No. 27 Illini Head To Big Ten Championships
Notes for this weekend’s conference championship meet

This Week
The No. 27 Fighting Illini women's gymnastics team (10-4, 2-1) travels to East Lansing, Mich. for the Big Ten Championships on Saturday, March 25. The meet is set to begin at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT. Last weekend, Illinois managed to win all four event titles as well as the individual all-around to claim the unofficial state championship at the State of Illinois Classic in Normal, Ill.  The Orange and Blue put up a team score of 191.850, their second lowest of the season.

Illinois at the 2005 Big Tens
2005 saw Illinois place fifth at the conference championships with a score of 193.725. Head coach Bob Starkell was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year as his team recorded their highest conference finish since 2000. A sophomore at the time, Cara Pomeroy placed fourth on bars with a score of 9.850 and was named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Seniors Kara Kapernekas and Lauren Newcomb were honored to the conference's All-Second Team.

Illinois' first and only conference crown came back in 1990, when they won the Big Ten title with a score of 188.750.

Scouting the Big Ten
Michigan is the top-ranked conference school, ranking seventh nationally with a regional qualifying score of 196.230. Penn State follows, ranked 16th nationally, with a 195.530 RQS while Minnesota is third in the Big Ten and 21st nationally with an RQS of 194.805. The Illini (27th) are ahead of 29th-ranked Michigan State with an RQS of 194.060. The Spartans have a RQS of 193.890. Ohio State is 31st nationally with a 193.660, and Iowa is ranked 34th, with a 193.190.

The Best In The Conference
Vault: Minnesota's Laura Johnson leads the conference with a vault RQS of 9.855, a score that ranks her 36th nationally. Her season-high on vault is a 9.900. She has been name Big Ten gymnast of the week four times this season. Illinois' top-ranked vaulter, Michelle McGrady (9.810 RQS) will not be competing due to injury.

Bars: Michigan's Lauren Mirkovich, who is ranked eighth in the nation on bars with a 9.900 RQS, leads the Big Ten in the event. Mirkovich's average on bars is 9.805 and her season high is 9.925. Illinois' top bar competitor is Cara Pomeroy (9.825 RQS)

Beam: A three-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week, Michigan's Lindsey Bruck leads the Big Ten and is tied for 11th in the nation on beam. Bruck has an event RQS of 9.875 and averages a 9.752 on the event. Her season best is a 9.900. Freshman Julie Crall is Illinois' top-ranked individual on beam (9.830 RQS).

Floor: Minnesota's Laura Johnson, who leads the conference on vault also leads on floor with an RQS of 9.870. The senior, who is ranked 21st nationally, averages a floor routine of 9.820. Her season best is 9.900. Freshman Kim Kruk will be the top Illini competing on floor (9.775 RQS).

All-Around: Michigan's Tatjana Thuener-Rego ranks 21st in the nation all-around and leads the Big Ten with an all-around RQS of 39.235. The Feb. 8 Big Ten Gymnast of the Week averages an all-around score of 38.998 and has a high of 39.375.

Taking a Little Slip
The below-average score of 191.850 Illinois posted last weekend at the State of Illinois Classic did not affect their RQS this week. Illinois' score remains at 194.060, however the Illini fell several spots from last week's ranking of No. 24. The Orange and Blue are currently ranked 27th on this week's Gyminfo rankings (March 13, 2005) behind No. 26 New Hampshire (194.065).

Injury Report
After an impressive start to her sophomore season that included seven individual event titles, Michelle McGrady was sidelined for the remainder of the season two weeks ago with a stress fracture to one of her legs. Keeping McGrady company in the training room is junior Danye Botterman, who dislocated her foot last week at practice and will also miss the remainder of the season. Botterman won two event titles two weeks ago against Michigan State on vault (9.750) and floor (9.825).

Kruk Keeping Composure
With the recent injuries Illinois has experienced, coach Starkell and his staff have looked for the freshman class to help carry the load. Leading the way has been freshman Kim Kruk, who last week won the all-around title at the State of Illinois Classic with a new personal-best of 39.075 while winning the floor exercise title with a career-high 9.850. Kruk has recorded six individual titles this season.

A Pause For Pomeroy
After placing at least one top-three finish in Illinois' last nine competitions, Pomeroy failed to record a top-three finish at last week's State of Illinois Classic. The junior's highest finish was a tie for sixth on bars with a score of 9.675. The Ottawa, Ontario native currently ranks 14th on bars (9.825) and 15th on beam (9.805) in the South Central Region. Pomeroy, who is the only UI gymnast ever to record a perfect 10.0 (2004 South Central Regionals on bars), has racked up a total of 10 event titles this season.

A Thought From Cara
“We have a lot of talented freshmen contributing, so we have a much different look than we did last year. We have become more consistent and have continued to improve our performances as the season has progressed. The conference is very talented, but I think we are right up there with everyone. We are going to fight for a spot on the podium.”

Coach Starkell on the Big Ten Meet
“The group of coaches and the extremely talented athletes in the Big Ten will make it a very exciting championship meet. We are a completely different team compared to last year, so it's very hard to determine where we will be at the end of the meet. There is so much talent in our conference, but I feel we can be competitive with everybody. The conference championships are always something we look forward to and train hard for throughout the season.”

Watch The Illini On TV
CSTV will be airing the 2006 Big Ten Championship in tape delay on Thursday, March 30 at 9 p.m. ET.

Be There In Person
Tickets for the conference championships are $10 for adults and $5 for youth (under 18) and senior citizens. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-GOSTATE (10 a.m.- 6 p.m. ET Mon.- Fri.) or at 211 Jenison Fieldhouse (10 a.m.- 6 p.m. ET Mon.- Fri.). Everyone regardless of age must have a ticket.

More Championship Info
For more information on this weekend's conference championships including live stats for Saturday’s competition, check: msuspartans.com.

Up Next
After this weekend's competition at the Big Ten Championships in East Lansing, the Illini will have two weeks off before they head to NCAA Regionals on Saturday, April 8. The South Central Regional will be in Fayetteville, Ark.