April 20, 2008

STANFORD, Calif. - Freshman Paul Ruggeri of the Illinois men's gymnastics team captured the 2008 NCAA Men's Gymnastics high bar national championship tonight on the campus of Stanford University to become the first Illinois national champion since 2006, when current assistant coach Justin Spring won the crown on high bar as a senior. The Illini youngster led a contingent of seven Illinois gymnasts that competed in event finals and collected a total of nine All-America honors between them.

"It is a great thing for Paul to win the title after so much hard work all season long," head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said. "He had such a great night, getting All-America honors on three events as a freshman. This just goes to show that the state of Illinois gymnastics is in good hands for the coming years. Overall, we had four guys get All-America honors for the first time, while we had six seniors wrap up great careers as well. It was just a great night for the University of Illinois. We had a good championships as a team and as individuals and I could not be more proud of this team."

Illinois 2008 All-Americans included Ruggeri capturing his first accolades of his career when he earned the laurels on floor (tied for fifth), vault (fifth) and high bar (first). He was followed by first-time winners senior Jon Drollinger on rings (seventh), sophomore Brian Liscovitz on parallel bars (seventh) and freshman Daniel Ribeiro on pommel horse (sixth). The All-America honorees also included senior Wes Haagensen on parallel bars, taking the bronze, senior Tyler Yamauchi on vault (fourth) and senior Ross Bradley for the second time in his career on high bar (fifth)

Ruggeri earned three All-America honors to become the first Illini to capture three in the same season since Haagensen achieved the feat in 2006. Ruggeri also became the first Illinois gymnast to win a national title in their first year of competition since both Alvin Barasch (1960, tumbling) and Ray Hadley (1960-62, floor exercise) accomplished the feat in 1960. Ruggeri's trio of awards also bests Spring's mark as a freshman - considered to be one of the most talented gymnasts ever to compete at Illinois - as he only captured two in his debut season. The Manlius, N.Y., native tabbed his feats by scoring a 15.375 on floor, a 15.950 on vault and a 15.000 to win the crown on high bar.

Senior Drollinger capped off not only a tremendous 2008 season when he posted an All-America worthy score of a 15.250 on rings to finish seventh, but polished off a solid four-year career with Illinois in the process. The senior made his first event final in 2008, making it count by receiving his first career national honor to boot.

Sophomore Liscovitz punched his ticket to the finals last night with a 15.000 on parallel bars during team finals, and almost bested that mark tonight when he scored a 14.575 during his event finals routine. For freshman Daniel Ribeiro, the night was bitter sweet, as he captured his first of probably many career All-America honors when he tabbed a 14.450 on pommel horse to take sixth. The mark is well below the No. 1-rated pommel horse competitor's average on the event, but a costly fall cost the youngster the title today, despite going in as the favorite.

Repeat All-American winners included Yamauchi, who became only the third Illini in the history of the program to collect All-American laurels in four straight seasons when he tabbed a fourth-place finish on vault. He joined a list of elite gymnasts from Illinois, including Peter Schostchuk, who concluded his career in 2005, and 12-time All-American Spring, who finished his career in 2006. The 2008 honor is his first on vault, bringing his grand total to four All-America awards across three different events, including rings in 2005-06 and floor exercise in 2007.

Bradley put a stamp a grand comeback season of his own, as he battled back from an injury that sidelined him in 2007, a year after earning All-America honors on high bar in 2006. In 2008, while the journey back has been tough, Bradley sealed another successful season with a trip to the podium, as he scored a fifth-place finish behind a score of a 14.725. The finish is his highest of his career after taking eighth two years ago on the same event.

Haagensen rounded out the 2008 All-Americans with his seventh laurel of his career and first of 2008 when he took bronze on parallel bars. In a career that has been filled with bright spots every season, Haagensen finished his career as one of the most decorated gymnasts in Illinois history, as well as in the sport as a whole. The senior tabbed a 14.875 to grab third and has now earned national honors three straight seasons. His finish on p-bars in 2008 ties his highest on the event after he achieved the same finish in 2006.

Taking home the other individual championships during the event finals were Steven Legendre of Oklahoma on floor (16.100) and vault (16.400), Tim McNeill of California on pommel horse (15.625) and parallel bars (15.650) for the second straight year and Jonathan Horton on rings (16.125). Illinois has now had an Illini raise an individual title four out of the last five years.

The above recap wraps up this year's edition of the 2008 NCAA Championships hosted by Stanford University at Maples Pavilion April 17-19, as well as the 2007-08 Illinois men's gymnastics competitive season.

