UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 7 Illinois fell to No. 6 Penn State, 316.800-311.000, in its Big Ten opener on Sunday afternoon in University Park, Pa.
The Fighting Illini saw three student-athletes earn event titles on floor, parallel bars, and vault.
Illinois started the afternoon on floor, with Nathan Whitaker taking the title with his 13.600. Garrett Schooley was not far behind, posting the meet's second-highest score with a 13.400.
Shifting to pommel horse, Brandon Dang remained a steady force with his team-best 13.800. The remaining three Illini student-athletes all finished within one-tenth of a point of each other, including Tate Costa's 13.000, which was good for fifth on the day.
On rings, Hasan Aydogdu posted a team-high 13.800 as the sides reached the halfway point in the competition.
Schooley captured the vault title by four-tenths of a point, winning with a 14.350. Whitaker tallied the meet's third-best score of 13.900.
Parallel bars proved to be a strong suit for the Illini behind Sam Kaplan's event-winning score of 13.650.
The Orange and Blue finished strong on high bar with a 52.000. The Illini posted four of the top six scores on the apparatus, including Sam Phillips' 13.500 and Costa's 13.400.
"We had a really rough start to today's competition but I was really proud how we finished up the last three events. Nathan Whitaker had a really great meet today and he has been looking excellent in the gym. We still have a lot of work to do collectively to position us better for post season," Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro said.Â
Next up, Illinois hosts its home opener against reigning national champion No. 4 Michigan on Saturday at 12 p.m. CT for the squad's Hail to the Orange Out.
