Three members of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s Gymnastics team earned individual event titles on Mar. 14 during their regular-season finale against No. 3 Nebraska, but the team fell short with a final score of 322.350-312.050 in Lincoln.
The meet saw Garrett Schooley, Preston Ngai, and Sam Phillips each secure an event title as Illinois wrapped up its season ahead of the Big Ten Championships. The team’s performance highlights both individual achievements and collective efforts as they prepare for postseason competition.
Schooley opened the afternoon by winning the floor exercise with a score of 14.100, while Phillips made his first appearance in the floor lineup this season and finished seventh with a 12.700. Ngai achieved a career-best score of 14.600 to claim his first pommel horse title this year, marking his third discipline with an event win this season. On rings, Logan Myers led Illinois with a third-place finish after scoring 13.600.
Illinois’ strongest team result came on vault, where they posted a score of 53.800. Schooley recorded a mark of 14.050 for fourth place—his seventh consecutive meet scoring above 14 points—while Tate Costa achieved a season-best vault score of 13.750 to finish fifth.
On parallel bars, Dylan Shepard anchored the lineup with a season-high score of 13.600 for third place, while Sam Kaplan tied for fourth at 13.250 and Costa set another personal best at 13.050.
In the final rotation on high bar, Illinois outscored Nebraska with a total of 51.150 points. Phillips delivered a standout performance by matching his career high with a season-best score of 14.300 to win the event title—his third such victory this year—and Costa shared third place with a score of 13.050.
The University of Illinois Fighting Illini Men’s Gymnastics engages in conference and national events to foster competitive skills, according to the official website. The program also enhances the university’s athletic heritage through participation and emphasis on team spirit according to its official website. As part of NCAA Division I athletics at Illinois, it provides student-athletes opportunities for competition, development, and academic achievement according to its official website.
Illinois will next compete at the Big Ten Championships scheduled for April 3-4 in Lincoln.
