Men’s Gymnastics Prepares for Final Showdown at NCAA Championships
April 16, 2025 | Men's Gymnastics
PREVIEW
| No. 6 ILLINOIS (5-3, 2-2 B1G) at NCAA Championships | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time |
Friday, April 18 2025: Session I at 12 p.m. CT, Session II at 6 p.m. CT Saturday, April 19 2025: 5:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Crisler Center | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Ticket Link | Tickets |
| TV | ESPN+ | ESPN2 |
| Live Stats | |
| Printable Notes | Illinois |
| 2025 Stats | Illinois | Oklahoma | Michigan | Stanford | Nebraska | Penn State | Ohio State | Air Force | California | Navy | Army | William & Mary |
| Record Book | Illinois |
| Social Media | X (Twitter) | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini are set to compete in the NCAA Championships this weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Championship Qualifier Session I will begin on Friday, April 18 at 12 p.m. CT, followed by Session II at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+. Illinois will be competing in Session II. The Championship Finals will take place on Saturday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
At the 2024 NCAA Championships, Illinois posted a 410.461 in the first round, finishing third to advance to the Super Six. Returning standout Brandon Dang led pommel horse with a huge 15.000, while Ryan Vanichtheeranont claimed the top high bar score of 13.966. Preston Ngai added a 14.300 on pommel horse, Ashton Anaya earned the third-highest still rings score (14.133), and Garrett Schooley led Illinois on vault with a 14.500.
Tate Costa shined in finals, winning the high bar title and earning All-America honors in two events—the first Illini to do so since 2018. Brandon Dang was also named an All-American on pommel horse. On vault, Schooley and Ngai posted top Illini scores with 14.566 and 14.533.
Last Time Out
The Fighting Illini Finished fourth at the Big Ten Championship team competition on April 4 with a score of 320.950. Brandon Dang took home the event title on pommel horse with a score of 14.850. Ian Sandoval set a new career high in parallel bars for a score of 13.750 and Dylan Shaprad with a score of 14.050.
On Day 2 of the Big Ten Championships, Brandon Dang delivered a standout performance, scoring a 14.775 to remain undefeated on the season and claim his second-consecutive Big Ten title on pommel horse. Three Illini earned All-Big Ten honors at the championships: Dang and Logan Sandoval received First Team recognition on pommel horse and in the all-around, respectively, while Connor Schooley was named to the Second Team on floor.
In The News
Matthew Vu Nguyen and Ian Sandoval were named to the Big Ten's inaugural All-Freshman Team, announced April 9, following standout performances at the conference championships.
Nguyen placed third among freshmen on both parallel bars (12.800) and high bar (12.100) in his Big Ten debut. Sandoval earned fourth in the all-around on Day 1, highlighted by a career-high 13.750 on parallel bars, and advanced to Day 2, placing eighth on parallel bars and 10th on high bar.
Three Fighting Illini gymnasts earned regular season awards, the Big Ten announced Wednesday, April 2. Brandon Dang was named Specialist of the Year, Ian Sandoval earned Freshman of the Year, and Amari Sewell was recognized as Illinois' Sportsmanship Team honoree.
Sophomore pommel horse specialist Brandon Dang went undefeated during the 2025 regular season (7-0), earning four Big Ten Specialist of the Week honors (Jan. 21, Feb. 11, Feb. 25, March 4) and three CGA Specialist of the Week awards (Jan. 29, Feb. 27, March 5). He spent 11 straight weeks ranked in the national top three and recently joined Illinois' Top-10 All-Time Pommel Horse Titles list with 16 in just two seasons. The San Jose, Calif., native also secured a spot on the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team after winning the pommel horse title at the Winter Cup on Feb. 23. Dang has since represented the U.S. internationally, placing first in Baku, Azerbaijan, and sixth in Antalya, Turkey.
Ian Sandoval was unanimously selected as the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. The Frisco, Texas native won five event titles in the first half of the season before an injury sidelined him for over a month. Despite his absence, Sandoval remained nationally ranked in every event and was the only freshman to do so. He finished the season ranked No. 2 in the all-around, making history as Illinois' first back-to-back Freshman of the Year winner (Dang earned the title in 2024).
Senior Amari Sewell was named Illinois' representative on the Big Ten Sportsmanship Team. Sewell claimed two vault titles this season, breaking into Illinois' Top-10 All-Time Vault Titles list with 12.
2025 Regular Season All-Americans
Four Illini gymnasts earned 2025 regular season All-America honors, as announced by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA) on Tuesday, April 1. Brandon Dang, Ian Sandoval, Garrett Schooley, and Amari Sewell were recognized among the nation's best.
The top eight performers in each category were selected based on their four-score average via Road to Nationals. Ties were included and broken by highest season score.
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Dang (Pommel Horse) – Undefeated in the regular season (7-0), earning back-to-back CGA All-America honors.
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Sandoval (All-Around) – Finished the regular season ranked No. 2 nationally. A three-time CGA Rookie of the Week (Jan. 29, Feb. 5, Feb. 12), two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week (Feb. 4, Feb. 11), and recipient of Big Ten Gymnast of the Week (Feb. 4) and NCAA Gymnast of the Week (Feb. 3) honors.
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Schooley & Sewell (Vault) – Schooley earned four vault titles this season, while Sewell secured two.
All Eyes On Us
- Brandon Dang earned the conference's Specialist of the Year award, while Ian Sandoval was named Freshman of the Year. Amari Sewell was named Illinois' Sportsmanship Team honoree.
- The College Gymnastics Association (CGA) announced that Brandon Dang, Ian Sandoval, Garrett Schooley, and Amari Sewell were named 2025 regular season All-Americans.
- 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.
Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro
Career Record: 43-26 (.623), Third season
Big Ten: 9-8 (.529), Third season
