The No. 17 Illinois women’s gymnastics team huddled around each other inside the WVU Coliseum, in Morgantown, W.Va., on Saturday night. They waited in anxious anticipation of the team scores announcement.

The announcer came over the loudspeaker and said: “And in second place, moving on to the NCAA Championships, the University of Illinois.”

By finishing second overall at the NCAA Morgantown Regional, Illinois qualified for its third national appearance in program history, and the Illini erupted in cheer, jumping and screaming in celebration.

“I think we did an amazing job at regionals,” senior Alina Weinstein said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better performance. We came up big in the clutch when it mattered, and that’s all that matters.”

Illinois finished the meet with a score of 196.025, only 0.700 behind first-place Michigan and 0.150 ahead of third-place Nebraska.

The Wolverines were in control for the majority of the night, but the second qualifying spot was up for grabs until the last event. The Cornhuskers put up a 49.650 on vault forcing the Illini to score a 49.025 or higher on beam to advance.

The pressure didn’t seem to faze Illinois, which had all of its competitors score above a 9.750. Weinstein and sophomore Sunny Kato led the way for the Illini with scores of 9.900 and 9.875, respectively.

“I think it was clutch,” Landrus said. “We had some momentum from the last event, and they went up to beam with the mentality to think everything was normal and do what they do every day. They went out there not fazed by the pressure and showed off some really great routines.”

All night, Weinstein led Illinois, finishing with three individual event titles and becoming the first-ever Illini to win three at a single NCAA meet. Weinstein took titles in the all-around with a 39.550, on floor with a 9.900 and tied for first on beam, again scoring a 9.900. She also finished fourth on bars and fifth on vault with a 9.850 and a 9.900, respectively.

“Oh gosh, it was so much fun,” Weinstein said. “Honestly, I thought the same thing I think in every meet, which is to propel my team to win, and anything beyond that is a bonus and a reward, and it was a lot of fun.”

Following the meet, Weinstein was named Regional Gymnast of the Year.

“She has just been a remarkable competitor who has so much talent,” Landrus said. “She represented Illinois well, being the anchor on four events, and doing what she did in such clutch situations says a lot about her character as a competitor.”

Illinois was strong throughout the meet, putting up a 48.950 on floor, a 48.975 on vault and a 48.925 on bars before ending on beam.

The team has seen its share of ups and downs throughout the season, which made the performance that much sweeter to Landrus.

“It’s a truly exciting moment for this program to qualify for the third time,” Landrus said. “This group of girls has worked so hard this year and persevered through a lot, so it was such a rewarding feeling that they went in there and accomplished what they set out to.”

Following the announcement, the Illini went to the locker room where they surprised Landrus with a Gatorade bath.

“It was cold,” Landrus said. “But it was also well worth it.”

Nicholas can be reached at [email protected] and on Twitter @IlliniSportsGuy.