Host Illinois State returns as the defending Midwest Independent Conference champion, aiming to hold onto its title. The Redbirds face an uphill battle against higher-ranked Texas Woman’s University and Southeast Missouri State, who consistently outscore them. Illinois State hasn’t yet faced TWU this season and lost all three regular-season meets against SEMO.
Texas Woman’s competed sparingly in-conference, challenging SEMO and Centenary once each and winning both. The Division II powerhouse tests itself against Division I programs, earning upset wins over Pittsburgh, Arizona, Oregon State, Kent State, and Arizona State. After a strong season, TWU enters as the favorite and top seed for next week’s WCGNIC. While the team missed regionals, Sophia Isbell and Kyleigh Ghanbari are projected to compete individually on vault and floor.
SEMO could make it close—the Gymhawks finished just 0.1 behind TWU at a quad meet in Arizona. Typically scoring in the 194s, SEMO dipped in its final regular-season meet at Arizona State due to counting 9.5s and 9.6s on three events. Taylor Ingle, MIC Co-Athlete of the Year, seeks a repeat regionals all-around berth, though her NQS has dropped slightly from 2025. Beam anchor Jaiden Kossuth is on the postseason bubble, and a strong performance could secure her spot.
Illinois State will rely on home advantage and consistency on bars and beam to keep pace. Bars has been a season-long struggle, and the Redbirds have struggled to carry momentum into beam. Savannah Ray and Sammie Wolff provide stability on vault, while Jaly Jones anchors floor.
Centenary peaked in February with 190.100 and 191.750 at home but hasn’t matched those totals on the road. The Ladies posted their highest road total last week at Bowling Green with 188.750, setting a season-high 48.300 on floor.
The meet will be streamed on ESPN+, and scores can be found here.
NOTE: Ghanbari conspicuously absent from lineups. TWU will miss her potential 9.900 on floor.
Rotation 1: Illinois State VT, SEMO UB, TWU BB, Centenary FX
ISU vault lineup: Ziegenfelder, Koliego, Wolff, Jones, Ray, Baucom
SEMO bars lineup: Hernandez, Hamilton, Jones, Johnston, Ingle, May
TWU beam lineup: Hernandez, Reid, Steffan, Bowns, Goad, Isbell
Centenary floor lineup: Murdock, Dunlavy, Ichiba, Flores, Foret, Williams
Ziegenfelder (ISU) Yurchenko full with bent knees and a step back. 9.575
Reid (TWU) BHS LOSO leg up wobble, switch split to split jump is solid, so she’s back on track. Side aerial to split jump has a wobble. Back 1.5 dismount with a step. 9.700
Hernandez (SEMO) good HS on high into double tuck with a step back. 9.475
Murdock (CC) Rudi with a step back. 9.525
Koliego (ISU) Front pike vault with a stumble step out. 9.575
Hamilton (SEMO) Hecht over low bar, layout Geinger, short HS on high, FTDT with a step and a lean on dismount. 9.700
Steffan (TWU) Front tuck onto the beam with a bend at the waist on landing, BHS LOSO with a leg up wobble, switch leap to switch leap is good–finally a solid skill, BHS back 1.5 with a step back. 9.325
Wolff (ISU) RO 1/2 on back pike on with a small hop. 9.700
Jones (SEMO) Good blind full. Double tuck dismount is high but close to the bar. 9.750
Dunlavy (CC) Double tuck with leg separation and a step back. Bounces out of Popa instead of landing it cleanly. Front layout to font full. Wolf 1.5 ends short. Back 1.5 to front tuck almost lands out of bounds. 9.475
Bowns (TWU) Aerial in isolation lands well. BHS LOSO is high and she has just a small foot adjustment. Switch leap to switch half is slightly under the split position on the second element. She goes from a pistol squat to Y-stand showing off her flexibility, sticks gainer back full dismount. 9.825
Ichiba (CC) Back pike ends in a low squat. Back.15 to front layout goes better. FHS then stream cuts away but the announcer says it was a strong finish. 9.450
Ingle (SEMO) Really high straddle Jaeger, bail is vertical, blind full to high double tuck dismount is tuck with chest up. 9.800
Goad (TWU) Switch leap to straddle 3/4. She waves her arms and falls. Aerial back 1.5 with a step forward on dismount. 9.000
Flores (CC) Double tuck with legs apart and a small step on landing. Front layout to front full, also with legs apart and a step. She needs to hone in on the small details to avoid unnecessary deductions. 9.650
May (SEMO)Tkatchev with bent legs, bail to front support on low bar, so a miss there. 9.075
Isbell (TWU) MIC Co-Athlete of the Year. BHS LOSO LOSO is solid. Big switch leap to split jump, so it’s going great so far. She sticks the dismount, back 1.5, and laughs with pleasure. 9.800
Foret (CC) Back pike is low and she hangs on to it too long, running backward. Front layout to Rudi with a rebound out of it, but much better than her first pass. Switch side to straddle jump is well-executed. 9.625
Minard (TWU) BHS LOSO is excellent, straddle 3/4 to bend at the waist. She does a Shushanova and her chest dips far below the beam. Beat jump to side somi to another waist-bending wobble. Gainer back pike with chest lean but stuck feet. TWU is showing nerves on beam. 9.575
Williams (CC) Always a treat on floor due to her full out dancing. Does some Michael Jackson moves. Double tuck is landed well. High Popa. Back 1.5 to front layout, layout is archy instead of flat in body position. She fluffs out her hair to end. 9.725
AFTER ONE: SEMO 48.425, Illinois State 48.350, TWU 48.225, Centenary 47.725
The surprise is that TWU is in third after a nervous beam rotation. SEMO had a couple of misses on bars and had to count a 9.475 but all the other scores are 9.700 and above, highlighted by Taylor Ingle’s 9.800. Postseason scoring is lower than in regular season, as is expected.
