After a loss to top 10 opponent and Big Ten rival Michigan last weekend, Illinois has a similar matchup coming up this Saturday.

The No. 14 Fighting Illini will host the No. 9 Penn State Nittany Lions in their annual Pink Meet at Huff Hall.

Illinois looks to apply what it learned at Michigan in its second home meet of the season. In Ann Arbor, the Illini scored below a 49 on their final three events.

“We did have a couple bumps in the middle of our competition, on vault and floor, and they came back strong on beam,” head coach Kim Landrus said. “It’s important to finish meets strong, and that’s what they did, so I think they learned a lot of valuable lessons when we competed at Michigan that we can carry out through the rest of the season.”

One of the valuable lessons the Illini took from the Michigan meet was to not get ahead of themselves. The scores fluctuated on each event, and none of the Illini scored above a 9.85.

“Each individual has to make sure they go up and do their job,” Landrus said. “And I think we are successful by building off of each other, whether it’s positive, and if there’s any sort of negative vibes in there, your team catches on. So we just need to make sure that we are going out there, having a lot of fun, the excitement is high. And we do this every day in practice, so they just have to continue that.”



Illini sophomore Mary Jane Horth eyes the high bar as she twists during her Maloney half on bars.


Their hard work in practice has given them success on uneven bars so far this season. The Illini have yet to score below a 49 on the event, and Landrus has attributed the bars lineup’s success to “the little things” and confidence.

“They’ve really worked on handstands and a lot of the sticks, and when you need to deliver those high scores, it definitely comes down to handstands and sticks,” Landrus said.

Landrus also called Penn State a “solid team,” but Illinois isn’t changing its game plan.

“We really need to go in there,” Landrus continued. “We need to focus on ourselves, and it really doesn’t matter what Penn State does. We need to go in and do our job.”

This Saturday’s meet marks the Illinois gymnastics program’s eighth annual Pink Meet, where they will raise awareness and support for breast cancer.

“Everybody’s been touched by breast cancer, and to bring awareness to such a good cause, I know that it means a lot to the team,” Landrus said. “I know it means a lot to the community and the fans, so we always look forward to having a pink meet to bring that awareness out.”

 

At the 2014 Orange and Blue Exhibition, Erin Buchanan executes a double stag jump while performing on floor.

Illini sophomore Erin Buchanan and junior Heather Foley especially appreciate the awareness, as Buchanan’s mom is a survivor while Foley’s grandmother battled the disease before passing away.

The meet begins at 4 PM central. Live stats and a live stream will be available for fans unable to attend the meet.

The first 1000 fans in attendance will receive a free Illini Gymnastics headband or bracelet to support breast cancer awareness.