CHICAGO – After four-straight road meets to start the season, the women's gymnastics team will finally return home for its first home meet of the season. The Flames will welcome Eastern Michigan on Sunday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. at the UIC Pavilion.

The Flames earned their first Midwest Independent Conference win of the season on Sunday, defeating Illinois State 192.425-192.000. Sophomore Jenna Squillo took home the event title on vault (9.700), while redshirt junior Riley Cholod took the crown on bars with a career-high 9.850.

Heading into week five, UIC currently sits in fourth in the MIC with a team average of 192.000, a mere .631 out of first. The Flames are second as a team on bars, averaging a 48.263. On floor, UIC ranks third with an average of 48.088.

Sophomore Mikailla Northern owns the top spot in the all-around rankings for the second-consecutive week after taking home first place at Illinois State on Sunday. The St. Louis, Mo. native has an average all-around score of 38.744 thus far.

Elsewhere in the MIC, Northern ranks second on beam (9.731), seventh on vault (9.700) and is tied for ninth on floor (9.675). On bars, Squillo is currently eighth in the Conference, averaging 9.688, while Nikki Woodruff is tied for ninth in the Conference on beam with an average of 9.650.

Eastern Michigan was victorious in its last three meets, most recently defeating Western Michigan on Sunday 195.400-194.900. The Eagles are number one in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) heading into week five, and are also ranked No. 29 in the nation.


The Flames last faced Eastern Michigan on Feb. 15, 2015, falling 194.675-192.425.