CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -Â Oklahoma is unbeaten against its last 73Â regular-season opponents at home, and the Illini are hoping to be the ones to break the streak on Saturday, Jan. 25 when they face the Sooners at McCasland Field House. In their last matchup, Illinois defended Huff Hall, defeating then-No. 1 Oklahoma 407.200-406.650 on Jan. 28, 2024.
About the Opponent
Oklahoma opened its season at home against Air Force in dominant fashion, sweeping all six individual event titles. The second-ranked Sooners then placed second at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 18, falling to Stanford 328.850-327.200 for their first loss of the season. Newcomer Francisco Velez Belendez was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Freshman of the Week after he scored a career high 13.800 on still rings to tie for fifth place on the event.
Last Time Out
The Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team claimed the Windy City Invitational victory over then-No. 4 Michigan by a score of 321.700-316.600 on Saturday, Jan. 18. Five gymnasts made their Illini debuts throughout the invitational (Nathan Whitaker, Matthew Vu Nguyen, Hasan Aydogdu, Ian Sandoval, and Sam Phillips), and the Orange and Blue won five event titles: Brandon Dang on pommel horse, Phillips on still rings and in the all-around, Whitaker on floor, and Amari Sewell and Garrett Schooley tied for the vault title. By winning the all-around title, Phillips earned an automatic spot for the Winter Cup in February.Â
All Eyes On Us
- Preston Ngai and Garrett Schooley were named to this year's Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch list during the preseason.
- Both Ngai and Schooley were letterwinners for the Illini last season.
- Ngai competed in eight meets and showed up big in big moments, setting career highs at the Big Ten Championships (14.900 on vault) and NCAA Qualifiers (14.300 on pommel horse).
- Schooley also competed in eight meets and secured two event titles during the season (vault, all-around) as he repeatedly set and re-set career highs in all six events and the all-around.
Greater Goals, More Motivation
- Tate Costa, the reigning NCAA high bar champion, enters his junior year with a renewed sense of motivation for the season.
- After winning the high bar title in April 2024, Costa earned a spot at the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at the end of May. He finished 25th overall to earn a spot on the USA Gymnastics Senior Development Team and the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Team Trials in June.
- Due to his successes and his can-do attitude, Costa was named a captain for the second-straight year.
- "This last season definitely gave me a sense of belief in what I'm capable of," Costa said. "I now have goals for the next four years. I want to make an Olympic team, make a World Championships team, make the Senior National Team. I want to set myself up to compete at international competitions and show that I'm ready to compete for the United States at the Olympic Games. On top of that, in terms of NCAA goals, I want to win more national titles."
Career Record:Â 38-20 (.655), Third season
Big Ten:Â 6-3 (.667), Third season
Complete Illinois Meet Notes (PDF)
