Oct. 7, 2011
2011-12 Schedule
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team checked in at No. 2 in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll, released this week. The Orange and Blue received the most first-place votes (7) of any team, but 2011 NCAA runner-up Oklahoma edged the Illini in the rankings to secure the top spot with five first-place votes. Michigan received two first-place votes, coming in at No. 3, while reigning NCAA champion Stanford received three first-place votes to check in at No. 4. Seven Big Ten squads cracked the top 10, as Penn State came in at No. 6, Ohio State at No. 7, Minnesota at No. 8, Nebraska at No. 9 and Iowa at No. 10.
"I think that it's a very interesting preseason poll this year," Illini head coach Justin Spring said. "You've got two very strong veteran teams, both of which received a lot of first-place votes. In some ways it's almost better that we're ranked second because I think it's going to come down to determination and hard work this year. This team has a lot of potential, but potential only means you have a lot of work to do. We realize we're talented, but we've got to put the work in to make sure we're number one at the end of the year."
Illinois is set to kick off its season with its annual Mixed Pairs Exhibition, hosted with the women's team on Dec. 4 at Huff Hall. The Orange and Blue will open the regular season on the road at the Windy City Invitational in Chicago on Jan. 14, followed by a conference matchup at Iowa on Jan. 21.
The Illini will then return to Champaign for their first of two home meets, taking on both Michigan and Oklahoma on Jan. 28, as the preseason top three teams in the nation square off at Huff Hall. The next week, a select group of Illini will travel to Las Vegas, Nev., for the U.S. Winter Cup Challenge, Feb. 2-4. Then, the Orange and Blue will head to Penn State on Feb. 18 for a conference showdown with the Nittany Lions.
After a two-week break, the Illini will return to Huff Hall for Senior Day to take on Ohio State on March 2. Illinois will wrap up the regular season with two road meets, facing Nebraska on March 10 and Iowa on March 17.
The Illini will look to capture their fourth straight conference title at the Big Ten Championships, April 6-7 in Iowa City, Iowa. Two weeks later, the Orange and Blue will head to the NCAA Championships, hosted by Oklahoma, April 19-21.
"Our home meet with Michigan and Oklahoma is going to be huge," Spring said. "It is going to be the big 1-2-3 showdown. I think the rankings are going to hold up, maybe shift around a little bit, but that's going to be a great meet and a great indicator of how we stand up head-to-head. Moving on to the NCAA Championships, it's going to be interesting having the final showdown at Oklahoma. I look forward to getting this team ready and hopefully being the best that we can be."
2012 GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
1. Oklahoma (5)
2. ILLINOIS (7)
3. Michigan (2)
4. Stanford (3)
5. California
6. Penn State
7. Ohio State
8. Minnesota
9. Nebraska
10. Iowa
11. Air Force
12. UIC
13. Temple
14. Army
15. William and Mary
