Results
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 4 men's gymnastics scored a 410.461 in the first round of the NCAA Championships, placing third behind No. 1 Stanford and No. 5 Nebraska Friday afternoon at Covelli Center.
The Cardinal took a 417.389 and placed first, while the Cornhuskers nailed down a 413.523 to take second. No. 8 Cal scored a 407.158 and placed fourth, while No. 9 Navy scored a 396.290 and took fifth. No. 12 Greenville scored a 389.157 and placed sixth.
"We don't take anything for granted," head coach Daniel Ribeiro said. "We are extremely grateful to advance to the Super Six once again. We have to give credit to Cal Berkeley. They put up a heck of a fight today. Our guys were able to stay focused and get the job done. We will definitely need to make some adjustments tomorrow, and we will. We are extremely proud of this team for making the final day of competition! We will leave everything we have on the competition floor for Illini Nation!"
Connor McCool was the highest floor scorer of the day, scoring a 14.766. Brandon Dang had the top score on pommel horse with a monster 15.000, with Ryan Vanichtheeranont taking the top high bar score with a 13.966. Tate Costa had the highest all-around score with a 81.999, a new career-high mark.
Event Breakdown
Parallel Bars
Michael Fletcher took the top Illinois score with a 14.100. Both Costa and Will Hauke scored a 13.800, with Garrett Schooley taking a 13.566.
High Bar
Costa continued his momentum by scoring a 13.700 and Kyle Mayotte taking a 13.033. Sebastian Ingersoll also scored well, earning a 13.000.
Floor
Costa followed McCool's top score with a 14.133, and Fletcher took a 13.900. In his college debut, Dylan Shepard scored a 13.500.
Pommel Horse
Preston Ngai scored a 14.300, with Hauke taking a solid 14.000. Costa rounded out the Illini with a 13.666.
Still Rings
Ashton Anaya had the third-highest score of the session with a 14.133. Schooley secured a 13.500 with Ingersoll scoring a 13.333. Logan Myers locked in a 13.300, with Costa taking a 13.200.
Vault
Schooley put up the highest Illinois score with a 14.500, with Fletcher taking a 14.400 and Amari Sewell and McCool earning a 14.333.
Up Next
Illinois will compete tomorrow at 6 p.m. CT in the Super Six against No.1 Stanford and No. 4 Nebraska. The other three teams will be revealed after the conclusion of the second session tonight at 6 p.m. CT at Covelli Center.
