CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini are headed to Seattle for their 21st-straight regional appearance. Illinois will face UC Davis in the regional play-in meet on April 3 at 4 p.m. CT. If the Orange and Blue prevail, they will compete again on April 4 against [2] Oklahoma, [15] Auburn, and Nebraska.
The Illini also had four athletes named individual qualifiers, meaning their spot in Round 2 of regionals is secured regardless of the team's outcome in the play-in match up. Arielle Ward qualified on the vault and Olivia Coppola qualified on beam. After her sixth-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, Makayla Green qualified on uneven bars. Last but not least, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Chloe Cho qualified in the all-around competition.
About the Opponents
The UC Davis Aggies finished their season on a high note, placing second and earning a season-high 196.400 at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships on March 22. Amelia Moneymaker finished with a 39.500 to win the all-around. On beam and bars, Moneymaker scored a 9.900 to take the MPSF crown in those events. Megan Ray was crowned champion on vault, scoring a 9.900. On floor, Keanna Abraham and Moneymaker scored 9.900 while Avah Reichow posted a 9.850.
The Oklahoma women's gymnastics team earned a runner-up finish at the 2025 SEC Championships March 22 inside Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala. The Sooners earned a team score of 197.925. On vault, Elle Mueller stuck her Yurchenko 1.5 to earn a 9.95. Kiera Wells notched a 9.90 in the No. 3 spot. On bars, Audrey Davis was near-perfect for the 16th time in her career, earning a 9.975 to lead the Sooners. Lily Pederson showed off one of her best routines of the season to tie her career high with a 9.95. Faith Torrez brought home a pair of individual conference titles.  The junior shared beam with a 9.925, while claiming floor outright with her second perfect 10 of the season.
The Auburn gymnastics team also kicked off the postseason at the 2025 SEC Championship, finishing in a tie for seventh with a 195.950. The team opened on beam, where senior Sophia Groth had a team-best 9.875, while freshman Marissa Neal and sophomore Paige Zancan chipped in a 9.850 apiece. Groth again led the way with a 9.900 in the anchor spot on floor, and was followed by 9.875s from fifth year Gabby McLaughlin and sophomore Olivia Greaves. Zancan led the way on vault with a 9.850 and Sophia Bell anchored with a 9.825. Alex Irvine had a team-best 9.875 on bars, followed by 9.850s by Emma Grace Boyd and Caroline Leonard.
Familiar foe Nebraska took ninth place at the Big Ten Championships on March 22 in Ann Arbor, Mich., with a score of 196.175. Emma Spence grabbed the bars title in all sessions, tying her career-high 9.975. Spence also led the way with a 9.825, followed by Ayzhia Hall with a 9.750. Sophia McClelland led the way on beam, tying a career-high 9.950. She was followed by Spence (9.900), Emma Simpton (9.875) and Hall (9.875). On floor, McClelland (9.900) and Spence (9.875) led the way, followed by Whitney Jencks and Reese Baechle with a pair of 9.800s.Â
Last Time Out
Illinois finished in sixth place at the Big Ten Championships on March 22 with a score of 196.500. The Illini participated in Session II of the 2025 Big Ten Championships alongside Iowa, Maryland, and Penn State, starting the day on bars. It was senior captain Makayla Green who led the way for the Orange and Blue, tying her career-high 9.925. Chloe Cho and Amelia Knight followed suit with 9.850s and Arielle Ward made her return to the lineup with a 9.800. The group earned their second-best bars score of the season, a 49.150. Moving over to beam, Cho led the Illini scorers with a 9.900. Ruthuja Nataraj earned a 9.875, and three Illini–Knight, Eden King, and Olivia Coppola–tallied 9.850s. The team earned their best score of the year on the apparatus, a 49.325. In the third rotation, it was again Cho who led the way for the Illini, scoring a 9.875. Emmalise Nock earned a 9.825, and Kennedy Brown, Coppola, and King each tallied a 9.800. The Illini closed out Session II on vault, where Coppola led off with a stick for a 9.775. Cho followed up with another stick for a 9.850, the highest Illini score, and King earned a 9.825. Green finished sixth overall on bars, and Cho finished seventh in the all-around competition.
