Chambana Sun

The Fighting Illini have secured a place in the Super Six Finals at the NCAA Championships by finishing third in the qualifiers held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Illinois posted a final score of 323.194, surpassing Ohio State, Army, and Navy to take the last qualifying position.

The competition began on the still rings, with Logan Myers scoring 13.333 and Preston Ngai slightly surpassing with 13.366. The Illini's performance on the vault saw improvements, led by Ian Sandoval's 13.566 and further elevated by Dylan Shepard's 14.000. Amari Sewell contributed a 13.833, while Garrett Schooley closed the rotation with a winning score of 14.366. These scores advanced Illinois to third place after two rotations.

On the parallel bars, Nathan Whitaker returned with a leading score of 13.100. Sandoval and Will Hauke followed with scores of 13.600 and 13.633, respectively. As the Illini continued to perform on the high bar, Ngai led with a 13.500 before the team briefly slipped to fourth place.

The Orange and Blue gained momentum on the floor exercise with Whitaker scoring 13.466. Contributions from Sewell, Sandoval, and Schooley maintained a competitive edge. Entering the final pommel horse rotation, Illinois needed a strong performance trailing Ohio State by only 0.097 points. Connor Micklos led the way with a 13.366, followed by Hauke's 13.833, and Ngai and Brandon Dang secured rounds with matching 14.233 scores.

Ngai achieved the all-around title in his first competition, scoring 80.198, while Sandoval placed second with 78.299. Head coach Daniel Ribeiro expressed his enthusiasm for the team's performance: "Tonight was a special night. With three of our top athletes out for the season, the rest of this team rallied and put together an incredible meet. It was truly a full team effort. We are blessed to be back in the Super Six!"

The Illini will compete again on April 19 at 5:30 p.m. CT, broadcast on ESPN2, alongside Michigan, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Penn State, and Stanford.

Event winners included Garrett Schooley on vault with a score of 14.366 and Preston Ngai with the all-around score of 80.198.

Team scores for the event were as follows: Michigan led with 329.824, followed by Stanford with 329.028, Illinois with 323.194, Ohio State with 319.459, Army with 311.091, and Navy with 308.056.