Illinois Women's Gymnastics Travels to #8 Missouri for Quad Meet, Hosts #5 UCLA on Sunday

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois women's gymnastics (3-5, 1-4 Big Ten) travels to Columbia, Mo., on Friday for a 6 p.m. quad meet against No. 8 Missouri, Air Force, and Ball State before returning home on Sunday to host No. 5 UCLA at State Farm Center. 

Last Time Out

Chloe Cho delivered a standout performance against Nebraska last week, winning titles on all four events and securing the all-around title despite Illinois' loss to Nebraska. Summer Clancy also tied for first on the balance beam. 

On floor, Kennedy Brown and Tali Joelson each posted a 9.775, helping Illinois capture four of the top six scores in the rotation. On vault, Cho's season-best 9.875 led the team, with Clancy close behind at 9.825. Destiny Denning posted the team's second-best score on bars, a 9.775, while Cho tied her career-best with a 9.950.

Tiger Watch

Last Friday, Feb. 12, Missouri defeated No. 25 Kentucky in Lexington, earning the program's first-ever win at Historic Memorial Coliseum with a narrow 196.825-196.800 victory. 

Key performances included Kimarra Echols tying her career-high on uneven bars, scoring a 9.950. Elise Tisler posted a team-best 9.900 on vault, and Hannah Horton matched her career-best 9.950 on floor. Missouri outscored Kentucky on vault and bars and held off a late floor push to secure the victory. 

BALL STATE BREAKDOWN

Last Sunday, Feb. 15, Ball State closed out its home schedule with a 195.025-194.125 win over Eastern Michigan, moving to 9-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in MAC competition. 

The Cardinals were dominant on uneven bars, tying the sixth-best team score in program history with a 49.250. Ashley Szymanski continued her standout season, earning a 9.950 on bars for her fifth event title of the year before adding a career-high 9.900 on beam. 

Zoe Middleton captured her fourth straight all-around title with a 38.600, while Ball State recorded 11 scores of 9.800 or higher and three scores of at least 9.900.

AIR FORCE ASSESSMENT

Air Force posted a 195.750 during last Saturday's meet at the Metroplex Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. The Falcons recorded multiple top-three all-time marks and set several program records throughout the night. 

Junior Maggie Slife continued her dominant season, capturing her sixth all-around title with a program-record 39.650. Slife scored a 9.900 or better on all four events, including a pair of 9.925s on vault and bars and a 9.900 on both floor and beam. Sophomore Alyssa Bigler added a 39.225 in the all-around to finish in fifth place. The Falcons closed with 48.800 team scores on both bars and beam to finish off the impressive performance.

Bruin Bulletin

Illinois women's gymnastics welcomes No. 5 UCLA to State Farm Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. Last week, UCLA captured a 197.725-196.975 victory over No. 9 Michigan on Feb. 14. Two-time Olympian Jordan Chiles earned her fourth consecutive perfect 10 on floor and won all-around for the fifth straight meet with a 39.475. Tiana Sumanasekera scored three 9.900s, Nola Matthews tied for second place on uneven bars with a career-high 9.925, and Ciena Alipio scored a 9.900 on beam. 

MEET TICKETS ON SALE NOW: Tickets are on sale now for Illinois' home meet against No. 5 UCLA at State Farm Center on Feb. 22 at 4 p.m. General admission tickets are just $15, and loge boxes and suites are also available. Kids Club members get two complimentary tickets, and U of I students get in free with their i-Card. Clubs and groups of 10 more can get $10 tickets. Get your tickets on FightingIllini.com.

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Illini are preparing to host the 2026 Big Ten Women's Gymnastics Championships, March 21-22. All 12 Big Ten women's gymnastics programs will descend on Champaign for the two-day event and will feature eight Top-25 programs.