CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois men's gymnastics interim head coach Daniel Ribeiro announced the signing of four recruits - Brandon Dang, Preston Ngai, Vahe Petrosyan, Alex Tapanes – set to joning the Fighting Illini program in 2023.
"The Illinois Class of 2023 will go down as the best Illini class since the 2012 national championship team," Ribeiro said. "Not only are these athletes loaded with talent and potential, but more importantly, they fit perfectly into the culture that we are building here at Illinois. These athletes are good kids, great students, and more focused and driven individually and as a group than any I have seen in a long time. They are going to have the chance to do something special here, and start the next Illini gymnastics dynasty."
Brandon Dang | Pommel Horse | San Jose, Calif.
Dang competed with West Coast Olympic Gymnastics Academy under coach Vince Miller.
A pommel horse specialist, Dang will be used as the anchor (the last and best athlete in an event, which is usually a seasoned veteran) as a freshman. This will be the first time a freshman will be an anchor since Ribeiro did so in 2011. Dang will be a direct replacement for graduate student and 2021 pommel horse national champion Ian Skirkey, who will be graduating at the end of the season.
Dang has multiple accolades including five state championships, four regional championships and four national pommel horse championships.
Dang was a member of the USA Gymnastics All-Star Team in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. He also placed fifth in all-around at the 2022 Nationals
In total, Dang has 46 top 10 state finishes, 24 top 10 regional finishes and seven top five national finishes.
Dang chose Illinois because, "because of the prestigious computer science and engineering programs, the positive team spirit, and the fantastic coaching staff."
"Brandon is the undisputed number one specialist in this year's signing class," Ribeiro said. "He has trained under Coach Vince Miller, who has produced over a dozen of our nation's top pommel horse competitors. He has the talent to fight for an NCAA national title immediately in his freshman year and will eventually have the chance to fight for World and Olympic medals on pommel horse."
Preston Ngai | All-Around | Elk Grove, Calif.
Ngai is the younger brother of former Illini Brandon Ngai, who won the 2016 NCAA title on pommel horse to become the youngest national champion in any sport in NCAA history. While Brandon was a specialist on pommel horse, Preston can do it all while having a strength on pommel horse, which is rare for an all-around competitor.
Ngai was a part of Elevate Gymnastics Academy and coached by Ron Howard, who also coached current Illini and still rings All-American, Ashton Anaya.
Ngai has competed in numerous national championships, including the 2022 OOFOS U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Tampa, Fla. where he finished first in still rings, second in pommel horse, third in all-around and floor and fourth in vault.
He also competed in the 2022 Men's Development Program National Championships in Mesa, Ariz., placing second in still rings, tied for third in vault and fourth in all-around.
He placed first in high bar, second in still rings and third in floor at the 2021 Men's Development Program National Championships, and first in pommel horse and still rings and third in all-around at the 2019 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships.
At age 13, Ngai tied for fourth in vault and parallel bars and placed fifth in all-around at the 2018 Men's Junior Olympic National Championships.
Ngai has also been a member of the Junior National team for four straight years.
Multiple schools tried to recruit Ngai, including Penn State and three-time reigning national champion, Stanford.
He ultimately decided to be an Illini because, "of its unrivaled team chemistry. The group is filled with a bunch of guys who are close and yet willing to challenge each other to be the best possible version of themselves. Illinois also has an amazingly skilled coaching staff and a top notch computer science program."
"Preston is a top five all-around athlete and doesn't have a weak event," Ribeido said. "While most all-around athletes have either pommel horse or still rings as their weakness, Preston has both of those events as his strength. With that, combined with his explosive and quick twitch power on floor and high bar, Preston will be an athlete that could win any event on any given day. Preston is also primed to explode onto the college scene. He is extremely intelligent and passionate about gymnastics and his goals. These tools make him a dangerous weapon to threaten the top of the all-around podium in the years to come."
Vahe Petrosyan | All-Around | Los Angeles, Calif.
Petrosyan trained at Gymnastics Olympica with coaches Paul Sargsyan and Capri Sano, who are arguably some of the best technical coaches in the world. The seasoned all-around competitor is a consecutive four-time All-Around National Champion as well as the all-around champion at the USA Championships.
Petrosyan is not a stranger to competing internationally; he helped win all-around team gold at the 2021 Pan American Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico and team gold at the 2022 DTB Pokal in Stuttgart, Germany
Along with the team gold, Petrosyan also won Individual gold on the high-bar and rings in Germany, along with an Individual all-around gold at the 2021 Pan Am Games in Cali, Colombia.
While he was sought out by fellow Big Ten schools Nebraska and Michigan, Petrosyan chose Illinois because of, "its welcoming and pleasant environment. The gymnastics team and coaches have created a gratifying culture like no other. The gymnastics team and coaches as a whole were all highly passionate and prideful in their work, which is exactly what I was looking for in a team."
"Vahe is arguably the number one All Around athlete in the Nation for the class of 2023," Ribiero said. "He is a silent warrior with a clear, focused vision on making the Olympic Games and has all the tools needed to become an Illini legend. Vahe has a beautiful gymnastics line, high difficulty, a full commitment to his training and goals, and brings a fearless approach to learning new skills which is critical in pursuing the highest level of elite gymnastics. Vahe is going to be a pillar of the Illini Gymnastics program for years to come."
Alex Tapanes | All-Around | Miami, Fla.
Tapanes, who joins the Illini from the east coast, was a member of the Florida Gymnastics Training Center where he was coached by Jorgie Valdes.
After battling injuries, Tapanes has made a giant comeback and is arguably one of the best all-around athletes. He has seven state champion titles, four regional champion titles and has qualified for the nationals four times. Tapanes is also a three-time qualifier for the Junior Elite and for the Ricky Deci National Camp, a very prestigious camp for gymnastics.
Other schools interested in Tapanes include Ohio State, Oklahoma, Michigan and the U.S. Naval Academy. He chose Illinois, however, because, "the environment felt right. From the campus and dorms, to the team and gym I felt like Illinois could be my home for the next four years. There's lots of potential for me to grow as both a student and an athlete here."
"Alex has shown incredible resiliency in making a comeback from injuries," Ribiero said. "He has the passion, grit, and determination that fit right into our culture that we are building here at Illinois. Alex has every single tool needed to become one of the best all-around athletes in the country. He is powerful, quick, and his lines make gymnastics look easy. Alex brings an amazing positive attitude through the ups and downs of his journey which will help him in his future."