Rotation 2: Illinois State UB, SEMO BB, TWU FX, Centenary VT
Illinois State bars lineup: Ray, LeBlanc, Heiner, Koliego, Beswick, Baucom
SEMO beam lineup: Reader, Fisher, Napolitano, Ingle, Parton, Kossuth
TWU floor lineup: Zarlengo, Bourgeois, Steffan, Hernandez, Minard, Isbell
Centenary vault lineup: Burford, Stratmann, Foret, Montgomery, Ichiba, Flores
Reader (SEMO) Front toss from knee to BHS. Hitch kick to muffed switch half. Another front toss, from standing. Gainer back pike is stuck with a chest lean. 9.725
Ray (ISU) Good straddle Jaeger, low landing on double layout dismount. 9.775
Zarlengo (TWU) High double tuck with legs apart. TWU generally has great amplitude on tumbling. Switch half is good, wolf 1.5 has low legs. High back 1.5 but she undercuts her front layout and lands in a squat. She looks like she’s laughing about it at the end of her routine. 9.425
Fisher (SEMO) BHS LOSO is nicely done. Switch leap has good amplitude. Has a little trouble on the full turn. BHS back 1.5 dismount with a step. Hit routine. 9.675
Bourgeois (TWU) Double pike with a small bounce and slide back. Back 1.5 to front layout with bent legs and a bounce out of bounds. Also bounces out of her leap combo. Double tuck is great. She ends with a headspring. 9.675
Napolitano (SEMO) BHS LOSO is high and straight. Switch leap to split jump is performed solidly. Gainer back full dismount ends noticeably to the side of the beam and has a step. 9.700
Ichiba (CC) Yurchenko full is low and slow and results in a hands and knees fall. 9.725
Steffan (TWU) BHS front double full with movement of front foot on landing. Cartwheel to layout stepout for back tumbling credit. Front tuck to FHS Rudi is well done. Bent leg on 2nd wolf full. 9.675
Ingle (SEMO) BHS BHS LOSO is right on. Slight lean forward on straddle 1/4. RO double full with a stuck dismount. She’s on tonight. 9.825
Koliego (ISU) had a break in rhythm on her routine, then falls on her dismount, peeling off early and skidding on her back. 8.500
Mickens (TWU) Front tuck to Rudi, bounces the landing of her leap pass, high back 1.5 then too much power on front layout and she bounds out of it. High double pike, front foot slides back. 9.750
Parton (SEMO) Full turn with a shoulder drop. BHS LOSO, slight lean of the torso. Switch leap to double stag, stag could have more amplitude. Beat jump to straddle 3/4 with the best landing we’ve seen on that skill today. Sticks the gainer back full off the side. 9.650
Montgomery (CC) Handspring front and sits it down so Centenary will be counting a fall. 8.650
Minard (TWU) Front HS to Rudi with good height and flat hips. High double tuck with no movement on landing. She has scary zombie choreography, which is quite entertaining. She’s thrilled with that routine upon finishing. 9.850
Baucom (ISU) Good HS on high, gets the straddle Jaeger, bail is slightly short of HS but she has nice tight leg form, double layout dismount is close to the bar but she sticks it. 9.800
Isbell (TWU) Double tuck with a slide back. Switch half to wolf 1.5. Back 1.5 to barani to double stag is a beautiful pass. 9.850
Kossuth (SEMO) Full turn is done without problem. Sticks gainer back full off the side. 9.825
AFTER TWO: SEMO 97.125 (48.725 beam), TWU 97.025 (48.700 floor), Illinois State 96.750 (48.475) Centenary 94.950 (47.050 vault)
We’ve seen some good routines with the caliber we expect of these teams, but we’ve also seen plenty of mistakes. SEMO retains its lead and TWU made up some ground, leapfrogging over Illinois State. Centenary had to count a fall on vault but the other competitors on the team performed well.
