WEST POINT, N.Y. – The Illinois men's gymnastics team placed second at the evening session of the NCAA Championships Qualifiers on Friday night at Christl Arena, posting a final team score of 421.300. The Fighting Illini advance to the finals, set for Saturday night at 5 p.m. CT.
"This first meet can be one of the most nerve-wracking meets of the year, because there's nothing really win," said head coach Justin Spring. "It's all about just getting through. I think that's a different anxiety that's brought to this meet. Our guys handled that very well. They had a couple mistakes, and there's lots of room to improve tomorrow, but the second-highest score of two sessions is really impressive and I'm very proud of the guys."
The first rotation for Illinois was vault, and the Illini posted a 71.100 team score. Bobby Baker led the Orange and Blue with a 14.750, only 0.05 under his season best. Alex Diab posted a 14.400, Blake Martin added a 14.250 and Chandler Eggleston turned in a score of 14.150.
The Illini were on parallel bars for the second rotation. Baker and Joey Peters each posted a 14.250, with Peters setting a new season-best mark. Illinois' team score on parallel bars was a 69.050.
Illinois moved to high bar for rotation No. 3. The Illini were led by Tyson Bull's 14.450. Eggleston added a 13.950, and Ross Thompson scored a 13.900. The Orange and Blue posted a team score of 68.700 on for the third rotation.
On floor, the Illini earned a team score of 70.900. Diab had the top score for Illinois, a 14.650. Eggleston scored a 14.350, Joey Peters posted a 14.200, and Peters turned in a 14.100 for the Illini on floor.
The fifth rotation for Illinois was pommel horse, and the team posted a score of 69.650. Brandon Ngai won his sixth event title of the year, scoring a season-best 15.150. Matt Foster posted a 14.500 for the second-highest Illini score on pommel horse.
The Orange and Blue ended the meet strong, posting a season-best score of 71.900 on still rings. Baker's season-high score of 14.950 paced the Illini, and Diab turned in a score of 14.900. Peters and Jacobson also posted season-best scores, with a 14.250 and a 14.000, respectively.
Illinois' 421.300 was second only to Oklahoma's score of 430.600, and was the second-highest score in the qualifying sessions. It was also the second-best overall team score for the Illini this season.
"I have no doubt that every guy who made a little mistake here or there, or took a step on a landing is going to be gunning to fix and perfect that," Spring said. "Making the second session is kind of like a breath of fresh air. You take a sigh of relief, and you just go 100 percent because it's the last meet of the year. I think our guys are really ready and prepared to do an awesome job."
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The Illini will compete in the NCAA Championships Finals tomorrow, April 22, at 5 p.m. CT at Christl Arena in West Point, N.Y. Illinois placed fourth at the finals last season.
