CHAMPAIGN (WCIA) — The Illinois women’s gymnastics team is making its 19th-straight NCAA Regional appearance this weekend in Norman, Oklahoma. The Illini will compete Thursday at 2 p.m. in the sixth-consecutive appearance in the postseason for head coach Nadalie Walsh’s program. A head-to-head battle awaits in the opening round against Iowa, Alabama and Kentucky.

“They’re in a really good head space,” Walsh said about her squad. “They’ve had really good practices and they’re very confident and consistent and I think they’ve gotten better from leading up to Regionals and heading out so I think that’s going to be a very good showing for us.”

The Illini are coming off a fifth place finish at the Big Ten championship and will try to earn a second day appearance at the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2014, that’s also the last time the program qualified for the national championships.