CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's gymnastics team fell to No. 5 UCLA, 197.675-195.475, on Sunday (Feb. 22) in State Farm Center in front of a record-setting crowd of 6,813.
Sophomore Chloe Cho won the uneven bars title, matching her career-high with a score of 9.950.
"What a crowd tonight!" said head coach Josh Nilson. "Breaking the attendance record is a huge indicator of what Champaign and the surrounding areas value. The atmosphere was absolutely electric! The team handled the crowd well and fed off of their energy. We took a big step forward as a team, and every event had highlights and improvements, especially the uneven bars team. Tonight, they showed how hard they have worked in the gym, and everything translated to competition; they tied UCLA's bar team. We will continue to build, but I am very proud of them for how they handled themselves."
The Orange and Blue began the afternoon on vault, on which they posted a score of 48.525 led by Cho's 9.800.
Their highest score of the day came on the uneven bars, where they scored a 49.250. Junior Lyden Saltness finished narrowly behind Cho with a 9.925 score.
The third rotation saw the Illini put up 48.800 before transitioning to the final rotation on the floor where they scored 48.900, their second-highest total of the night. Cho scored 39.550 to finish second in the all-around.
UP NEXT
The Illinois women's gymnastics team returns to action on Sunday (March 1) for the Big 4 Meet in Minneapolis, Minn.
