CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois men's gymnastics will be well represented at the upcoming Winter Cup, with a combined six current, former, and future Fighting Illini ready to compete Friday through Sunday at Freedom Hall in Louisville, K.Y.
Fighting Illini grad students Michael Fletcher and Ian Skirkey, and senior Connor McCool will represent the Orange and Blue alongside program alumnus Alex Diab and Class of 2023 signees Brandon Dang and Vahe Petrosyan.
Diab has competed in the Winter Cup all four years of college, starting in 2016 when he placed eighth on still rings. In 2017 he tied for sixth on floor, in 2018 he placed second on still rings, in 2019 he placed 10th on floor and vault and second in still rings. In his post-Illinois career in 2021, he placed 15th on floor, 14th on vault and first on still rings. In 2022, he placed fifth on floor and first on still rings.
This will be Fletcher's fourth time competing in the Winter Cup for the Illini, with his first time in 2019 where he placed sixth on pommel horse, eighth on vault and 15th on high bar. In 2021, he placed 14th on floor and pommel horse and second on vault. Last year, Fletcher placed ninth on floor, sixth on pommel horse and 12th on the parallel bars.
McCool has yet to compete in the Winter Cup, however, he is third in the country on floor and has won 11 floor titles over the course of his career.
This is also the first time for Skirkey even though he was crowned the 2021 Pommel Horse National Champion. He is also second in the country on pommel horse and has two titles wins this season and eight in total.
About the Winter Cup
The 2023 Winter Cup is a qualifying event to the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The Winter Cup will also culminate in the selection of the Men's Junior and Senior National Teams to be named following the competition.
The Winter Cup serves as an opportunity to earn more National Points to qualify to compete in the U.S. Gymnastics Championships – a top-tier gymnastics meet with the most outstanding gymnasts in the country – in August. More information about the Winter Cup can be found here.
Who competes?
Athletes can earn a spot in the the Winter Cup in one of three ways:
1. Competing in the 2022 U.S. Championships last August, and earning at least one National Team Point (Diab, McCool, Petrosyan, and Skirkey).
2. Qualifying from one of the four designated qualifying meets (Dang).
3. Submitting a petition, a waiver requested when an athlete is injured, and having it be accepted (Fletcher).
What is the National Point System?
National points are based on a gymnast's finishes in the meet:
1st = 11 points,
2nd = 10 points
3rd = 9 points
4th = 7 points
5th = 6 points
6th = 5 points
7th = 4 points
8th = 3 points
9th = 2 points
10th = 1 point
The program skips from nine points (third place) to seven points (fourth place) to provide greater emphasis on finishing in the top three on each event.
The total of national points earned determines if the athlete makes the U.S. Championships in August.
