AT ILLINOIS
2013 - Senior: Competed on vault for all 14 meets, bars for the first 13 and floor once for the first time since 2010 ... Produced a season high on vault of 9.825 vs. Penn State ... Recorded a season high of 9.85 on bars at the State of Illinois Classic ... Finished in the Top-5 eight times ... Hit 26-of-28 routines ... Averaged above a 9.7 on both vault and bars ... Hit a 9.75 on vault at both the Big Ten Championships and the Morgantown Regional ... Academic All-Big Ten.
2012 - Junior: Competed on vault and bars at every meet and on beam in the final nine ... Ranked fourth on the team with three event titles and had 13 top-five finishes ... Hit 30-of-35 routines and set career highs on bars (9.875) and beam (9.800) ... Academic All-Big Ten selection.
2011 - Sophomore: Competed on vault and bars at all 14 meets and recorded season-bests of 9.800 and 9.825, respectively... Hit 27-of-28 routines.. Won her first career individual title on bars with a season-high 9.825 at the first meet of the season ... Academic All-Big Ten and Scholastic All-American selection.
2010 - Freshman: Won her first career individual title on vault with a career-high 9.850 against Michigan State ... Counted her score on both vault and uneven bars at nine of 14 meets ... Notched a career-high 9.850 on bars to place third at the State of Illinois Classic ... Tallied a 9.750 or higher on vault at 11 meets ... Hit 25-of-29 routines and recorded seven top-five finishes.
High School/Club: Three-time Junior Olympic National Qualifier ... Finished fifth in the all-around, tied for third on the vault, seventh on uneven bars and ninth on beam at the 2009 JO National Championships ... Notched three runner-up finishes at the 2009 Region V Championships, placing second on vault, beam and in the all-around ... 2009 Illinois state champion on vault and floor exercise ... Also took third on uneven bars and in the all-around at the 2009 state meet ... Placed eighth in the all-around, tied for ninth on the uneven bars and fifth on floor exercise at the 2008 JO National Championships ... Tied for first on floor exercise at the 2008 state meet ... Club team was Naperville Gymnastics ... Club coach was Jiani Wu.
Personal: Born April 1, 1991 ... Daughter of Ron and Lynne Kantecki ... Says she chose Illinois because "it is highly ranked among the best in the nation and is a place where I knew I could continue to grow as a scholar and an athlete. All of the girls were very welcoming and made me feel like part of their Illini family." ... Member of the A honor roll in high school all four years and graduated with a 4.0 GPA ... Majoring in psychology.
Jaclyn's Career Highs
Vault: 9.850 - (vs. Michigan State, 2/14/10)
Bars: 9.875 - (State of Illinois Classic, 3/17/12)
Beam: 9.800 - (at UIC, 2/25/12)
Floor: 9.325 - (at Nebraska, 1/15/10)
Individual Titles
Vault: 1
Bars: 4
Total: 5
The Kantecki File
My best memory as an Illini: The moment we found out we qualified to nationals my sophomore year
What I've learned from Coach Landrus: Sometimes it's best to focus on the process, not the immediate outcome.
Being a Fighting Illini means: I saw a poster in Bielfeldt that said something along the lines of "There's no `I' in team unless you're sitting in a stadium flooded with orange." The poster then showed people in the football stadium all wearing orange and in the shape of a Block I. To me, this is what it means to be a Fighting Illini. You give everything for your team or teammate and are there to have their backs no matter what.
Unique/quirky habit of one of your teammates: Sarah loves speaking in a British accent.
Which teammate would you want with you if you were stranded on an island: Elise Gill - I think we'd have the most fun climbing trees and building forts and she'd be my best chance at survival.
First impression when you met your team, has it changed: This goes back to my unofficial recruiting trip, but I thought that the Illinois girls were the goofiest bunch of girls out of any others I had met and had so many different personalities. Even though girls have graduated and new freshmen have joined, this hasn't changed a bit.
Favorite event: Floor
Favorite Illini athlete (not on your team): I think all Illini athletes are pretty cool.
Favorite activity outside gymnastics: Anything where I can be outside and in the sunshine
Favorite thing to do on the quad: People watch
Favorite road trip item/activity: I always have to bring the rubber chicken to meets.
Favorite Fierce Five Gymnast: Gabby Douglas
Favorite all-time gymnast: Courtney Kupets
Favorite sports team: Chicago White Sox
Favorite movie: Elf
Favorite TV show: That 70s show
Favorite place to travel to for a meet: Alabama
Pre-meet superstitions: Eating multi-grain cheerios and banana for breakfast
Plans after Illinois: Nursing school
Met anyone famous?: Mickey Mouse
One thing you've dreamt about doing: I want to sleep in an igloo for a night.
If you could perform one of your routines anywhere on campus, where would you go?: Assembly Hall
