After placing fourth at the Big Ten Championships, the Illini head to Norman, Okla., for the NCAA Championships.

This year’s NCAA Championships will take place on Friday and conclude on Saturday at the Lloyd Noble Center, home of the Oklahoma Sooners.

The program aims to capture its eleventh national title this year while marking the thirteenth time head coach Justin Spring has coached the Illini to the championship round out of the fourteen seasons he has been with the team. The Illini are attempting to end a ten-year championship drought after winning their last national championship title during the 2012 season, which also took place at Lloyd Noble Center.

The Illini had a very successful weekend during the Big Ten Championships in order to help them advance to the Championship round. The team finished with an overall score of 396.950 and had eight gymnasts advance to the individual finals.

Senior Hamish Carter and junior Ashton Anaya received first-team All-Big Ten honors, while four other Illini received second-team honors including senior Ian Skirkey and junior Connor McCool.

Anaya won the still rings individual title for Illinois during the second day of competition, while Skirkey and McCool both placed second on the pommel horse and floor exercise, respectively.

The Illini placed sixth during last year’s NCAA Championship and finished with a score of 397.991.

Skirkey and McCool were awarded All-American honors during last year’s championship competition after they won the pommel horse event title and placed sixth on the floor, respectively.

The first qualifying session of the NCAA Championships will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, while the event finals are scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The championship meet will be broadcasted live at SoonerSports.com.

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