FLOOR EXERCISE RECAP
Freshman Paul Ruggeri was the first competitor of the night overall and the first Illini to take the floor during event finals, bringing all eyes on floor as he embarked on his first All-America accolade of his career. Through his first pass, Ruggeri was looking primed for a top-spot, as he nailed the landing. Continuing his momentum, he put forth near flawless passes the next two times across the floor to keep the suspense building. With crisp mandatory elements in between, Ruggeri put the final stamp on his routine, sticking his final landing before raising his hands in triumph after one of his best sets of the season.

With only a nod from the judges left to finalize the routine, Ruggeri waited and looked at the scoreboard as he received a 15.375, the first mark to beat of the night. With four competitors through, however, Ruggeri finally relaxed his shoulders as he had solidified his first All-American laurel by besting two different competitors, and now awaited his fate on the leader board as he stood in second and could not finish any lower than eighth.

Ruggeri ended the night in a tie for fifth to close our floor.

FLOOR EXERCISE FINAL STANDINGS
1. * Steven Legendre (16.100) - OKLA
2. * Jimmy Wickham (15.600) - OSU
3. * Casey Sandy (15.600) - PSU
4. * Greg Ter-Zakhari (15.450) - OKLA
5. * Paul Ruggeri (15.375) - ILLINOIS
* Russell Czeschin (15.375) - OKLA
7. * Josh Dixon (15.300) - STAN
8. * Reed Pitts (15.275) - OKLA
9. # Jonathan Horton (14.650) - OKLA
10. Santiago Lopez (14.200) - PSU

POMMEL HORSE RECAP
The top competitors of the event, Illinois' very own freshman Daniel Ribeiro and California's Tim McNeill - the two-time defending champion on the apparatus - were going to be the guys to beat. Ribeiro has been ranked No. 1 on the event all season long, and was going to need his best if he wanted to lift the national title.

In an event that proved to be problematic all night during the team finals, almost all of the competitors had shaken off rocky team finals and were looking crisp through seven competitors, bringing up Ribeiro to the mat. With the score to beat, a 15.625 from McNeill, Ribeiro knew what he had to do. With him through the most difficult portion of his routine within the first 10 seconds of the set, Ribeiro was picking up speed to the finish. However, in the middle of his routine he suffered a fall off the horse, unfortunately eliminating himself from the national title but not out of the All-America standings, as he finished sixth with a score of 14.450.

POMMEL HORSE FINAL STANDING
1. *# Tim McNeill (15.625) - CAL
2. * Casey Sandy (14.975) - PSU
3. * Sho Nakamori (14.700) - STAN
4. * Kyle Oi (14.600) - STAN
5, * David Chan (14.550) - MICH
6. * Daniel Ribeiro (14.450) - ILLINOIS
7. * Jason Laughton (14.375) - OKLA
8. * Greg Ter-Zakhari (14325) - STAN
9. Kit Beikmann (14.125) - MINN
10. Andy Saurber (13.250) - OSU

STILL RINGS RECAP
A number of top-quality gymnasts were first up on still rings before the duo of seniors Jon Drollinger and Tyler Yamauchi stepped up to the event, but none of them had placed the title out of reach from either Illini gymnast. The two would follow each other in the order, and in the perfect position to claim a title, as Drollinger was the ninth competitor to compete followed by Yamauchi pulling up the rear as the final rings finalist of the night.

Drollinger was first up for the Illini, making his first event finals of his career, and what better year than as a senior. With a solid routine for the senior, there was no better way for him to exit, as he scored a 15.275 to finish seventh and earn himself his first career All-America honor.

With Illini fans with still yet another Orange and Blue gymnast to cheer on, Yamauchi stepped to the rings, looking for his third All-America honor on the event, and fifth of his career. However, the night would not belong to the senior on rings, as he took a large step on his landing to score a 14.900 and finish outside of the top eight in 10th.

STILL RINGS STANDINGS
1. * Jonathan Horton (16.125) - OKLA
2. * David Sender (15.775) - STAN
3. * Tommy Ramos (15.725) - PSU
4. * Bryant Hadden (15.575) - STAN
5. * Phillip Goldberg (15.475) - MICH
6. * Greg Stine (15.300) - AF
7. * Jon Drollinger (15.275) - ILLINOIS
8. * Casey Sandy (15.050) - PSU
9. Tyler Block (15.000) - CAL
10. Tyler Yamauchi (14.900) - ILLINOIS

VAULT RECAP
Again, freshman Paul Ruggeri found himself in a hunt for another All-America honor, hopefully his second of the nigth. Already securing his first honor on floor earlier, Ruggeri was looking to stick his third straight landing on vault of the championships.

Heading into NCAAs, Ruggeri had prided himself on being an all-around competitor, finding his best success on high bar and floor, but had come into his own at just the right time - the 2008 NCAA Championships - on vault.

