Illinois Shines in Home Opener

The Illini posted a 195.900 as Lizzy LeDuc earned four event titles.

Women's Gymnastics January 14, 2017

Illinois Shines in Home Opener

The Illini posted a 195.900 as Lizzy LeDuc earned four event titles.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's gymnastics team opened the home portion of its schedule with a quad meet victory over Rutgers, Eastern Michigan and UIC. The Illini posted a season-high 195.900, led by sophomore Lizzy LeDuc who won the all-around, vault, beam and floor titles. LeDuc posted season-high scores on vault, beam and floor to earn a career-best 39.425 all-around total.

"It was just exciting. We felt the energy the minute we walked in here," said head coach Kim Landrus. "I think after last week we just really thought about how the team could grow as athletes and as people. We saw that maturity come today. It was really exciting. We started off on vault and just kept the momentum throughout the entire meet."

Illinois vaulted to an early lead in the meet with a 48.825 mark in the first rotation. LeDuc notched a career-high 9.85 to lead Illinois on the apparatus. Mary Jane Horth recorded a 9.775, followed by freshman Rae Balthazor's 9.75. Seniors Sarah Lyons and Erin Buchanan rounded out the Illini scoring with marks of 9.725.

The Fighting Illini continued to improve on last week's scores with a 49.000 team score on bars. Horth recorded another team-high for the Illini with a 9.875, followed by Balthazor who posted a career-high 9.825. Lyons and Lindsay Dwyer each notched a 9.775 score, while Howell and LeDuc both tallied a 9.750.

Three Illini recorded career-high scores on the balance beam in the third rotation, as the Orange and Blue scored 49.175 as a team. LeDuc led the Illini with a career-high 9.925, while Hodan and sophomore Haylee Roe also notched career-high scores of 9.875. Horth would follow with a 9.775 and Howell and Brielle Nguyen rounded out the rotation with 9.725 marks.

Illinois finished the meet with a strong 48.900 on floor, led by LeDuc's 9.90. Howell also set a new personal best, tallying a 9.8 on floor. Roe carded a 9.75 on her floor routine, while Hodan and Buchanan each posted scores of 9.725.

Howell recorded a career-high 38.900 in the all-around competition, good for a second place finish. Howell tallied career-high marks on beam and floor.

Up next, the Fighting Illini travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. next Sunday, Jan. 22 to take on the Michigan Wolverines. The meet is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. CT.

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