With the month-long winter break, the men’s gymnastics team has been using its time wisely. Focusing on sets and having a number of two-a-day practices, Illinois is set to take part in its first meet of the season, the Windy City Invitational, on Saturday and defend its title from last year. Ranked No. 2 in the GymInfo National rankings, the Illini will take on Big Ten rivals Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa and host University of Illinois at Chicago.

“Everybody will be tested in this competition,” head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said. “Early in the season, (it will show) where we are, where we stand against Big Ten teams.”

Hayasaki’s goal for the meet, he said, was for his team to have clean and consistent routines; more difficulty will be added later as the season progresses. The consitency level, he said, is better than last year,though.

Helping Hayasaki feel confident in the Illini’s chances of winning the title again are the number of seniors and amount of experience they bring to the team’s seven freshmen.

Freshman Chris Lung will be taking on more responsibility. He is competing in four events, more than he normally would, since a number of gymnasts are suffering from injuries.

“Chris is a competitor, he’ll be able to handle it quite well,” said senior Justin Spring of Lung. “He’s been competing at the national level for a long time now.”

Excited to gain experience and see how Illinois matches up against other Big Ten teams, Lung said the team has come a long way in the last couple of months.

“We’ve been working hard,” Lung said. “Ever since we stepped in the gym in August, we’ve been busting our butts every day and showing a lot of improvement.”

To be ready for the meet in Chicago, the Illini have been focused on preventing injuries and “watering down,” their sets to create a high confidence level, Spring said. While the monotonous sets have been tough, they have also created a high level of energy in the gym.

“That’s what I’m excited about, the first meet with the new freshmen, it’s a new team,” Spring said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how we compete as a team, but just being at the meet and seeing how everything goes.”