With the score to beat a 15.875, Ruggeri knocked the mark out of the park when he tallied a 15.950 to finish fifth.

Senior Tyler Yamauchi, looking to not leave empty handed tonight after finishing just outside of the top eight on rings, had the mood of a heavyweight boxer - all business - as he stood at the end of the vault runway. With the entire Maples Pavilion crowd looking on, Yamauchi put a stamp on his vault by sticking the landing for the first time all-season and putting a stamp on his four-year career when he posted a career-best 16.225. The effort turned out to be enough for a top-five finish, as Yamauchi racked in fourth.

VAULT FINAL STANDINGS
1. * Steven Legendre (16.400) - OKLA
2, *# David Sender (16.350) - STAN
3. * Jimmy Wickham (16.325) - OSU
4. * Tyler Yamauchi (16.225) - ILLINOIS
5, * Paul Ruggeri (15.950) - ILLINOIS
6. * Casey Sandy (15.875) - PSU
7. * Josh Dixon (15.675) - STAN
8, * Mitchell Mays (15.625) - MINN
9. Mel Santander (15.550) - MICH
10. Cole Storer (14.675) - MINN

PARALLEL BARS RECAP
Sophomore Brian Liscovitz was first up for Illinois on p-bars, as he was in search of his first All-America accolade of his career. The sophomore has been a continual presence in the Illini lineup on parallel bars and was seeking to prove that he had what it took to be one of the top gymnasts in the country. Leaving everything out on the bars, Liscovitz, from start to finish was bringing cheers from the entire crowd. With his dismount all that was left to finish up the performance, Liscovitz took a small hop before raising his arms in triumph en route to scoring a 14.575.

Following Liscovitz was senior and six-time All-American Wes Haagensen. After finishing just out of the top-eight the night before in the all-around, Haagensen was hungry for his first All-American honor of the 2008 edition of the championships. Moving from handstand to release move, Haagensen brought the entire Illini cheering section to their feet as he went for his dismount and stuck it. With three claps of approval from Haagensen, he looked the judges in the eye after most-certainly an All-American routine and raised his arms in a salute. The salute was a precursor to his score of a 14.875, earning him third as an individual.

PARALLEL BARS FINAL STANDING
1. *#Tim McNeill (15.650) - CAL
2. * Casey Sandy (14.950) - PSU
3. * Wes Haagensen (14.875) - ILLINOIS
4. * Chris Brooks (14.675) - OKLA
* Jonathan Horton (14.675) - OKLA
6. * Brian Liscovitz (14.575) - ILLINOIS
7. * Sho Nakamori (14.625) - STAN
8. * Colin Christ (14.275) - MINN
9. Kyle Brady (13.475) - CAL
10. Kyson Bunthuwong (13.200) - CAL

HIGH BAR RECAP
Senior Ross Bradley, a 2006 All-American on high bar himself, has been a storied gymnast all season long. Coming back from multiple injuries that sidelined him during the 2007 season, the Illini senior has been battling back all season long after having to deal with a nagging led. With the 2008 NCAA Championships on the horizon, it seemed that the Bradley of old set in, as Bradley picked the team finals to post his second straight career high on high bars to make event finals on Saturday. With those event finals staring him in the face, Bradley did only what he knew how to do, leave it all out on the bar and scored a 14.725, just .025 off his career best. The mark put him in first after three competitors, sealing All-America status for the senior for the second time in his career on the apparatus.

With Illinois securing two individuals on high bar, freshman Paul Ruggeri stepped onto the mat for the third and final time during event finals, looking for another All-America award. Heading into event finals the freshman was one of two Illini ranked No. 1 on their respective events, and was hoping to hold that spot at the end of tonight after his high bar routine.

Putting the pressure on, Ruggeri cruised through his back-ro-back release moves, and nailed his second-set of releases, putting together a crowd-pleasing routine so far. With just the dismount left, the freshman landed it like a veteran, sticking his second landing of the night - the other on vault, also earning him All-America status - to card a 15.000 on high bar, the top score after five competitors.

With the entire field chasing the freshman, no one could catch him as he finished the NCAA Championships as the high bar champion.

HIGH BAR FINAL STANDINGS
1. * Paul Ruggeri (15.000) - ILLINOIS
2. * Cole Storer (14.925) - MINN
3. * Josh Dixon (14.800) - STAN
4. * Chris Brooks (14.750) - OKLA
5. * Ross Bradley (14.725) - ILLINOIS
6. * Thomas Kelley (14.700) - MICH
* Dylan Carney (14.700) - STAN
8. * Steven Lengendre (14.650) - OKLA
* Alex Buscaglia (14.650) - STAN
10. David Sender (13.175) -STANF

KEY:
* Earned All-America Honor
# Defending 2007 National Champion