Illinois men’s gymnastics begins its 2025 season and journey for national victory on Saturday at the Windy City Invitational at Navy Pier in Chicago. All eyes are on the Illini with their reloaded roster of All-Americans after their fifth-place finish at the 2024 NCAA national championships.
However, Illinois has its sights set on the coveted No. 1 spot this season, and this invitational is the first step toward getting there.
Preview of what’s to come
In the NCAA preseason coaches poll, the reloaded Illini found themselves ranked No. 5 and selected to finish No. 3 in the Big Ten behind No. 4 Michigan (2-0, 0-0) and Nebraska. Head coach Daniel Ribeiro and the rest of the squad plan to use these preseason rankings as motivation for reaching their goals this season.
Although the team hasn’t begun its 2025 schedule yet, a select few Illinois gymnasts were chosen to compete in the College Gymnastics Association All-Star competition on Jan. 3. This meet featured many solid performances from the Illini, which should bring them confidence going into Saturday’s invitational.
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Freshman Nathan Whitaker started the group of Illinois athletes out strong, scoring a 9.625 on floor to earn the event title. Returners sophomore Brandon Dang and fifth-year Will Hauke competed on pommel horse, winning second and third place, respectively.
After being named to the 2025 Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch list, sophomore Garrett Schooley did not disappoint, claiming the event title on vault with a 9.700.
To finish the meet, reigning national champion junior Tate Costa and redshirt fifth-year Sam Phillips competed on the high bar. Phillips finished in third place, and Costa took fourth.
Familiar faces
The Windy City Invitational features both college and club teams in its competition. The Illini will face multiple Midwest programs, including Michigan.
Illinois and Michigan aren’t strangers to one another regarding gymnastics competitions. The Wolverines defeated the Illini at the 2024 Big Ten championships at State Farm Center. The Illini then faced the Wolverines again at the NCAA national competition, where the Wolverines finished second.
However, this Illinois squad is prepared to change its luck against Michigan on Saturday. It is just the first of many meetings in 2025. Although this is the Illini’s first competition, the Wolverines opened their 2025 campaign a week ago by defeating No. 9 Greenville (0-3) and No. 11 Simpson (0-2).
Michigan claimed five event titles in the contest, with sophomore Kyle Walchuk on pommel horse, senior David Wolma on vault and senior Logan McKeown on parallel bars. Breakout freshman Carson Eshleman also took home two event titles on still rings and high bar in his debut as a Wolverine.
With reloaded rosters for Michigan and Illinois, Saturday’s invitational will show what’s to come from both teams before their dual meet on Feb. 8 in Ann Arbor.
