Freshman Alisa Sheremeta had two third place finishes to lead UIC in the season-opening quad meet at Arizona State.  The team scored 193.925, improving upon their opening night score a year ago.

"We are off to a fantastic start!" a very happy co-head coach Peter Jansson said.  "The team looked great against teams from the Pac-12, SEC, and Big Ten."

Sheremeta scored 9.825 on floor and 9.850 on beam, placing third in the competitive field that included Missouri and Minnesota.  The Sun Devils and Tigers were both ranked in the top 20 in the USA Gymnastics preseason coaches' poll.  Miki Northern tied Sheremeta on the floor, and was third in the all-around competition.

Mizzou totaled 195.450 to capture first place.  Arizona State and Minnesota followed, with the Flames finishing 0.225 out of third.  "We were leading Minnesota after three events and went neck-and-neck with ASU," Jansson continued.  "These kids are doing a fantastic job and showing that they can run with the big dogs."

Rotation 1 – Floor

• Alisa Sheremeta nailed her first routine as a collegiate gymnast, scoring 9.825.
• Mikailla Northern posted the same score to tie for team-high honors.  The pair tied for third place overall.
• Kayla Baddeley was close behind with a 9.725.

Rotation 2 – Vault

• Baddeley paced the Flames on vault with a 9.800.  She tied for sixth overall.
• Allison Broad turned in a 9.675, with Northern and Riley Mahoney .05 behind her.

Rotation 3 – Bars

• Three Flames were clustered at the top of the team leaderboard.
• Northern and Serena Baker each scored 9.775.  They tied for eighth place.  Baddeley earned a 9.725 in her first bars routine as a Flame.
• The team's total of 48.550 was higher than that of meet champion Missouri.

Rotation 4 – Beam

• Sheremeta turned in her second team-high score of the evening with a 9.850.  Her score was good for third place.  "Alisa came out huge, being our top scorer on two events," Jansson said.
• Dani Maciel had a 9.725.  Jenna Squillo returned to the lineup for the first time in two years, and scored 9.700.
• Mahoney posted a score of 9.675.

All-Around

• Northern's total of 38.850 was good for third place overall.
• Baddeley completed the all-around for the first time in her career, and scored 38.825, just one spot behind Northern.
• "Kayla competing for the first time in the all-around did a fantastic job, and Miki's back showing how strong of an all-arounder she is.  So it was a fantastic day with a lot more to come from a great team," Jansson concluded.

Up Next

• The Flames will open their home schedule next Sunday when they host a quad meet.
• Kent State, MIC foe Centenary, and UW-Oshkosh will come to town.
• The meet will be at the team's new home venue for 2019, the UIC Dorin Forum, starting at 3:00 pm.