The Illinois men’s gymnastics team is one step closer to achieving its first national championship since 1989. The Illini advanced to the finals of the NCAA gymnastics championships in Norman, Okla., after finishing in second place with a score of 214.775 Thursday night in the second of two qualifying sessions.

Stanford, Penn State and Iowa each advanced to Friday’s 7 p.m. finals from the first qualifying session as Oklahoma and California joined Illinois from the second.

Although the overall score was lower than the team would have liked, senior Justin Spring said he is confident. The Illini decided to take a number of gymnasts out on key events in order to save strength for today.

“We have nowhere to go but up, but we’ve got some ground to cover,” Spring said.

The Illini opened the meet on parallel bars, an event in which they are ranked second in the nation, and put up a score of 36.925. But it was their score on high bar – a 38.050 – that allowed them to take the lead. The score was nearly two full points higher than their season average. Spring finished with a 9.650, while senior Adam Pummer, who competed with an acute bruise on his chest for the first time in over two weeks, scored a 9.625.

“As far as I’m concerned Adam is pretty much back and where we want him to be,” head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said. “We’re grateful for him to be back.”

The team’s scores on parallel bars and high bar were the best scores of both qualifying sessions on the day. Spring referred to the Illini’s parallel bars team score as a force to be reckoned with.

Pommel horse, the Illini’s achilles’ heel all season long, continued to give the team trouble Thursday night. Senior Ted Brown, the 2005 Big Ten pommel horse champion, led the Illini with an 8.600.

But what was the biggest surprise of all was the Illini’s low vault score. Ranked first in the country on the event, the team turned in only the fifth best score in its session. The Illini’s high score came from sophomre Wes Haagensen (9.350), while sophomore Chris Silcox only put up an 8.000.

But while Oklahoma and California bested Illinois on Thursday, Hayasaki said he knows that anything can happen since the scores start from scratch. Spring though said it is going to be a battle between Illinois, Oklahoma, Stanford and California.

“It can go either way,” Spring said. “We can rock everyone out of the water, squeak by, or let it slip out of reach. That is what makes the sport so exciting.”