturday Showdown with Gophers

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois women's gymnastics posted a season-high 196.025 team tally to defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers (193.375) on Saturday afternoon at Huff Hall. The Illini also recorded season-high team scores on bars, beam and floor, and swept all event titles. Sophomore Lizzy LeDuc won her third all-around title of the season with a score of 39.500, also winning the vault, beam and floor titles. Redshirt-senior Mary Jane Horth took the bars title with a season-high 9.900.

"From the very beginning the energy was high and you could just see that the mindset was there," head coach Kim Landrus said. "Our word for this week was discipline and they walked in as a disciplined team from the very start to the very end and got it done."

Illinois took the early lead in the meet after tallying a 48.650 on vault. LeDuc led the way for Illinois with a 9.825. Senior Sarah Lyons followed with a season-high 9.775 mark, followed by a 9.750 from Horth and senior Erin Buchanan's 9.70. Freshman Rae Balthazor completed the Illini scoring with a 9.60.

The Orange and Blue scored a season-high 49.025 on bars after the final four gymnasts tallied season-high marks. Horth led the way for Illinois by tying her season-high score of 9.875. Howell followed with a 9.85, which tied her career-high score on bars. LeDuc notched a season-high 9.825, Lyons recorded a 9.775 and Buchanan tallied a season-high 9.70. The Illini extended their advantage over the Gophers after the second rotation, 97.675-96.150.

A phenomenal beam rotation saw Illinois post a season-high 49.275 on the balance beam, which is tied for the program's seventh-highest team score in school history. The Illini took the top three spots on the event, as LeDuc contributed a career-high 9.950, which is tied for a school record on the apparatus. Sophomore Brielle Nguyen also tallied a career-high mark with a 9.900, while junior Bridget Hodan followed with a 9.875. Roe recorded a 9.800 and Horth scored a 9.750.

The Illini also took the top three individual spots on the floor to close out the meet, led by LeDuc's season-high 9.900. Nguyen posted a season-best 9.825, and Hodan matched her career-high with a 9.800 score. Buchanan contributed a 9.800 as well, while Roe and Howell each posted scores of 9.750. The Illini closed the meet with a season-high 49.075 on the floor. Minnesota posted its highest team event score of the meet on floor with a 49.075, but it was not enough to knock off the Illini.

"I think we look at how we did, and how can we get just a little bit better with each performance," Landrus said of preparing to face the Iowa Hawkeyes next week. "{The team} went out and performed at such a high level today, so it's all going to come down to the little details we didn't do."

The Illini will travel to Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes and the UIC Flames next Saturday at 4 p.m.

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