Chambana Sun

Three Illini athletes have been recognized by the Big Ten Conference with regular season awards as of April 2, 2025. This recognition comes just before the postseason competitions begin.

Brandon Dang, a sophomore specializing in the pommel horse, was awarded the Specialist of the Year. Dang had a successful 2025 regular season, remaining undefeated in all seven competitions. He received the Big Ten Specialist of the Week award four times on January 21, February 11, February 25, and March 4. Moreover, he was named the CGA Specialist of the Week on January 29, February 27, and March 5. Throughout the season, Dang was consistently in the top three national rankings for eleven consecutive weeks. He has recently added his name to the Illinois Top-10 All-Time Pommel Horse Titles list with 16 titles. Originally from San Jose, California, Dang also secured a spot on the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team after winning the pommel horse title at the Winter Cup on February 23. His international assignments included first and sixth place finishes in Baku, Azerbaijan, and Antalya, Turkey, respectively.

Ian Sandoval, a freshman, was unanimously chosen as the Freshman of the Year. Sandoval, from Frisco, Texas, secured five event titles during the early part of the season. However, an injury sidelined him for over a month. Despite this setback, Sandoval maintained national ranking status across all events, including a second-place ranking in the all-around category. His victory in this category marked the first instance of back-to-back Freshman of the Year honors for the University of Illinois, following Dang’s win in 2024.

Head coach Daniel Ribeiro expressed his pride in their achievements, stating, "We are so proud of what Brandon and Ian accomplished this year. Their meticulous work ethic and drive has developed them into some of the most disciplined gymnasts in the NCAA. These awards are so well deserved!"

Senior Amari Sewell was honored as part of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Team. Sewell, with two vault titles this year, now ranks on the Illinois Top-10 All-Time Vault Titles list with 12 titles.

Other Big Ten award recipients include Taylor Christopulos from Nebraska for Gymnast of the Year and several athletes were recognized as Sportsmanship Team Honorees, including Paul Juda from Michigan, Chris Hiser from Nebraska, Justin Ciccone from Ohio State, and Matt Underhill from Penn State.