April 3, 2008

Big Ten Championship Notes in PDF Format

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 5 Illinois men's gymnastics team could not be more ready for the 2008 edition of the Big Ten Championships, this year hosted by Penn State University in University Park, Pa., April 4-5 at historic Rec Hall. The championships begin with the crowning of the team and all-around champion on Friday, while the individual event finals will be decided on Saturday. Both session begin at 6 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. ET. This year's championships will be televised live on the Big Ten Network.

"Heading into the Big Ten Championships, we decided as a team to change out focus to winning an Big Ten title," head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said. "In previous years, we have put so much emphasis on going to nationals and finishing in the top six so that we could compete for an NCAA title, but we are going to take it one step at a time. Our guys are healthy and have been working hard all week to get ready for this meet. With a week off to prepare for the championships, we have been working on those little things that help with the small deductions and just cleaning up our routines. I am looking forward to what this team can do this weekend."

The Big Ten Network will broadcast the 2008 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships live to a national television audience; the first gymnastics competition to be aired live by the BTN in its history. The championships also will be re-broadcast on Monday, April 7 (6 & 8 p.m. ET), Wednesday, April 8 (4 & 6 p.m. ET), Thursday, April 10 (team & all-around finals - 12 p.m. ET), and Friday, April 11 (individual event finals - 12 p.m. ET). This is the second appearance for the Illini on the BTN, with there last a display of competitiveness when they outperformed Minnesota and Iowa in all three teams final dual of the regular season.

A full recap of the event will be available following the conclusion of the meet on the official home of Illinois men's gymnastics, fightingillini.com. Fans can follow the meet live through live scoring by visiting the men's schedule page on fightingillini.com.

PREVIEWING THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
This year's competition is sure to be a tight race between the Illini, who are looking to capture their first title since 2004, while host and defending NCAA champion Penn State, three-time defending league champion Ohio State and hungry competitor Michigan are all eyeing the prize as well. All six teams are ranked in the top 10 in the nation.

The third-ranked Nittany Lions have spent the entire season near or at the top of the national rankings and boast a line-up that features six All-Americans. Illinois (No. 5) rings with it six All-American as well, while Michigan (No. 6) also will contend for the league crown. Three-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State (No. 7) has been beset with injuries in 2008 but remains dangerous. Minnesota (No. 8) and Iowa (No. 10) are young, up-and-coming teams. The meet will showcase Nissen-Emery Award finalists DJ Bucher (Ohio State), Wes Haagensen (Illinois), and Derek Helsby (Penn State) as three of the top senior gymnasts in the country.

LIVE ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK
The Big Ten Network will broadcast the 2008 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships live to a national television audience; the first gymnastics competition to be aired live by the BTN in its history. The championships will also be re-broadcast on Mon., April 7 (6 & 8 p.m. ET), Wed., April 8 (4 & 6 p.m. ET), Thurs., April 10 (team & all-around finals - 12 p.m. ET), and Fri., April 11 (individual event finals - 12 p.m. ET).

FOLLOW THE ACTION ONLINE
Fans can follow all of the action of both days of competition at the 2008 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics on the web with live scoring updates. Click on the "gametrack PSU" link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com, to gain access.

ILLINOIS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Illinois men's gymnastics program has been one of the most decorated in Big Ten history, winning a total 134 Big Ten individual championships since 1910. Most recently, Wes Haagensen took home the all-around (54.450), while Tyler Yamauchi captured the vault (9.575) title in 2007.

The last time the Big Ten Championships were hosted at Huff Hall came in 2004, which also marked the last time the Orange and Blue won a league crown, edging out Penn State for the title. The Illini have played host to the Big Ten Championships a total of 15 times (1912, 1920, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1956, 1965, 1972, 1978, 1986, 1992, 1995, 2004), winning the team title six times as host.

In terms of conference honors, Haagensen and Yamauchi each earned first team All-Big Ten honors in 2007, bringing the Illini's total to 40 selections by a total of 22 athletes since 1984. Head Coach Yoshi Hayasaki last garnered the Coach of the Year award in 2004 - his third accolade - after last winning it in back-to-back years from 1988 and 1989. Fred Roethlisberger of Minnesota and Hayasaki are the only three-time winners of the honor.

ILLINOIS AT THE 2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Against a fully loaded field, then No.7 Illinois took home fifth place at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. Wes Haagensen claimed his first Big Ten Championship all-around title with a 54.450 in the process, securing the second consecutive all-around title for Illinois since assistant coach Justin Spring captured the honors in 2006.

In what will go down as one of the most thrilling Big Ten Championships in the last 10 years, the Ohio State Buckeyes came from behind to capture a third consecutive title with a team total of 217.750, the first team to capture three straight since host Minnesota did it in 1992. Penn State University, who last won their first conference title in 2003, narrowly missed another conference crown by a 10th of a point, tallying 217.650. The University of Minnesota, who led through the final rotation, finished in third with a 215.250. The University of Michigan, who was slated No. 2 nationally, ended competition in fourth with 214.350. The Illini picked up fifth with 211.900 and the University of Iowa rounded out the field with 210.000.

NEXT UP FOR THE ILLINI
In two weeks, the Illini take on the country's best as they travel to Stanford, Calif., for the 2008 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. From April 17-19, the nation's elite descend upon Maples Pavilion on the campus of Stanford University to vie for team and individual titles.

The competition begins on Thursday, April 17, with two qualifying sessions that are scheduled for 3 and 9 p.m. CT. The top-three teams from each qualifier then advance to battle for the national championship at 9 p.m. CT on Friday, April 18. The nation's top all-around performer also will be crowned on Friday, while the top-10 competitors from each event from the team championships advance to compete for All-American and NCAA title honors on Saturday, April 19, during the individual event finals, which are held at 9 p.m. CT. The top-eight finishers earn All-America nods, during event finals, while there will be six national titles up for grabs as well.