Rotation 3: Illinois State BB, SEMO FX, TWU VT, Centenary UB
Illinois State beam lineup: Ray, Jones, Woods, Hiatt, Davis, Lau
SEMO floor lineup: Hamilton, Sams, Phillips, Parton, Kossuth, Ingle
TWU vault lineup: Reid, Loock, Bourgeois, Baker, Murphy, Isbell
Centenary bars lineup: Pinder, Cruz, Washington, Stratmann, Dunlavy, Flores
Reid (TWU) Sticks her Yurchenko full with good body position in the air. 9.825
Hamilton (SEMO) Back 2.5 lands well, back 1.5 to front layout is also well done. We only saw part of the routine, but it looked like a good start for SEMO. 9.725
Williams (CC) Almost sticks her full twisting double back dismount off bars. 9.275. She incurs an up to level deduction.
Ray (ISU) Steady full turn and BHS LOSO, high beat jump to split 3/4 lacking split, aerial to two foot landing is also solid, RO back 1.5 with a step forward, but a great leadoff routine. 9.800
Stratmann (CC) falls on piked Jaeger 8.900
Jones (ISU) Wobble on aerial to LOSO. RO back 1.5 is stuck. 9.700
Sams (SEMO) FHS to front double full with a step forward. FHS Rudi to layout step out. Good form but not too much height. 9.750
Woods (ISU) Front aerial to BHS with small hip adjustment. Back shoulder roll to her knee for low beam choreography. Split jump to double stag, back foot not quite to head height. Front toss to beat jump, should get connection value. Front full off the end of the beam with a hop forward. 9.750
Phillips (SEMO) Front layout to front full to dance. Back 1.5 to front layout is well executed. 9.800
Dunlavy (CC) Another fall for Centenary, this time on a Geinger. Bail is short of handstand. Full twisting double tuck with a step back. 8.500
Hiatt (ISU) BHS LOSO LOSO and she falls. Wobbles on full turn, but she’s still smiling. Switch leap, slight hesitation into split jump. RO Back 1.5. She leans forward but hangs on to the stick. 9.050
Parton (SEMO) High double tuck. Slides back on her split half ring jump. 9.775
Murphy (TWU) HS front pike half with leg separation, low landing and a step back. 9.425
Pinder (CC) Short HS, makes her straddle Jaeger, late blind full, low landing on double tuck with a step forward. 9.425
Davis (ISU) BHS LOSO ends with her arms up. She doesn’t have to throw them down because she ends with perfect balance. Cat leap to switch half to beat jump. Low front toss and she wobbles but is able to regain her balance pretty well. Cartwheel to back 1.5. 9.775
Kossuth (SEMO) High double tuck with a small foot movement. Back 1.5 barani to split jump almost out of bounds but stays on her toes so she doesn’t put her heels down over the line. 9.700
Isbell (TWU) Yurchenko 1.5 is almost stuck. Maybe she’ll stick it at regionals. 9.850
Flores (CC) Maloney to Pak with legs apart, short HS on high, double layout with slight leg separation but a stuck landing. 9.450
Lau (ISU) BHS BHS LOSO with slight adjustment on landing. Stuck layout back full dismount. 9.800
Ingle (SEMO) Front layout to high Rudi with a bounce back. Switch half to high Popa. 9.800
AFTER THREE: SEMO 146.00 (48.850 floor), TWU 145.825 (48.900 vault), Illinois State 145.625 (48.875 beam), Centenary 141.525 (46.575 bars)
We’ve got a close meet between the top three teams. All performed well in rotation 3. TWU has been inconsistent on bars, so it’s hard to predict if they can outscore SEMO in rotation 4. Likewise, SEMO has been up and down on vault, so it’s anyone’s game at this point. Illinois State scored 49.000 on floor last week. Will they be the surprise winner? Centenary had a tough time on bars, counting a fall on this event as well.
