The margin of victories for the teams were smaller than a single point, yet both Illini gymnastics programs managed to secure the victory during their first matchups against a Big Ten foe this season.

In the second meet of the season, the Illini men’s and women’s teams narrowly defeated Penn State in University Park on Saturday.

The men’s team narrowly defeated Penn State, 397.250-396.550, in a come-from-behind win after a clerical error found in the score sheet reduced Penn State’s total score by one point.

Sophomore Sebastian Ingersoll continues to shine this season after scoring career highs on the pommel horse (13.250), vault (14.150) and high bar (13.550).

Seniors Hamish Carter and Michael Fletcher helped secure the Illini’s win with season highs in several events. 

Carter set a new season high of 13.250 on the floor event and a high of 13.800 on the high bars, which helped him secure his sixth career title for this event. Fletcher set season highs on the pommel horse (13.300) and parallel bars (13.600).

The women’s team also edged Penn State, 196.350-195.475, in the second dual meet of the season for the Illini.

This matchup introduced a new format that was set in place by the NCAA in August 2021 where gymnasts from both programs on a single team alternated routines and included the addition of a six-minute halftime following the first three events. 

The underclassmen on the team contributed pivotal points towards the Illini’s victory, such as sophomore Amelia Knight, who set career highs on the floor (9.90) and the beam (9.875) event, which she went on to win the event title for.

The floor event was the Illini’s best performance with a score of 49.250, and fellow sophomore classmates Abby Muller (9.875) and Kaitlyn Ewald (9.850) also set career highs. 

Freshman all-around Ruthuja Nataraj also made her debut in the floor event with a score of 9.875.

@ArtofRenato

[email protected]