Jan. 13, 2006

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois men's gymnastics team begins the 2006 season Saturday at 7 p.m. at the 36th annual Windy City Classic hosted by Illinois-Chicago. The Illini will get an early preview of their conference opponents as Ohio State, Michigan, Minnesota and Iowa meet the Illini Saturday night at the UIC Physical Education Building.

Last year, the Illini took the team title with a score of 221.800 to edge out Ohio State (220.100) and Michigan (218.225). The Illini jumped out to an early lead in their first rotation on parallel bars, setting a school record (37.900) and keeping the lead throughout the meet. Tyler Yamuachi (floor exercise), Ben Newman (pommel horse) and Adam Pummer (high bar) all claimed event titles. Wes Haagensen began his stellar rookie campaign with a second-place all-around finish.

Illini Tied for Second In Preseason Rankings
Coming off a third-place finish at the National Championships in April, The Illini were voted No. 2 in the GymInfo Coaches' poll, tied with Ohio Sate. Oklahoma University received five first place votes followed by Illinois (4), Ohio State (4) and Stanford (1). Oklahoma has been the preseason No. 1 team in each of the last five years while Illinois garnered the No. 2 position in last years preseason poll and No. 3 spot in 2002 and 2003.

2006 Season Preview
Once again, the Fighting Illini enter the 2006 season as serious contenders for the NCAA Championship. For the second consecutive year, the Illini begin the upcoming campaign ranked No. 2 in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll. Veteran head coach Yoshi Hayasaki's squad is lead by four seniors, including Nissen-Emery favorite Justin Spring and 2005 U.S. Gymnastics Winter Cup floor exercise gold medalist, Adam Pummer. After taking two consecutive NCAA third place finishes, the Illini are hungry for another opportunity at the national title.

"Overall, we feel like this year's team is as strong, if not stronger than last year's squad," Hayasaki said. "We certainly have the talent to be a top-three team in the nation, but our goal is to win a national championship. In order to do so, we have to stay healthy and continue to improve and we have to be at our best at the NCAA championships in April."

The leadership of the 2006 squad unquestionably lies within the senior class, headed by captains Spring and Adam Pummer. The pair garnered seven All-America honors between them last season, Spring on parallel bars, high bar and all-around and Pummer on floor, vault, parallel bars and high bar. Pummer has continued to improve and is quickly becoming one of the nations premier all-arounders. Spring's recent international training as a member of the U.S. National team puts him at the forefront of collegiate gymnastics and a favorite to add to his two NCAA individual titles.

Spring became the first Illini gymnast to win a U.S. National Title on high bar in August, 2005, and the Burke, Va., native was later selected to the six-man U.S. World Championship team. Spring competed on three events at the World Championships: floor exercise, high bar and parallel bars. His top finish came on high bar as he narrowly missed the final round by finishing 10th and also placed 12th on parallel bars.

Coach Hayasaki hopes the competitive spirits of both captains are contagious and that others on the squad feed off their unbridled enthusiasm.

"Justin has performed and is accomplished at the highest level," Hayasaki said. "How much more he can do this season remains to be seen. He is still continuing to improve and his goal is to win more NCAA championships, but more than anything else, the biggest goal in his collegiate gymnastics career is to win a national team championship.

"I don't know how Adam can outperform what he did at the NCAA individual finals in 2005. His four All-American honors are tough to top, but I think he can do even better. He has improved and he has become more competitive. His routines are more polished and we expect a lot more from him, as well as Justin, in terms of leadership and contributions to the team.

Ted Brown and Anthony Russo, also in their final year with the Illini, will be instrumental in trying to bring a national title back to Champaign for the first time since 1989. Brown, a pommel horse specialist, participated in the U.S. National Championships in the summer of 2005 after he captured a share of the 2005 Big Ten pommel horse championship with teammate and recent graduate Ben Newman. Russo recovered from injury over the summer and will look to become a force for the Illini on floor exercise, vault and parallel bars.

Last season, Hayasaki added seven freshmen who gained valuable experience and provided immediate contributions. With the year of experience under their belts, the sky is the limit for this young group.

"The sophomore group will certainly benefit from the experience they gained last year competing in the national championships as one of the top teams in the country," said Hayasaki. "They can't get any better experience in going into their second year. I expect a lot from the sophomore group and I know they'll have an even bigger impact this year."

Wes Haagensen garnered Big Ten Rookie of the Year honors, the first Illini to do so since Yuval Ayalon in 1995. The Belleville, Ill., native won four individual titles last year and tied teammate Tyler Yamauchi's school rings record (9.850) at the Big Ten Championships. Haagensen's all-around school record of 55.950, which he set at his second collegiate meet, may be a prelude for what's to come from this rising star.

Another sophomore who stormed out of the gate last year was Tyler Yamauchi. Yamauchi won six individual titles on his way to earning a fourth place finish on rings at the NCAA championships and All-America status. The Sugarland, Texas, native will look to add to an already impressive résumé in 2006.

Ross Bradley and Chris Silcox, now sophomores, contributed to the Orange and Blue's success last year, both appearing in every meet for the Illini. Bradley took home his first collegiate title with a career-high 9.350 on high bar against Temple. Silcox turned up the heat late last season, setting a career-high 9.600 on floor exercise at the Big Ten Championships. He later scored a career-high 9.300 on high bar and 9.400 on vault at the NCAA qualifying session and NCAA team final, respectively. Both figure to be regulars in the Illini line-up again.

Jon Drollinger and Zach Goren come back as sophomores poised for big things after both competed consistently for the Illini last season. Michael Boyer redshirted his freshman year, but took advantage of the time to hone in his skills, earning the team's most improved award.

The Illini lost three seniors to graduation in Nick Hand, three-time Big Ten pommel horse champion Ben Newman and four-time pommel horse All-American Peter Shostchuk. Although it is true that you can't buy experience, Hayasaki is confident that he has reloaded with another talented group of freshmen who will all make an impact as all-arounders.

"The freshmen are less experienced than the sophomore group with the exception of Chris Lung, who has been competing at the national level as a junior," said Hayasaki. "What the freshmen can do remains to be seen."

Lung joins the Illini from Lexington, Mass., where he was a 2005 state all-around champion and 2005 Junior Olympic National pommel horse champion. Tyler Williamson comes to Illinois by way of Lake Forest, Calif., were he was a member of the state team. Williamson placed fourth on parallel bars at Nationals. 2004 Connecticut state all-around champion Nick Stango will be another weapon for the Illini. The Illini's lone in-state newcomer is Kyle Padera. The Winfield, Ill., native was a part of the state championship team and won the IHSA all-around title.

The Illini open the 2006 campaign on Jan. 14 at the Windy City Invite. They'll get an early look at their conference foes as Minnesota, Ohio State, Michigan, Iowa and host Illinois-Chicago clash with the Illini. The Orange and Blue open up the home schedule the following weekend with a match against pre-season No. 8 Minnesota. Perhaps the biggest regular season meet for Illinois will be on Jan. 28 in Columbus, Ohio, when the Illini take on defending Big Ten Champion Ohio State. The squads enter the 2006 season sharing the No. 2 ranking in the preseason coaches poll.

The 2006 Big Ten Championships will be in Iowa City, Iowa, March 24-25. The Illini then take on the nation's best in Norman, Okla., as the University of Oklahoma plays host to the NCAA Championships, April 6-8.

Up Next...
The Illini open the home season with a meeting against Minnesota at Huff Hall Saturday, January 21 at 7 p.m.