CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The No. 4 ranked Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team welcomes both No. 2 Stanford and No. 5 Minnesota to Huff Hall for a heavyweight matchup at Huff Hall on Saturday, March 2. The meet also marks Senior Day, as Illini seniors Alex Diab, Johnny Jacobson, Blake Martin and Ross Thompson will be honored prior to the start of competition. 

Scouting Stanford 

The Illini are 17-25 all time against the Cardinal. 

» Floor Exercise - 71.267 (2nd)
» Pommel Horse - 68.250 (1st)
» Still Rings - 70.000 (3rd)
» Vault - 71.783 (5th)
» Parallel Bars - 70.550 (1st)
» High Bar - 69.117 (2nd)
» Team - 418.500 (2nd)

Scouting the Gophers

Illinois leads the all-time series 162-96 over the Gophers. 

» Floor Exercise - 69.533 (4th)
» Pommel Horse - 66.100 (7th)
» Still Rings - 66.983 (10th)
» Vault - 71.800 (4th)
» Parallel Bars - 69.533 (3rd)
» High Bar - 66.050 (8th)
» Team - 407.767 (5th)

Ring King

Alex Diab now holds the Illini program record with 24 career still rings titles, one more than both Dave Romero and Kevin McMurchie. Diab also holds the program's top scores (under the current scoring system) on both floor (15.000) and still rings (15.050). 

B1G Freshman of the Week x3

Clay Mason Stephens earned his second-straight B1G Freshman of the Week honor following Illinois' win over Iowa. The Australia native finished second overall on both floor (14.050) and parallel bars (13.700) and earned top-five finishes on vault (14.500) and all-around (78.600). Thr parallel bars score of 13.700 marked a new career high. 

After leading Illinois to its fifth-straight Windy City Invite title, freshman Stephens was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Stephens earned his first two career event titles at the event for the Illini and finished third on all-around, totaling a 79.650. The freshman finished in the top spot on floor (14.550) and vault (14.500) and posted the following scores: Pommel Horse (12.200), Still Rings (12.500), Parallel Bars (13.150) and High Bar (12.750).

Following an impressive performance in a win over UIC, Fighting Illini gymnast Michael Fletcher was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. Fletcher earned the all-around crown in his first meet for the Orange and Blue, finishing with 80.050 total. The Nashua, N.H., native also tied for the top spot on high bar (13.500) and posted the following scores: Floor (13.250), Pommel Horse (13.100), Still Rings (13.000), Vault (14.400) and Parallel Bars (12.800). 

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 Saturday's meet, the Illini will head to Norman, Oklahoma, to take on the four-time defending champions Oklahoma. Meet competition is set for Saturday, March 9, at 4 p.m. CT.