Ruggeri, Ribeiro win national titles

By Cody Westerlund

Illinois men’s gymnasts Paul Ruggeri and Daniel Ribeiro won NCAA individual events titles Saturday night. Ruggeri, a sophomore, defended his NCAA high bar championship by taking first with a score of 15.750. He then added a title on the parallel bars as well, scoring a 15.175 in the event. Ruggeri was also runner-up in the floor routine.

Ribeiro, also a sophomore, was ranked first in the nation on the pommel horse coming into the NCAA Championships. He backed the ranking up with a mark of 15.575 to win his first national championship. It’s the second consecutive year Ribeiro garnered All-American honors in the event.