No. 4 Illinois men's gymnastics' 2024 season, thus far, has already been nothing short of historic.
The Illini were regular-season Big Ten co-champions for the first time in program history. At the 2024 conference championships hosted at State Farm Center in Champaign, the Orange and Blue were well-represented on the second day of competition with four Big Ten event champions and a program-record 16 individual qualifiers, both of which were also the most among participating institutions.
Now, Illinois has the chance to rewrite history once again at the 2024 NCAA Championships on Friday and Saturday. Fresh off a second-place finish at the Big Ten Championships, the Illini are looking to build off their past success in pursuit of national glory in head coach Daniel Ribeiro's second season at the helm.
"With this being the last meet of the season, Dan wants us to be in a good spot mentally and physically since all of the work has been done," said freshman Brandon Dang. "Now, we just have to finish through."
While Illinois went into last year's NCAA Championships coming off a fourth-place finish in Big Tens, the Illini have much more momentum and confidence heading into this year's competition. Boasting veteran experience and a loaded roster of talent and depth, the Orange and Blue know they will have to be at their best to reign supreme at NCAAs.
"There are some big teams out there, and we know we need to really go out there and perform if we want to be competitive," said graduate student Connor McCool. "We've been spending our time trying to work on consistency and having a clean meet because that's what we need to do if we want to be competitive like we were last year."
With five All-Big Ten first-team honorees, the Illini will compete in the first session against the likes of No. 1 Stanford, No. 5 Nebraska, No. 8 Cal, No. 9 Navy, and No. 12 Greenville on Friday starting at 12 p.m. CT.
Aiming to extend their streak of NCAA finals appearances to eight years in a row, the Orange and Blue are ready to make a splash in Columbus, Ohio, this weekend.
"Seeing that Dan was able to turn this team into his vision and into the things that he holds dear to his heart – which is distinguished gentlemen who are passionate, motivated, and prepared for not just gymnastics but also life – is a beautiful thing to see and a beautiful thing to be a part of," said junior Amari Sewell. "Now, being on the team and being a special part of the team, there's not an individual person we can attribute success to. We're all working hard to get to where we want to go and achieve great things. It's something that I really hold close to my heart."
Read more on three of the Illini's Big Ten champions ahead of their quest for an NCAA title:
A freshman from California, Dang took the college gymnastics world by storm in his debut season with the Fighting Illini. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Dang won the pommel horse title at the Big Ten Championships in dominant fashion with a 14.800.
"For me, it was a super fun first experience. It was my first Big Tens, so I was told to just go out there, feel the energy and the atmosphere, and just have a good time" Dang said. "Getting to do a good routine and being on top of the podium was just a really awesome way to finish off a really fun meet at home."
After a self-described "rough start" to his collegiate career, Dang turned things around as the year progressed, and it culminated in a Big Ten title. Not wanting to put too much pressure on himself heading into NCAAs, Dang is excited to savor the moment and make the most of the experience.
And, hopefully, walk away with some hardware, too.
"I feel like it's hard to describe how an experience will be before you actually experience it," Dang said. "I do want to win, but I think the main focus is to have a good experience and do a routine that I'm proud of.Â
"If I'm able to do that and leave happy, that's a win for me."
Opting to take advantage of his extra year of eligibility, McCool returned to Illinois for his fifth season and picked up right where he left off. A Big Ten champion and All-American on floor during his senior campaign, McCool successfully defended his conference title at this year's Big Ten Championships.
In his final time competing in Champaign, McCool recorded a 14.500, a score that earned him a shared event accolade. The opportunity for McCool to close out his final home meet by standing atop the podium was extra special, he says, and it was a big boost of confidence heading into his final collegiate competition.
"It was so cool to do that at home. We don't get to compete in such a cool arena like State Farm Center very often, so to be in an environment that was so friendly to us and to have people who love Illini sports and gymnastics there was really exciting," McCool said. "It was a blast to do it with all the guys. It was an individual day, but it felt like such a team environment. When we're all just killing it like that, it's so exciting."
McCool has already cemented his name in the Illinois record books. He ranks second in program history with 21 floor titles. He is a three-time All-American and three-time All-Big Ten honoree. He is the reigning CGA Specialist of the Year.
As his time with the Fighting Illini slowly comes to an end, McCool is content with the way his career has gone. But, closing this chapter of his life with a championship? That doesn't sound too bad either.
"Obviously, I want to become a national champion on floor, but even if I'm an All-American, I know that I did my job for the team. That's what I focus on," McCool said. "I've already checked off every success that I've wanted since I got here. I keep pushing my goals higher, but I also try not to hold them over my head. I'm here for a fifth year. It's been our most successful year as a team. That's what I'm trying to savor. The individual stuff would be cool, but it's not what's gonna make my experience fulfilling.
"My biggest goal is to savor the moments on the sidelines with the guys when I'm not competing. I want to go out there, do really well, and take home some medals, but the biggest thing is it's my last experience with these guys who I love so much and for a school that has given me so much. It's more about enjoying the last moments with them versus trying to do well. I've already done well in my career. Anything more would be awesome. It's more about the relationships and enjoying this one last time because that's what makes this team so special."
After earning All-America status at NCAAs in his debut season with the Orange and Blue in 2023, Sewell went into his junior campaign with higher expectations and even higher amounts of success. A vault champion for the first time in his collegiate career, Sewell never considered this moment ever becoming a possibility.
Through hard work and persistence, Sewell has turned that seemingly distant goal into a reality.
"I would say it was a dream come true, but I didn't even get to that part of dreaming that big. It was beyond my dreams," Sewell said. "It was just a beautiful experience. I kept saying, 'I'm just going to do my best.' Then, I put my best foot forward, and it worked out. For my teammates to be there supporting me and believing in me to be able to achieve that goal and then actually doing it, it was really cool."
As the top-ranked vault specialist heading into this weekend's competition, Sewell knows there will be a target on his back. He has spent his whole life working for this moment, and he is eager to prove himself among the best of the best in Columbus.
"With last year being in that position for a week-and-a-half where I was at the top, it kind of put some unwarranted stress on me. This year, I just didn't pay attention to it," Sewell said. "I just try to do one vault at a time, be as clean as I can, and hope for the best.
"To be a Big Ten champion, I didn't want to go out there and just win. Because it's an individual day, you can be a little selfish and go out there for yourself, but I still was going out there to put a good vault up and make sure that I made my team proud."
