CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The fourth-ranked Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team heads to Columbus, Ohio, for its regular season finale at No. 9 Ohio State. Illinois holds a 109-80-2 advantage in the all-time series against the Buckeyes.

Scouting Ohio State

» Floor Exercise - 68.000 (10th)
» Pommel Horse - 67.617 (3rd)
» Still Rings - 67.250 (7th)
» Vault - 71.100 (7th)
» Parallel Bars - 67.150 (6th)
» High Bar - 63.267 (15th)
» Team - 402.250 (9th)

*Based on RTN 4Score Avg.

Ring King

Nissen Emery Award finalist Alex Diab holds the Illini program record with 27 career still rings titles, three more than both Dave Romero and Kevin McMurchie. Diab also holds the program's top scores (under the current scoring system) on both floor (15.050) and still rings (15.200). 

Illini in the Rankings

Alex Diab holds the top average in the country on still rings with a 14.867, and the fifth-highest average on floor with a 14.500. Also in the top 10 on floor is Clay Mason Stephens, who has an average of 14.433 to rank seventh in the nation. Michael Paradise carries the second-highest average on pommel horse with a 14.833, while Johnny Jacobson's 80.050 all-around is good for seventh in the country.

B1G Freshman of the Week X 3

Clay Mason Stephens earned his second-straight B1G Freshman of the Week honor after Illinois' meet against Iowa, as 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 held 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

Saturday's meet marks the end of the regular season for the Illini, as the team will get set to defend last year's conference championship at the 2019 Big Ten Championships, held in Iowa City, Iowa, April 5-6.