CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The 6-0 undefeated men's gymnastics team will travel to Norman, Okla. to compete against No. 2 Oklahoma and Air Force at 6 p.m.
ABOUT THE MEET
Illinois is looking for a comeback against Oklahoma after the Sooners came to Champaign last season and walked away with a 403.950-398.650 win.
Air Force, on the other hand, was the Illini's best meet of the year in the 2022 season scoring 416.000.
The Orange and Blue, however, are coming off a strong performance against Greenville and have a 6-0 record, the best record since 2019.
Illinois is entering the meet with at least one athlete in the top 25 in their respective event.
LAST TIME OUT
Illinois is coming off a 30 point win against Greenville; the Illini's first home meet of the 2023 season.
The Illini came in swinging on floor, with Connor McCool claiming the title with a 14.150. Sophomore transfer Amari Sewell also had a breakout performance, breaking his previous career-high of 12.850 by a landslide with a 13.600 performance.
Illinois didn't ease up moving onto pommel horse, with star Ian Skirkey earning a 14.350 and first place. Freshman Connor Micklos was right behind him with a 13.300 on the event.
The next fatal blow came from the Orange and Blue's still rings performance with last year's Big Ten champion, Ashton Anaya, breaking his previous record with a 14.450 and getting first place. Ethan Boder and Josh Cook had stellar performances, both earning a 13.700.
The Illini had three performances above a 14 on vault – Cook earning a 14.300, Evan Manivong getting a 14.050 and Sewell coming in at the anchor spot earning a 14.450 and winning the title for the second week in a row.
David Pochinka was the highest scorer on the parallel bars, earning a solid 14.000 and the first place spot. Will Hauke was in a close second, earning a 13.650.
In the final rotation, Cook came in hot with a 13.800 on high bar, taking first place and sealing the deal for the Illini sweep. Sewell also had a strong high bar performance with a 13.000.
NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Amari Sewell, newly transferred from Iowa, has had two standout performance in the Windy City Invitational and against Greenville.
At Windy City, Sewell broke his vault career-high with a 14.700 and won the vault title.
Against Greenville, the Bowie, M.D. native broke his floor career-high in a landslide, scoring a 13.600 and won the vault title for the second week in a row.
GET OUT THE BROOMS
The Illini won every title in the meet against Greenville: Connor McCool on floor, Ian Skirkey on pommel horse, Amari Sewell on vault, Ashton Anaya on still rings, David Pochinka on parallel bars and Josh Cook on high bar -- for the first time since 2020.
