NEW ORLEANS – Three current Illinois student-athletes and one Fighting Illini men's gymnastics alum competed at the 2025 Xfinity U.S. Championships in New Orleans, with Tate Costa, Brandon Dang, Alex Diab, and Preston Ngai taking part in the two-day competition.
Dang earned a runner-up finish on pommel horse, while Ngai and Diab both claimed top-five finishes on pommel horse and still rings, respectively.
Day 1
Brandon Dang posted the second-highest pommel horse score during the first day of competition, recording a 15.468 and trailing only Air Force's Patrick Hoopes. Preston Ngai was not far behind, with his 14.558 coming in third on Thursday night.
With his 13.600 on horizontal bar securing a sixth-place finish heading into Saturday night, Ngai also held the seventh-place spot in the all-around standings (79.108). Illinois alum Diab's 13.750 on still rings was good for fifth place, while Tate Costa tallied top-20 scores on floor, horizontal bar, and pommel horse.
Day 1 Scores:
Preston Ngai
All-Around: 79.108 (seventh place)
Floor: 11.550 (39th place)
Pommel Horse: 14.558 (third place)
Still Rings: 13.000 (13th place)
Vault: 13.900
Parallel Bars: 12.500 (26th place)
Horizontal Bar: 13.600 (sixth place)
Tate Costa
Floor: 13.650 (13th place)
Pommel Horse: 12.650 (20th place)
Parallel Bars: 12.150 (33rd place)
Horizontal Bar: 13.150 (19th place)
Brandon Dang
Pommel Horse: 15.468 (second place)
Alex Diab
Still Rings: 13.750 (fifth place)
Day 2
Dang followed up his 15.468 on Thursday with an even better 15.625 on Saturday, the highest score of Day 2. His combined score of 31.093 saw the Illini junior finish in second on the apparatus, an improvement of one spot from his third-place finish at the competition in 2024.
Diab, the 2024 still rings champion, was unable to defend his title, though he earned another top-five finish. After a 13.750 put him in fifth place after the first day of action, Diab registered an identical 13.750 mark on Day 2, helping him maintain his hold on fifth.
Ngai closed out his time in New Orleans with a 13.450 on pommel horse and a 13.050 on still rings. Ngai's two-day total of 28.008 on pommel horse was good for fourth place in the event.
Day 2 Scores (final, place):
Preston Ngai
Pommel Horse: 13.450 (28.008, fourth place)
Still Rings: 13.050 (26.050, 14th place)
Brandon Dang
Pommel Horse: 15.625 (31.093, second place)
Alex Diab
Still Rings: 13.750 (27.500, fifth place)
