UIC is the national runner-up, after a huge second half of the meet and a scintillating finish at the USAG Team Finals Saturday night.

"We could not be more proud of the girls," co-head coach Peter Jansson said, adding, "they absolutely pulled out all the stops tonight.  It may be not in our best interest to start on bars, but we had 22 fantastic routines today.  Almost a season high and second in the nation!"
 
The Flames were competing at USAG Nationals for the first time.  On the sport's biggest stage, they capped their season with a performance worthy of the record-breaking standards they set throughout the campaign.  The standing room only, boisterous crowd saw them break 196 for the second time, making 2019 just the second season in program history to feature multiple scores over 196.  It became the team record tenth time they scored 195 or higher.

A solid bars set to open the meet put the Flames in second place, but they dropped to fourth after competing on beam.  Responding to the situation as they have done all season, they set season highs in the last two rotations.  The floor squad put up a season best 49.275, leapfrogging the team into first place.  Though the vault group totaled 49.000, Lindenwood's beam score of 49.500 in the last rotation gave them the national championship with a total of 196.375.

The Flames scored 196.025, trailing only their Illinois Classic-winning 196.150 for the best score of 2019.  No other USAG team broke 196 all year until Lindenwood did so tonight.  Senior Mikailla Northern, competing in the last meet of her storied career, made a lasting final impression with a career high 9.925 on floor and a season high 9.825 on vault.  Classmate Allison Broad had a season-best vault to contribute to the strong finish.  Kayla Baddeley had the best all-around score of the meet, a career high-tying 39.275.

Bridgeport scored 195.925 and took third.  Air Force was more competitive than their 194.575 score would indicate, as they were in the thick of things until suffering three falls on beam.  The USAG national championships, limited to teams that offer less than 7.5 scholarships, will continue with the individual event finals Sunday at noon.

Rotation 1 – Bars

• Serena Baker matched her score from the semifinal with a team high 9.875.  That was good for second place in the meet.
• Miki Northern showed a quarter-tenth improvement from Friday, scoring 9.825.  She was among several gymnasts in a tie for fourth.
• Toni Alicke posted a 9.800, and Kayla Baddeley scored 9.775.

Rotation 2 – Beam

• Baddeley's 9.825 was a quarter-tenth higher than her routine in the semifinals.
• Alisa Sheremeta had her highest score in over a month with a 9.800.  Both she and Baddeley finished in the top 10.
• Jenna Squillo hit her set and posted a 9.750.

Rotation 3 – Floor

• Northern made the last floor exercise of her brilliant career the best of all.  She scored a career high 9.925, the highest in the meet, and helped the Flames amass a season high 49.275.
• Sheremeta matched her semifinal score, which also matched her career high, with the fifth 9.900 of her freshman campaign.  She took second place.
• Baddeley posted a 9.850, good for fourth, with Ashley Albrecht and Alicke each bringing home a 9.800.

Rotation 4 – Vault

• Northern was the team leader yet again, scoring a season high 9.825 to tie with Baddeley.  They were in a five-way tie for second place.
• Allison Broad scored 9.800, marking her season high.  She took seventh place.
• Ashley Albrecht, Riley Mahoney, and Maddie Nowak all scored 9.775 as the team had a season high 49.000.

All-Around

• Baddeley tied her season high with a total of 39.275, which was the best score of the meet.
• Northern set a season high, totaling 39.250.  She was right behind Baddeley in the individual rankings.

Up Next

• Four Flames will compete in the individual event finals Sunday.
• Baddeley will compete on vault and beam, Alicke and Baker on bars, and Sheremeta on floor.