CoSIDA Release

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - After earning his second Capital One Academic All-District distinction for NCAA Division I District Five schools in as many years, recent graduate Mike Wilner has been named to the Capital One Academic All-America third team. Wilner is a computer engineering major who holds a 3.76 GPA from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and is one of just three male gymnasts to earn Academic All-America recognition this year. He has also been an Academic All-Big Ten selection three times.

"Mike embodied what it meant to be a student athlete," shared head coach Justin Spring. "He worked with such focus and passion in the gym and in the classroom. This is a great final award for an amazing graduate from our program!"

In his final campaign with the Illinois men's gymnastics team, Wilner brought home his third All-America accolade on the still rings. The Illinois senior holds a share of the third-best still rings score since the current scoring system came into play in 2008 with a mark of 15.900. Wilner hit the 15.900 reading twice in his career, including this season's meet at Ohio State.

Wilner claimed 12 still rings titles in his career. The mark puts him in a tie for seventh on the career titles list for the event. This season, Wilner won four titles, including the title at the team's final three regular-season meets against Stanford, Nebraska and at Michigan.

With his most recent lauding, Wilner joins an elite group of Illinois gymnasts becoming just the fourth student-athlete to be named an Academic All-American. Travis Romagnoli brought in the program's first two honors in 1999 and 2000, while Leo Oka was also decorated in 2000. In 2004, Bob Rogers earned the most recent accolade until Wilner joined the list.