Results

COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the first time since the 2017 season, three Fighting Illini men's gymnasts won Big Ten titles in the event finals at the 2023 Big Ten Championships. Connor McCool took the title on floor exercise, followed by Ian Skirkey on pommel horse and Ashton Anaya on still rings. 

"The boys let loose and dominated tonight," head coach Daniel Ribeiro said. " This is what an entire year's worth of hard work is all for. These guys deserved every spot in the finals and all five medals won. This is a huge confidence builder for NCAAs. The job is not done yet, but today was definitely a win for the Illini."

McCool took the floor as the second to last performance of the night and put together a near perfect routine to score a 14.725. Paul Barnes of Penn State, the only gymnast to score higher on the event the night before, followed McCool but only pulled out a 14.3. McCool becomes the first floor exercise Big Ten event winner since C.J. Maestas in 2015. 

As the top score from team finals on pommel horse, Skirkey was the anchor performance, needing to better a 14.15. He blew away the competition with a 14.80 and becomes Illinois' first horse conference event winner since Brandon Ngai in 2017. Skirkey was one of three qualifiers on the event. Sophomore Max Farkhadau earned second-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing third with a 13.825. 

In the very next routine, Anaya took the still rings, also as the last performer in the event. His 14.475 beat out the 14.175 from Donavon Hewitt of Ohio State. The sophomore becomes the Big Ten still rings champion for the second straight season. 

The Illini had three qualifiers on vault with Evan Manivong scoring the Illini's top mark of the finals with a 14.60, placing fourth. He was followed by Amari Sewel's 14.425, which was good for sixth, and Michael Fletchers' seventh-place 14.40.

Senior David Pochinka was the only Illini representative on parallel bars, placing third with a score of 14.225, also earning him second-team All-Big Ten.

Fletcher was the sole Illini qualifier on high bar, and set a new season-best mark with his 13.950, placing seventh. 

 HOW IT HAPPENED

*denotes season best

ALL-BIG TEN 

First-Team

1. Michael Fletcher, All-Around
2. Connor McCool, Floor Exercise
3. Ian Skirkey, Pommel Horse
4. Ashton Anaya, Still Rings

Second-Team

1. Max Farkhadau, Pommel Horse
2. Evan Manivong, Vault
3. David Pochinka, Parallel Bars

UP NEXT

The Fighting Illini will be back in action at the NCAA Championships on April 14-15 in College Park, Pa. 

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