Aug. 17, 2011
Day 1 Results
| Qualifiers
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Illini seniors Tyler Mizoguchi and Paul Ruggeri, junior Austin Phillips and freshman C.J. Maestas each advanced to the Session II finals at the 2011 Visa Championships Wednesday night at the Xcel Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Maestas highlighted the night for the Orange and Blue, leading the Illini with an overall score of 87.350 to put him in eighth place in the all-around and seventh place in national team points (59). The Illini newcomer ended day one among the top 10 in four events, as he posted the fourth-best score on rings (14.850) and is tied for sixth on floor (14.950) and tied for ninth on both pommel horse (13.550) and parallel bars (14.700). Ruggeri, who is coming off an ankle injury, showed flashes of greatness, capturing the third-highest score on high bar with a 15.700 and sits in 21st in the all-around with an 83.600. Meanwhile, Mizoguchi finished day one tied for fifteenth with an all-around score of 84.900 after posting the eighth-highest score on vault (15.700).
Performances at the Visa Championships will determine the 15-man roster for the U.S. National Team. The top-six all-around competitors and the top-four gymnasts in national team points will automatically earn spots on the U.S. National Team. The national team points are awarded based on finishes in each event. The four national team point spots are reserved for athletes who do not finish in the all-around top six. In addition, the national team coordinator will select one gymnast, while the men's program committee will make the final four selections to the U.S. National Team.
The men's competition will continue this Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT. Live coverage will be available on Universal Sports, beginning Friday at 7 p.m. CT. A webcast will be available on-demand at UniversalSports.com following the broadcast. NBC will re-air the men's competition on Aug. 21 from 1:30-3 p.m. CT.
For live scoring and additional info, go HERE, and check fightingillini.com for full results and recap at the conclusion of finals.
