CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini will close out the regular season at No. 6 Ohio State on March 25 at 3 p.m. CT. The Orange and Blue will see Brandon Dang and Ian Sandoval return to the lineup, just in time to tune up before the postseason.
About the Opponent
The Ohio State men's gymnastics team (4-3, 1-2 B1G) fell to No. 7 Michigan (7-3, 2-1 B1G) on Saturday, March 15 in a dual meet in Ann Arbor, Mich. by a score of 328.100-322.000. Parker Thackston captured his sixth pommel horse win of the season with a season-best score of 15.050. Tyler Rockwood earned his third rings title of the season with a career-high 14.200, sticking his dismount. Kameron Nelson tied his season-high 14.550 on vault to earn his sixth vault title of the season. The Buckeyes had two on the podium on parallel bars – David Ramirez was the runner-up with a career-high 13.850 and Drake Andrews finished third (13.750). Kristian Grahovski tied for third on high bar (13.550).
Last Time Out
The Fighting Illini fell to No. 6 Penn State on March 8 by a score of 321.75-312.550. Starting the day on floor, Vahe Petrosyan led off with a solid 13.450, before Garrett Schooley and Will Hauke added a pair of 13.600s to the scoring. The Illini and Nittany Lions would face tough judging on pommel horse, with Connor Micklos' 13.300 leading the squad and the field. Preston Ngai's 13.400 would lead the Orange and Blue on the still rings, with Logan Myers' 13.250 following behind. Illinois would find their footing on vault, with Matthew Vu Nguyen, Amari Sewell and Schooley all tallying scores of 14.250. They would tie for first place. It was again Nguyen who would lead the Illini on parallel bars with a 13.750. Dylan Shepard was a close second on the team with a 13.650. To close out the meet on high bar, Ryan Vanichtheeranont led the way for Illinois with a 13.500.
In The News
Two Illini, Brandon Dang and alum Alex Diab, represented Team USA men's gymnastics at the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG) World Cup Series in Baku March 6-9. Both Illinois athletes were able to secure medals in their first international competitions of the season. A still rings specialist, Diab's journey began on March 6, where he placed second in the qualifiers with a 14.000. When it was time for finals on March 8, Diab was able to duplicate his successes, earning a 13.766 to secure the bronze medal. Dang showed complete poise for his first USA Gymnastics assignment, taking first in the qualification round with a 14.300. He tied fellow American Patrick Hoopes, but his higher execution score served as the tie breaker. In the event finals on March 9, Dang increased his difficulty score by 0.2, and it paid off when he placed first with a 14.633. Dang then competed in the FIG World Cup Series in Antalya, Turkey March 20-23, and finished sixth.
For the second straight week, Matthew Vu Nguyen was named the Big Ten's Freshman of the Week, the conference announced March 11. Nguyen delivered a standout performance for the Illini last week, earning his career-high 14.250 on vault to tie for first place against No. 6 Penn State. The freshman also led the Illini on parallel bars with a 13.750, and rounded out his day with a 13.350 on high bar. The Illini have now captured Freshman of the Week honors on four occasions this season, with Ian Sandoval earning the other two awards (Feb. 4, Feb. 11). Nguyen was also named the week's CGA Rookie of the Week on March 13.
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.
Career Record:Â 41-23Â (.641), Third season
Big Ten:Â 7-5Â (.583), Third season
Complete Illinois Meet Notes (PDF)