Rotation 4: Illinois State FX, SEMO VT, TWU UB, Centenary BB
Illinois State floor lineup: Woods, LeBlanc, Flutman, Ray, Davis, Jones
SEMO vault lineup: Hamilton, Kuehn, Reader, Hernandez, Kossuth, Ingle
TWU bars lineup: Bourgeois, Zarlengo, Loock, Reid, Bowns, Ferrari
Centenary beam lineup: Foret, Navarro, Cruz, Cagle, Gilbert, Ichiba
Hamilton (SEMO) Yurchenko tuck full with a stick. Great start! 9.800
Bourgeois (TWU) Blind change to straddle Jaeger, bail HS, good HS on high, full twisting double tuck dismount is high and stuck. Great start for TWU as well. 9.800
Foret (CC) Switch half, keeps her leg up and goes into a gainer back full off the side of the beam. I like the uniqueness of that combination. 9.750
Kuehn (SEMO) Yurchenko layout 1/2 with a step forward. Nice layout position in the air. 9.725
Zarlengo (TWU) Blind change to piked Jaeger, legs apart on bail HS, double layout with leg separation and small foot movement on landing. 9.800
Navarro (CC) BHS LOSO with a lean. Switch leap to front toss, another interesting connection there. Lean on straddle 3/4. Front tuck full dismount with a step forward. 9.650
LeBlanc (ISU) MIC Newcomer of the Year. Double tuck. She barely bends her legs, so not sure if it was supposed to be a pike. Front full to front layout is competent, but not outstanding. There’s the back pike in the third pass. She had a more defined shape that time. 9.750
Reader (SEMO) Yurchenko full with a step back. 9.750
Loock (TWU) Full twisting double tuck dismount with a step. 9.650
Cruz (CC) BHS BHS LOSO and she falls. Gainer back full is piked and she takes a step backward to end a disappointing routine for this WCGNIC qualifier on beam. 8.925
Hernandez (SEMO) Yurchenko full with good form and a small hop backward. 9.800
Flutman (ISU) Front double full and she takes a crossover step, as is normal for her. Popa to Popa, jumps back on the landing. Back 1.5 to low punch front. Punch Rudi with a solid landing. 9.650
Cagle (CC) Front toss to BHS, which is slightly off, but she keeps moving. Switch leap to pike jump half, yet another interesting combo. Switch leap to pike gainer back off the end of the beam, which also ends to the side instead of square with the beam. 9.600
Kossuth (SEMO) Yurchenko full with a large bound back. 9.650
Ray (ISU) Double pike with her hips behind her and she falls backward out of bounds. Wolf 1.5 with a step back on landing. Front full with bent knees to front layout. Hopefully they can drop that score. 8.950
Bowns (TWU) Toe HS, Maloney to Pak with leg separation, bail to vertical, blind full to double tuck with a step back. Nice lines, as we say in gymnastics. 9.850
Gilbert (CC) Front aerial with a wobble, RO double full with a step to the side. 9.575
Ingle (SEMO) Sticks her Yurchenko full, she gets more height and distance than anyone we’ve seen today. She is qualified to regionals on vault and she shows why. 9.875
Davis (ISU) Double tuck bounces into the lunge but keeps her front foot planted. Switch half to wolf 1.5 with slightly loose form. Back 1.5 to front layout is nicely done. Good routine. 9.850
Ichiba (CC) BHS LOSO with a fall, so Centenary will count a fall on a third event. Switch leap half is short of full split. Aerial with a pause into split jump. Sticks the gainer full dismount. 9.225
Steffan (TWU) sticks her double tuck dismount off bars. The commentator lets us know there was a fall earlier in the routine. 9.200
Jones (ISU) Double pike is stuck, then she takes the controlled step back. Rudi to straddle jump. Leans forward on her Popa landing, but doesn’t move her feet. Back 1.5 to front layout is also controlled. All the tumbling was great. 9.850
FINAL: SEMO 194.950 (48.950 vault), TWU 194.825 (48.900 bars), Illinois State 194.550 (48.900), Centenary 189.325 (47.800)
VT: Ingle (SEMO) 9.875
UB: Bowns (TWU) 9.850
BB: Lau (ISU) 9.50
FX: Minard (TWU), Isbell (TWU), Davis (ISU), Jones (ISU) 9.850
AA: Ingle (SEMO) 39.275
SEMO was the strongest team in the last three rotations and the Gymhawks hang on for the win, scoring a season high at just the right time. TWU couldn’t overcome the nervous start on beam and suffered from the loss of Kyleigh Ghanbari, who is on crutches with an unknown injury. Illinois State had a good meet and nearly tied their season high. Despite counting falls on three events, Centenary achieved a season high road score today. The individual event winners are distributed among the three top teams, showcasing the talent throughout this conference.
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Live blog by Jessica Needle
