TOLEDO, Ohio – Rutgers gymnastics scored a 194.650 Saturday at the Big Five meet inside Huntington Center to top No. 22 Ohio State for its second Big Ten win of the season. The Scarlet Knights defeated then-No. 25 Penn State on Feb. 9 at the RAC for its other victory, owning a combined two regular season Big Ten wins in the previous four seasons.
 
RU notched 194 or better for the fourth-straight competition and fifth time in six outings. The mark was good to leap Michigan State in the final Big Ten regular season standings.
 
"I couldn't be more proud," head coach Umme Salim-Beasley said. "The team stayed focused throughout. We did have a miss on floor and a miss on beam, but the lineup didn't waver. They just did what they needed to do and made up for the miss so we didn't have to count a fall. I'm so pleased."
 
No. 8 Michigan took first place with a 197.750 to win the league title, while No. 14 Minnesota finished at 196.700 and Illinois 195.525 to qualify for the evening session at the Big Ten Championships next month. Rutgers ended fourth after never having finished higher than fifth in this meet before and will join Ohio State (194.600) in the afternoon session at Penn State.
 
The meet took place on podium and was hosted by Elevate the Stage.
 
"It was a really exciting atmosphere," Salim-Beasley said. "Being on podium feels so professional and makes it seem like you are on a grander scale. The team really enjoyed the experience. The crowd was great and this will really help them when it comes to Big Tens. Now they been out there and know what it's like to compete on podium."
 
Starting on floor exercise, Rutgers posted a 49.000 to reach the mark for the third time this season. Sophomore Toni Williams began with a 9.750 before a fall on the second routine. Seniors Michelle Amoresano and Jenna Rizkalla both came back with a 9.775 before classmate Riahanah Ali elevated to a 9.825. Sophomore Belle Huang nailed the fourth consecutive hit by earning a 9.875 as the anchor.
 
"Starting with a 49.000 was great," Salim-Beasley said. "Floor is one of our stronger events, so it was a good place for us to start. We had an early miss, but the team didn't let that bring us down. They continued to push and encouraged each other."
 
Amoresano had a season-high 9.800 on vault, while Ali ran to a 9.775 and junior Kaitlyn Hall followed at 9.725. Williams and Huang both flipped to 9.700 to help the team land at 48.700 in the second rotation.
 
The Scarlet Knights connected on all six uneven bars routines to tabulate a 48.950 for the second-best team number in 2019. Junior Shannon Farrell continued her consistency on the event with a 9.825, her fourth-straight week reaching 9.800. Huang and sophomore Emily Drauss both swung to a career-high 9.800. In addition, Hall picked up a 9.775, Amoresano a 9.750 and Ali a 9.725.
 
Rutgers finished on balance beam once again, as Huang highlighted the rotation with a 9.675. The Scarlet Knights collected a 48.000.
 
RU used three all-arounders for the third time this season. Huang reached 39 for the fourth meet in her career by totaling 39.050. Amoresano (38.950) and Ali (38.850) ended only a tenth apart.
 
Having completed the Big Ten regular season, the Scarlet Knights will in four non-conference meets before the Big Ten Championships on March 23. That stretch starts next Saturday at New Hampshire in a 7 p.m. quad meet with Brown and NC State.
 
TOTAL SCORE: 194.650
VAULT: 48.700
UNEVEN BARS: 48.950
BALANCE BEAM: 48.000
FLOOR EXERCISE: 49.000 

New leo alert 🚨 #leowatch #GoRU #getyourjerseyon pic.twitter.com/hb6jAPHWvg

— Rutgers Gymnastics (@RUGymnastics) February 23, 2019

Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding women's gymnastics, follow the program on Twitter (@RUGymnastics), Facebook (/RUGymnastics), Instagram (@rutgersgymnastics) and Snapchat (rutgersgym).