Results
FORT WORTH, Texas – No. 22 women's gymnastics team secured second place at the Metroplex Challenge with a score of 196.300.
No. 3 Utah got first place with 197.600, No. 18 Georgia placed third with 196.100 and Illinois State placed fourth with 195.850.
"I am super proud of the team," head coach Nadalie Walsh said. "Walking away from this meet with two wins is something for them to be very proud of. They handled competing on the podium extremely well and stayed very united through out the whole meet. We elevated our difficulty on vault and competed three -10.0 start value vaults for the first time in program history. The team is in a great place and I am looking forward to competing in Huff Hall on Monday night!"
Illinois takes two wins and one loss from this competition, putting the Illini to a 6-4 record on the season.
The Illini took floor first, with Mia Townes taking the top spot for Illinois and second in the competition with a 9.925. Mia Takekawa came close behind Townes with a 9.85.
Arielle Ward showed up for the Illini with her first -10.0 start value vault, scoring a 9.85 and tying four other gymnasts for first place. Abby Mueller and Townes were a step behind Ward, each scoring a 9.8 on the event.
Takekawa once again was the highest scoring Illini on bars, securing a 9.9, while Rachel Borden took a 9.85 and Kaitlyn Ewald 9.825.
Mallory Mizuki and Takekawa had identical beam scores with 9.85, taking the top spots for Illinois with Nataraj and Townes both scoring a 9.825.
The Illini will come back home for a weeknight match up with No. 14 Ohio State on Monday at 8 p.m. at Huff Hall.
