MIC Championship

Recap

The Big Storyline: Lindenwood won its sixth consecutive MIC title, overcoming a strong showing from No. 1 seed Illinois State. The Lions produced a season high in the second rotation on beam, an event on which they’ve struggled all year. And with two strong events to finish, they were nearly impossible to catch. Illinois State had to count a few shaky routines on beam in the first rotation and then didn’t show its full strength on floor. The Redbirds still walked away with three individual titles, though. Texas Woman’s counted a fall on beam and two on bars and couldn’t compete with other teams’ clean meets, though freshman Madeline Gose had a career day and became a two-time MIC champion. 

Postseason Implications: None of these teams were really in the regionals game, but a number of MIC gymnasts will attend the meet as individuals. Labat has qualified as an all arounder, three Lindenwood vaulters (Kyndall Baze, Aleah Leman and Courtney Mitchell) have advanced, Sofia Iribarren locked in her qualification on bars, Anna Kaziska will compete beam and floor and Cameron Topp and Isabel Goyco have also advanced on floor. Lindenwood remains the No. 1 seed for USAG nationals while SEMO passed Texas Woman’s to grab the No. 2 seed.

Records: Madeline Gose tied or beat season highs on all three of her events with a 9.850 on vault, a 9.925 on beam and a 9.875 on floor. Isabel Goyco’s 9.875 on bars was a career high. Vault and bars champions J’Chelle Heard and Sofia Iribarren both set career highs.

Conference Awards

• Gymnast of the Year: Angelica Labat (Illinois State)
• Newcomer of the Year: Madeline Gose (Texas Woman’s)
• Coach of the Year: Ashley Lawson (SEMO), Chris Muras & Megan Harrington (Illinois State)

Preview

• No. 43 Illinois State | 195.194 NQS | 195.725 season high
• No. 44 Lindenwood | 195.106 NQS | 195.375 season high
• No. 46 Texas Woman’s | 194.769 NQS | 195.150 season high
• No. 48 S.E. Missouri | 194.644 NQS | 195.150 season high
• No. 53 Centenary | 189.950 NQS | 192.300 season high

If you can only watch one meet, here’s why it should be this one… Luckily, since the MIC Championships are this week’s only Friday meet, you very likely will be able to watch! Don’t make the mistake of sitting this one out just because you aren’t familiar with the teams. The rankings tell the story: This thing could be extremely, extremely close. Even more excitingly, neither Lindenwood or Texas Woman’s has put together a full meet of twenty strong counted routines, so there’s room to grow. Illinois State, meanwhile, is the best it’s ever been with two of its five best scores in program history coming in the last two weeks.

If this is one of many meets you’ll be watching, don’t miss this… Lindenwood vault and Illinois State floor are the two key rotations in this meet, both topping out at 49.175. Lindenwood has a pair of stickable Yurchenko Arabians from Aleah Turon and Courtney Mitchell that highlight the rotation, but can also sink it quickly if the landings aren’t strong. Illinois State senior Cameron Topp has had the best year of her career on floor, and all arounder Angelica Labat is a huge deal and perhaps the leading contender for the all around title. Texas Woman’s freshman Maddie Gose is a major factor on all three of her events, Centenary’s Kendall Knaps does a unique gainer layout dismount off the end of the beam and Anna Kaziska and Dahlia Solorzano-Caruso are SEMO’s power contributors.

What’s the bigger picture to keep an eye on? Every MIC team besides Illinois State will be progressing to USAG nationals the week after regionals and this meet is an important preview of which among Lindenwood, Texas Woman’s and SEMO could win the all-important national title. Numerous gymnasts from this meet could make regionals as individuals, including all arounder Angelica Labat from Illinois State and three (!) Lindenwood vaulters.

By the Numbers

Past Champions

• Illinois State: 2 titles, last won in 2012
• Lindenwood: 5 titles, last won in 2019
• S.E. Missouri: 6 titles, last won in 2014
• Texas Woman’s: 2 titles, last won in 2010
• Centenary: 0 titles

Records Watch

• Team: 196.575 (UIC, 2003)
• Vault: 49.500 (Lindenwood, 2015)
• Bars: 49.425 (UIC, 1997)
• Beam: 49.375 (SEMO, 2003)
• Floor: 49.575 (TWU, 2015)

Last Time Out

Lindenwood tied with UIC for the 2019 title, narrowly edging UIC for the final regionals berth and setting up a tense final showdown at USAG nationals—which Lindenwood ultimately won. The only individual MIC champion from 2019 who has not yet graduated is Illinois State’s Cameron Topp, who turned in a 9.900 to earn the title on floor.

*Special thanks to Drew Porche for all of the Records Watch data provided in this preview.