University of Illinois
Winter Cup Prelims
Four Illini Set for Annual Winter Cup Challenge
February 14, 2019 | Men's Gymnastics
Diab, Fletcher, Jacobson and Quiana to compete in Las Vegas
| 2019 Winter Cup Challenge | |
|---|---|
| Date | Friday-Sunday, Feb. 15-17 |
| Location | South Point Hotel // Las Vegas, Nevada // Admission: $25 per day |
| Follow | Start List | Routines | USA Gymnastics | National Team Selection Info |
| Preliminaries | Thursday, 8:30 p.m. CT - Alex Diab, Michael Fletcher, Johnny Jacobson, Sebastian Quiana |
| Finals | Saturday, 9:15 p.m. CT |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Four members of the Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team will head to Las Vegas for the 2019 Winter Cup Challenge, held at the South Point Hotel. Alex Diab will be making his fourth trip to the event as an Illini, while Johnny Jacobson will be competing for the third time. They will be joined by junior Sebastian Quiana and freshman Michael Fletcher, who make their first appearances at the event.
Meet Notes
- The meet features all eight members of the United States World team and all 12 members of the current U.S. National Team.
- Performances at the meet will help determine the 12 men who will comprise the U.S. Men's Senior National Team through the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Missouri, Aug. 8-11.
The first day of competition will consist of one session for the senior division. The finals session will feature the top 28 senior athletes out of 48. The senior athletes will advance to the second day according to the Men's Program Committee's points-ranking system. For the senior division, all-around ranking will be determined on the first day of competition, and individual event champions will be determined via a combined two-day score.
A year ago at the event, Diab earned an event title on still rings on the second day of competition, registering a 14.400. The Glen Ellyn, Illinois, native also put together a two-day total of 28.550 to place second overall on the event.
Jacobson also found success at last year's event, tying for 12th on parallel bar with a two-day score of 26.950.
Illinois to Host 2019 NCAA Championships
The 2019 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships will be April 19-20, 2019 at the State Farm Center. It will mark the first time Illinois has hosted the NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships since 2004.
Looking Ahead
Following Winter Cup, Illinois will return home and host both Minnesota and Stanford at Huff Hall on March 2. Meet competition is set to begin at 2 p.m. CT.
