Results
IOWA CITY, Iowa -Â The Fighting Illini fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes by a score of 196.200-194.975
The Orange and Blue started the day on bars, with Makayla Green's 9.825 leading the way. She would earn a share of the event title, tying the Hawkeyes' Auriele Tran. The Illini trailed by 0.450 after the first rotation.
On vault, Olivia Coppola led off with a season-high 9.825, before Chloe Cho bested her career high with a 9.900 to lead the Illini and take the event title by a 0.050 margin of victory.
As the Illini headed to floor, freshmen Kennedy Brown and Marly Esteves both showed up big in their first appearances on the apparatus, scoring 9.725 and 9.925 respectively. Chloe Cho also scored a 9.925 to lead the Illini with Esteves. After three rotations, the Illini were still 0.575 behind the Hawkeyes.
To close out the meet, Illinois headed to beam, where Amelia Knight led the way with a 9.875 to share the event title. Coppola (9.850) and Cho (9.825) followed suit.
Cho also won the all-around with a score of 39.375.
While the outcome was not what we wanted, we grew today," head coach Nadalie Walsh said. "With Mareli and Eden out today, the depth of our team needed to step up and fill those roles, and I'm very proud of the athletes who did that. The team gave it their all after a long week, and I know rest and recovery will do them a lot of good. This loss will ultimately serve as fuel for next weekend."
The Illini are now 5-7 on the season, and 2-3 in Big Ten competition. Next, they'll return to Huff Hall on Saturday, Feb. 22 as they take on Washington and Illinois State for Senior Day at 1 p.m. CT.
Event Winners
Chloe Cho - Vault (9.900), All-Around (39.375)
Makayla Green - Uneven Bars (9.825)
Amelia Knight - Balance Beam (9.875)
Career Highs
Kennedy Brown - Vault (9.775), Floor Exercise (9.725)
Chloe Cho - Vault (9.900)
Marly Esteves - Vault (9.625), Floor Exercise (9.925)
Lyden Saltness - Balance Beam (9.100)
Megan Sapp - Balance Beam (9.775)
