Illinois (3-1, 1-0) is on the road this weekend for its second Big Ten matchup of 2025. After a No. 2 finish at the Ball State Quad meet and a conference victory at home, the Illini will travel to Los Angeles to face No. 8 UCLA (4-2, 1-0) and its impressive roster, which features three Olympians.
Weekend recap
Both the Bruins and the Illini are coming off of recent conference wins. The Illini redeemed themselves against the Cornhuskers with a 196.275-195.600 victory. Six Illinois gymnasts achieved a combined total of 12 career highs against Nebraska. Freshman Chloe Cho took home first place for the floor and all-around. Senior Makayla Green and junior Arielle Ward took first in the bars and vault, respectively.
After their win, head coach Nadalie Walsh spoke on how her team took on adversity and benefited from it.
“They all handled the pressure and turned it into an opportunity for success,” Walsh said. “Tonight’s victory was an absolute group effort where each person needed to trust themselves and one another, which was great to see from my young team.”
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As for UCLA, it saw a large margin of victory against Maryland (2-3, 0-1), 197.550-194.850, for its first Big Ten dual meet. The Bruins swept the meet, winning in the four apparatuses and the all-around. Fresh off her Olympic summer, junior Jordan Chiles took home three first-place titles.
On the road again
For the Illini, they might have trouble competing on the road. Small but important factors to consider are the environment and equipment. The Illini compete at Huff Hall at home, which holds just over 4,000 people. Pauley Pavilion, on the other hand, seats just shy of 14,000. Looking back at the 2024 season, several of the Illini’s road losses came from larger venues.
The Bruins are used to their larger arena and large fanbase to their advantage. Unlike Illinois, UCLA also offers season and single-game tickets to all of their meets. It could be a raucous environment on Saturday, so the Illini must close out all distractions to maximize their success.
Big Ten, big names
Two UCLA Olympians, Chiles and graduate student Brooklyn Moors, earned Big Ten honors this week. Moors was named a co-event specialist, while Chiles was named a co-gymnast of the week. But, for Illinois, it was Cho who earned recognition with her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award.
Even with UCLA’s three Olympians and the depth of its roster, Illinois is not lacking in the talent department as it gets ready for what is bound to be a tough Big Ten matchup.
@lauram0131
