Chambana Sun

Illinois' men's gymnastics team is preparing for a challenging meet against the second-ranked Oklahoma Sooners at McCasland Field House in Norman, Oklahoma. The event is scheduled for Saturday, January 25, at 6 p.m. CT. Illinois hopes to break Oklahoma's impressive streak of being unbeaten against their last 73 regular-season opponents at home.

In their previous encounter, Illinois defeated then-No. 1 Oklahoma with a close score of 407.200-406.650 on January 28, 2024, defending Huff Hall successfully.

Oklahoma began its season with a dominant performance against Air Force, securing all six individual event titles. However, they faced their first loss of the season to Stanford at the Rocky Mountain Open on January 18. Notably, Francisco Velez Belendez was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Freshman of the Week after achieving a career-high score on still rings.

Illinois recently claimed victory at the Windy City Invitational over Michigan with a score of 321.700-316.600 on January 18. During this invitational, five gymnasts made their debuts for Illinois: Nathan Whitaker, Matthew Vu Nguyen, Hasan Aydogdu, Ian Sandoval, and Sam Phillips. The team secured five event titles during the competition.

Preston Ngai and Garrett Schooley have been highlighted as gymnasts to watch in the Big Ten this season due to their past performances and contributions to the team.

Tate Costa enters his junior year as an NCAA high bar champion with significant aspirations for both NCAA and international competitions. "This last season definitely gave me a sense of belief in what I'm capable of," Costa expressed about his goals for future achievements.

Under Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro's leadership in his third season with a career record of 38-20 (.655), Illinois looks forward to maintaining momentum in their upcoming meets.