2024 NCAAÂ Regionals
Last season, Illinois women's gymnastics advanced to the second round of the NCAA Regionals with a 195.825-195.775 win over Ball State in Ann Arbor, Mich. Three Illini posted the top scores in their events. Mia Takekawa finished as the highest scorer of the day on the bars, posting a 9.900, while Amelia Knight tied for the top score on beam with a 9.850, and Mia Townes posted the day's best mark, a 9.850, on the floor. The next day, Illinois took on Oklahoma, Ohio State and NC State, finishing third with a score of 196.750. Takekawa placed second overall on bars, taking a 9.950 on the event.
The Cho Show
- Cho became just the third Illini in program history to be named Big Ten Freshman of the Year, behind Ashley Williams (2002) and Allison Buckley (2008)
- The Simi Valley, Calif., native has been unstoppable for the Illini, earning 17 titles over the course of the season (four vault, two uneven bars, three balance beam, three floor exercise, and five all-around)
- Earned All-Freshman Team and First-Team All-Big Ten honors
- Chloe Cho is a four-time winner of the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award (Jan. 18, Jan. 31, Feb. 11, Feb. 18).
- This is the most Freshman of the Week wins in a single season in program history.
Changing the Game
- Head coach Nadalie Walsh was named the inaugural Game Changer for Women in Sports Leadership Award, Gameday Spirit announced on Feb. 5, 2025. The award recognizes "an outstanding women leader who has made a lasting impact on women's sports through mentorship, innovation, and advocacy."Â
- The Game Changer Award was established to celebrate National Girls & Women in Sports Day and recognize women across the Midwest who elevate the presence and success of female athletes at all levels.
- Walsh was selected due to her dedication to "redefining coaching with her heart-first approach, ensuring that athletes feel valued, supported, and empowered."
- Finalists for the award included:
- Cassie Arner– Senior Associate Director of Athletics, Fan Engagement, Fighting Illini Athletics
- Sara Burton – Chief Sports Officer, Senior Woman Administrator, Fighting Illini Athletics
- Shauna Green – Head Coach, Women's Basketball, Fighting Illini Athletics
- Courtney Layne Brewer – Sports Reporter, WCIA 3
- Amy Potter – Director, North American Partnerships, BMO Financial Group
Look Out!
- Freshman Chloe Cho and junior Arielle Ward were named to the Big Ten's Gymnasts to Watch during the preseason.
- Cho was previously a Level 10 state champion and nationals qualifier. The Simi Valley, Calif., native competed in the 2024 U.S. Championships, where she scored personal bests in the all-around competition on back-to-back days.
- She is now a four-time winner of the Big Ten Freshman of the Week award (Jan. 18, Jan. 31, Feb. 11, Feb. 18). This is the most Freshman of the Week wins in a single season in program history.
- Cho won 17 titles over the course of the season thus far.
- Ward is entering her third season with the Illini after competing in all 16 meets last season, primarily on vault and floor. The Frisco, Texas, native won third place on vault (9.900) at the 2024 Big Ten Championships, earning her a spot on the All-Championship Team.
- Ward took home the vault title in her season debut on the apparatus vs. Nebraska (Jan. 18) with a 9.850.
- Ward set career highs on vault in back-to-back meets (Feb. 7 & 9) to earn back-to-back event titles vs. No. 18 Ohio State and No. 9 Missouri.
Give Her Five
- After four years in Champaign-Urbana, Amelia Knight thought her time with the Illinois women's gymnastics team was over. Instead, Knight received the opportunity to come back for one more year.
- Knight immediately stepped into the lineup as a freshman, making her debut on beam and floor during the Illini's first meet of the 2021 season. The following year, she grew more comfortable, confident, and consistent, appearing in all 13 meets while garnering Academic All-Big Ten honors for the first time.
- As a junior, Knight helped the Illini set the program's beam record with a career-high 9.925 while once again competing in every meet. Also finding success off the mat, she earned Academic All-Big Ten status for the second consecutive season while being named a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
- With increased expectations for herself and the team, Knight is ready to make a splash heading into the 2024-25 campaign.
Division I Career Record: 167-201-1 (.454), 21st season
At Illinois: 103-75-1 (.578), Eighth season
Big Ten: 78-69-1 (.530), Eighth season
Complete Meet Notes (PDF)
