Feb. 20-26, 2023

Ian Skirkey | GR., Men's Gymnastics | Major: Computer Science

Fighting Illini gymnast Ian Skirkey, the nation's No. 1-ranked athlete on the pommel horse, excelled on the apparatus once again last weekend at the Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky., qualifying for the U.S. Senior National Team with a career-best performance.

Skirkey scored a 14.972 in his first run before breaking his personal best, and the Illinois program record, with a score of 15.972 on Day 2.  

Skirkey is the first current Illini to make the U.S. Senior National Team since Paul Ruggeri and C.J Maestras in 2016. 

"What a magical weekend for Ian Skirkey," head coach Daniel Ribeiro said. "He has spent the last five years working harder than anyone at his craft, slowly building for this very moment. He absolutely dominated the competition this weekend and earned a well-deserved spot at the U.S. Senior National Team."

Skirkey, a graduate student from Papperell, Mass., is studying Computer Science at Illinois.

º2022-23 Scholar Athlete of the Week Winners