March 25, 2005

Results

ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Head coach Yoshi Hayasaki and his third-ranked Fighting Illini overcame adversity to place second at the 2005 Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Michigan Friday evening. Top-raked Ohio State captured the title with a score of 225.300, followed by the Illini with a school record 224.125. Meet host Michigan placed third with a score of 222.775. In only his second appearance this season in the all-around, junior Justin Spring takes second with a score of 55.575.

As Illinois prepared to defend their 2004 conference title, rookie standout Wes Haagensen suffered an ankle injury warming up on floor that would take him out of the all-around competition and force the Illini to make last minute lineup changes.

"Tonight was an emotional rollercoaster for everyone," Hayasaki commented. "For Wes (Haagensen) to go down in warm ups and the rest of the team to battle back to a second place finish from being last after the first rotation really shows the overall strength of our squad. I am proud of the effort of our guys and the fight they displayed tonight."

The Illini began the competition on parallel bars, where the Orange and Blue rank No. 1 nationally. However, small mistakes would prove costly for Illinois as they found themselves in sixth place after the first rotation, despite juniors Adam Pummer and Justin Spring leading the team with scores of 9.500 and 9.575, respectively.

With the evening still young, Illinois was able to make up solid ground in the next two rotations. On high bar, Spring continued to lead the Orange and Blue with a score of 9.625. Pummer followed with a 9.400, while rookie Chris Silcox set a career-high 9.225. On floor, the trio of Spring, Pummer and Silcox continued to shine. In only Spring's second appearance on floor this season, the Burke, Va. native posted a season-high 9.650. Silcox followed suite behind Spring, shattering his career-high of 9.400 with a 9.600.

At the halfway point of the competition, the Illini seemed to have found their composure, which was clearly displayed in the final three rotations, where the Orange and Blue were still in contention for first place.

On pommel horse, two-time Big Ten champion Ben Newman proved why he is ranked third in the nation on the event by tying his season-high of 9.775 and continuing to set the standard in the conference. Junior Ted Brown also enjoyed a solid performance, earning a 9.500. Senior Peter Shostchuk followed with a 9.300.

Perhaps the Illini's best event would come in the fifth rotation, where Illinois posted a school record 38.600 team rings score. Despite suffering a devastating ankle injury in warm-ups, Haagensen would bounce back and lead the Illini on rings with an outstanding routine that scored a 9.850, surpassing fellow rookie Tyler Yamauchi school record 9.800. Newman followed with a 9.700 and Yamauchi rounded out trio with a 9.650.

"Wes is always very solid on rings, but his performance tonight was truly phenomenal," Hayasaki said. "He really competed hard and just wanted to help the team win in any way that he could."

Heading into the sixth and final rotation, Illinois climbed into second place, but still trailed Ohio State for the top spot. Despite a solid performance on vault, the Buckeyes were too strong for Illinois, posting a team score of 37.900 on floor to capture their 10th conference title.

Tonight's competition also served as the qualifying round for the event finals tomorrow evening, where the top six finishers on each event will compete for the title of Big Ten champion. Seven Illini gymnasts qualified for event finals, including Spring, who finished in the top-six on floor, vault, parallel bars and high bar to lead the team. Newman will compete for a third straight Big Ten title on pommel horse after placing first in the team competition and also qualified on rings with a second place finish. Pummer, who placed third on vault and parallel bars, will also be in action Saturday evening competing for an event title, along with Brown, who will join Newman on pommel horse.

The Illini rookies will also be well represented in the event finals as Silcox (floor), Haagensen (rings) and Yamauchi (rings) enjoyed top-six finishes. Haagensen, whose school record effort on rings led all competitors on the night, will base his decision to participate in tomorrow's event finals on the condition of his ankle.

"With the injury to my ankle, rings was the only event I felt really comfortable on," Haagensen said. "I was really disappointed that I wasn't able to compete in the all-around, so I wanted to help the team in any way that I could."

Complete results can be found at www.fightingillini.com.

Up Next: Seven Illini compete for Big Ten event titles in tomorrow's event finals, beginning at 6 p.m. CST.

Team Results
1. Ohio State 225.350
2. Illinois 224.125
3. Michigan 222.775
4. Penn State 220.500
5. Iowa 219.800
6. Minnesota 216.400

All-Around Results
1. Justin Laury, MICH 56.200
2. Justin Spring, ILL 55.575
3. Guillermo Alvarez, MINN 55.475

Illinois Event Qualifiers
Floor Exercise
Justin Spring
Chris Silcox

Pommel Horse
Ben Newman
Ted Brown

Rings
Wes Haagensen
Ben Newman
Tyler Yamauchi

Vault
Justin Spring
Adam Pummer

Parallel Bars
Justin Spring
Adam Pummer

High Bar
Justin Spring