University of Illinois
NCAA Individual Championships
Takekawa and Townes Set For NCAA Championships
April 13, 2022 | Women's Gymnastics
Preview
| Mia Takekawa and Mia Townes at NCAA Championships | |
|---|---|
| Championship Hub | Media Hub |
| When | Thursday, April 14 | 12 pm CT |
| Where | Dickies Arena | Forth Worth, Texas |
| Live Stats | Stat Broadcast |
| ESPN Broadcasts | Multiview | Vault Stream | Bars Stream |
| Follow the Illini | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook |
FORT WORTH, Texas – Illinois juniors Mia Takekawa and Mia Townes are set to compete in the NCAA Championships as individuals. They will rotate with Minnesota during the first session of the semifinals, tomorrow April 14 at noon CT. Townes will compete on vault during the third rotation and Takekawa on bars during the fourth rotation.
The duo locked in their spots with strong routines during the second round of NCAA Regionals in Seattle. Takekawa scored her third 9.950 of the season on bars, while Townes tied her career-high with a 9.925 on vault.
The Illini juniors are the first Illinois gymnasts to qualify for Nationals since Rae Balthazor qualified for floor in 2019. Takekawa is the third Illini in program history to qualify for Nationals on the uneven bar and Townes is the second to qualify on vault. The last uneven bar qualifier was Sunny Kato in 2015 and it has been 12 seasons since an Illinois gymnastics qualified for vault (Allison Buckley, 2010).
The last time multiple Illini qualified for Nationals was in 2015 when three qualified; Giana O'Connor in the all-around, Mary Jane Horth in the all-around and Kato on uneven bars.
NCAA Format
All-around and individual titles will be crowned at the conclusion of both semifinal sessions on April 14, with the second session taking place at 5 p.m. Ties will not be broken, and the top four finishers on each event and all-around will receive First Team All-America status, and fifth through eighth placements will be named Second Team All-America.
