Yan Inhaber-Courchesne Student Manager | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Yan Inhaber-Courchesne Student Manager | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois ended the 2025 regular gymnastics season with a victory over No. 6 Ohio State, scoring 322.450 to Ohio State's 321.700. This win places Illinois in third position in the Big Ten standings as they move into postseason play.
The match began with strong performances from Ian Sandoval and Garrett Schooley on the floor exercise, both achieving career highs of 13.700 and 14.300 respectively. Schooley secured second place on this apparatus.
On pommel horse, Max Farkhadau scored a season-high of 14.250, while Will Hauke and Preston Ngai each contributed scores of 13.750. Brandon Dang excelled with a score of 15.000, securing an event title following his participation in the FIG World Cup in Antalya, Turkey.
Preston Ngai (14.050) and Logan Myers (13.150) helped Illinois maintain their lead at the halfway point during the still rings event, with Ngai taking the event title.
Despite two falls on vault, Garrett Schooley delivered a winning performance with a score of 14.350.
The team's difficulties persisted on parallel bars, where another fall was counted, but Matthew Vu Nguyen and Dylan Shepard led with scores of 13.100 each.
Entering the final rotation behind Ohio State, Ngai achieved a career-high score of 13.750 on high bar to win that event title, supported by Ryan Vanichtheeranont's score of 13.650.
Head coach Daniel Ribeiro commented: "It was an incredible team effort in the win today," acknowledging room for improvement but praising the team's determination which led to their narrow victory and boosted momentum heading into postseason competitions.
Illinois will next compete at the Big Ten Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan on April 4th.
Event winners included Brandon Dang for Pommel Horse (15.000), Preston Ngai for Still Rings (14.050) and High Bar (13.750), and Garrett Schooley for Vault (14.350). Career highs were recorded by Preston Ngai on Still Rings and High Bar, Ian Sandoval on Floor Exercise, Garrett Schooley also on Floor Exercise, and Dylan Shepard on Vault.
The Big Ten regular season standings are topped by Penn State and Michigan tied at first place with records of 3-1 each; Illinois follows at third place with a record of 2-2; while Ohio State and Nebraska share fourth place with records of 1-3 each.
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