The Illinois men's gymnastics team is set to host the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Huff Hall in Champaign for their 2025 home opener. The meet will take place on Friday, January 31, at 6 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on B1G+. Fans are invited to participate in an autograph signing session with the team after the meet.
Nebraska recently competed at the Rocky Mountain Open, securing third place behind Stanford and Oklahoma with a score of 320.450. Notable performances included Taylor Christopulos earning his 23rd event title on high bar, Alex Nitache placing second in the all-around, Chase Mondi taking second on floor exercise and vault, Nathan York finishing third on floor exercise, and Chris Hiser placing third on still rings.
Illinois faced No. 2 Oklahoma last week but was defeated with a score of 330.700-325.500. Despite the loss, several Illini gymnasts delivered strong performances. Brandon Dang won pommel horse with a score of 14.500, Sam Phillips tied for second on floor with a season-high score of 13.900, and Ian Sandoval achieved a career-high of 14.350 on vault.
In recent accolades from the College Gymnastics Association (CGA), Brandon Dang received Specialist of the Week honors while Ian Sandoval was named Rookie of the Week. Both athletes have been recognized nationally for their achievements in gymnastics.
Preston Ngai and Garrett Schooley were highlighted as Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch this preseason due to their previous accomplishments and potential impact this season.
Tate Costa, reigning NCAA high bar champion and junior at Illinois, expressed his ambitions for future competitions including making an Olympic team and achieving more national titles in NCAA events. Costa has been appointed captain for another year following his success last season.
Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro enters his third season with a career record of 38-21 (.644) overall and a Big Ten record of 6-3 (.667).
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