Illini Women’s Gymnastics Begins 2026 at Iowa for Border Battle Quad Meet

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Josh Nilson brings the Fighting Illini Women’s Gymnastics staff to the Border Battle in Iowa City, Iowa, to begin off the 2026 season. They will face face Iowa, Iowa State, and Illinois State in Nilson’s first meet on the helm of this system.

EYES ON THE ILLINI

• Freshman Summer Clancy and sophomore Chloe Cho have been named to the Big Ten’s Gymnasts to Watch listing through the preseason.
• Clancy, a Columbia, Ill., native, comes out of her highschool profession with a 2025 Missouri all-around state champion title. In 2023 and 2025, she was a nationals qualifier.
• Cho had a adorned first 12 months with the Illini, incomes Big Ten Freshman of the Week 4 instances, sixteen occasion titles, and gained 2025’s B1G Ten Freshman of the Year award. She was additionally a member of All-Big Ten First Team and the Big Ten All-American Team.

NEW FACES AT THE HELM

• Josh Nilson takes over the reins as head coach after serving as Illini affiliate head coach the previous two seasons, serving to lead this system to back-to-back NCAA Regional Round 2 appearances whereas having 4 gymnasts compile All-Big Ten honors. 
• Entering her first season with the Orange and Blue, Rachel Inniss reunites with Nilson after teaching collectively at Temple (2018-202), making the transfer to Illinois after spending the final 5 seasons as an assistant coach at Penn State.
• Abby Mueller, in her first season as an assistant coach, spent her collegiate profession with the Fighting Illini through the 2021-24 seasons, incomes Academic All-Big Ten honors throughout her sophomore, junior, and senior years. She spent the 2025 season competing at Missouri, serving to the Tigers file their greatest beam rating in program historical past.

Head Coach Josh Nilson

Record At Illinois: 00-00 (0), 1st 12 months

Complete Illinois Meet Notes (PDF)