Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's gymnastics team is set to begin its 2025 season at the Windy City Invitational, a qualifier event for the Winter Cup. The competition will take place on Saturday, January 18, 2025, at Navy Pier Festival Hall A in Chicago, Illinois. The Fighting Illini will compete against athletes from various clubs and colleges, including fourth-ranked Michigan.

Preston Ngai and Garrett Schooley have been highlighted as gymnasts to watch this season. Both were letterwinners for Illinois last year. Ngai competed in eight meets and achieved career highs at the Big Ten Championships with a score of 14.900 on vault and 14.300 on pommel horse during NCAA Qualifiers. Schooley also participated in eight meets, securing two event titles in vault and all-around while setting career highs across six events.

Tate Costa enters his junior year with significant motivation following his success last season as the NCAA high bar champion. After winning the title in April 2024, Costa competed at the Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, finishing 25th overall and earning a spot on the USA Gymnastics Senior Development Team. This achievement allowed him to participate in the Olympic Team Trials in June. As a result of his accomplishments and attitude, Costa has been named a captain for a second consecutive year.

"This last season definitely gave me a sense of belief in what I'm capable of," Costa stated. "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."

Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro enters his third season with a career record of 37-20 (.649) overall and 5-3 (.625) within the Big Ten Conference.