Feb. 25, 2004
Complete Men's Gymnastics Notes in PDF Format
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This Week
The third-ranked Illini (7-3) will close out their regular-season home schedule this Friday night when Temple comes to town. Five Illini seniors will be recognized for their contributions the program before the meet. The Illini women will be hosting Illinois State in the double-dual. Start time is set for 7 p.m. at Huff Hall.
About the Owls
Temple (11-5) enters the weekend ranked #14 in the GymInfo rankings with an average score of 205.237. The Owls are coming off a tri-meet victory over MIT and Springfield in which they scored 205.45. Temple is led by Nyika White and Theo Maes. White finished third on rings at last year's NCAA Championships and is ranked 7th on the event this year. Maes is currently ranked third in the nation on vault with a 9.425 average. The Owls are coached by Fred Turoff, who is in his 28th season at Temple. Illinois has yet to face the Owls this season.
Five Seniors To Be Recognized
Prior to this Friday's regular season finale vs. Temple, the five seniors on this year's Fighting Illini squad will be recognized, along with their parents, for their contributions to Illinois Gymnastics over the last four years. The 2004 senior class consists of Mike Filla, Erik Garnett, Casey Hayasaki, Bob Rogers and Scott Wetterling.
Illini Back to #3 In National Rankings
After a one-week stint at the top-spot in the GymInfo rankings, the Illini dropped back to the No. 3 spot this week. Last week, the Illini held the #1 spot for the first time since 1989 and became the third UI team to be ranked No. 1 this season. The last time the gymnastics team was ranked No. 1, it won Big Ten and NCAA titles that year.
The Illini dropped back to the third-spot after posting a score of 216.825 in a win over Iowa, while California and Oklahoma each went over the 220 barrier to jump past the Orange and Blue. Cal is now #1 with a 217.762 average and Oklahoma is #2 with an average of 217.525, just ahead of Illinois' 217.250 average. Next week, the rankings switch from total season average to three-score average, which takes a team's top four scores (minimum of two on the road), throws out the high and averages the other three. Depending on what happens this weekend, the new rankings could help the Illini move up to No. 1 or No. 2 in the March 1 rankings.
Last Week: Illini Edge Hawkeyes
The top-ranked Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team got a scare from sixth-ranked Iowa last Saturday, but managed to escape with a narrow 216.825-216.800 win in Iowa City. The Illini (7-3, 5-3) struggled on four of the six events but used strong performances on the floor exercise (37.000) and high bar (37.725) to come away with the victory. It was Illinois' lowest score since the 212.775 scored at Penn State over a month ago.
Sophomore Justin Spring earned a career-high score of 9.75 to win the floor exercise, tied for first on the parallel bars with a 9.000, and took second on the high bar with a 9.675. Fellow sophomore Adam Pummer won the vault with a career-high score of 9.600 and also posted an impressive 9.65 on high bar to take third. Junior Ben Newman placed second on two events, the pommel horse (9.350) and still rings (9.250). Senior Scott Wetterling also had a solid day, taking third on vault (9.200), fourth on rings (9.000) and fifth on high bar (9.450). Senior Bob Rogers tied for third on the pommel horse with an 8.950.
Newman Swings A Mean Horse
Junior Ben Newman retained the top-spot in GymInfo pommel horse rankings, as spot he has been in all season. Last week at Iowa, Newman posted his lowest score of the season on horse (9.350) to see his average dip to 9.675, but that average still easily tops the nation. Two weeks ago vs UIC, Newman tied his own school pommel horse record for the third time this season by scoring a 9.800. To go along with his three 9.8's, the defending Big Ten Champion on the event has scored has also scored a 9.650 twice this year. He isn't just a one event wonder though, Newman also owns the school still rings record by recording a 9.575 on the event vs. UIC. He currently ranks 19th in the nation on rings with a 9.154 average.
Spring Rakes In Honors
The honors have been piling in for UI sophomore Justin Spring so far this year. He has been named Inside Gymnastics NCAA Gymnast of the Week twice and Big Ten Gymnast of the Week three times for far this season. The lastest honors were received after Illinois' win over UIC on 2/14. Despite a fall on his best event, the floor exercise, Spring helped lead the Illini to the nation's highest score (221.575) by winning three events vs. the flames. He set new school records in winning the parallel bars (9.600) and high bar (9.800), tied for first place on vault (9.450), and also set a career-high on rings (9.200).
Spring's 2004 Honors
Inside Gymnastics NCAA Gymnast of the Week - 3 times (2/3 and 2/17)
Big Ten Gymnast of the Week - 2 times (1/28, 2/4 and 2/18)
Illini Post Nation's Top Score
In a Valentine's Day dual with Illinois-Chicago, the Illini put up a school-record and national-high score of 221.575. In addition to being this year's top NCAA score, it was also the fourth highest NCAA score since switching to International (FIG) scoring in 2001. Illinois' holds two of the nation's Top-25 scores since the switch, as the 219.0 the Illini posted at Ohio State on 1/31 is 25th on the list. Oklahoma has the national record of 223.500, set on March 28 of last season. Besides, Oklahoma and Illinois, Ohio State, Penn State and California are the only other teams to post a score of at least 219.0 since 2001.
Illini Ink Top Recruiting Class
Next season, head coach Yoshi Hayasaki will welcome Jon Drollinger, Wesley Haagensen, Chris Silcox and Tyler Yamauchi to the Illini squad. According to Hayasaki, that group is one of, if not the best, recruiting class in the country this year.
"This year's recruiting class may be the best ever at Illinois," said Hayasaki of the signing class of 2004. "It could very well be the nation's best class. These four individuals, along with the talented underclassmen that are already on the roster, will keep Illinois in contention for a national title for the next several years."
Haagensen and Yamauchi have been mainstays on the U.S. Junior National Team over the past several years and have loads of experience both at the national and international levels. Drollinger is a local product from Hoopeston, Ill. who trains at the Champaign County YMCA. Silcox, who hails from Texas, is known for his great form and technique.
Illinois to Host 2004 NCAA and Big Ten Championships
It is a big year for Fighting Illini gymnastics, but not just because they're ranked in the Top-3 in the nation. The University will be hosting both the 2004 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships and the 2004 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Cham pionships this season. The Big Ten meet will be at Huff Hall March 19-20, while the NCAAs will be held at Assembly Hall April 2-4.
The University of Illinois has not hosted the Big Ten Championships since 1995, and this year will be the first time since 1961 that it will host the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. The last time Illinois hosted any NCAA Finals event was in 1979, when it welcomed the Men's Track & Field Championships to Memorial Stadium. Illinois will be seeking its first title at either championship event since 1989.
Up Next
The Orange and Blue hit the road for their regular-season finale. The third-ranked Illini will head to Norman, Okla. looking to end the second-ranked Sooners' 48 meet winning streak. The meet is set for 7 p.m. on Sat., March 6.
