No. 2 Illinois men’s gymnastics gears up to travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, on Sunday to face No. 5 Nebraska in a conference meet. The Illini come off a weekend where they scored 410.500 points against William & Mary (374.950) and Simpson (363.050), moving their overall season record to 11-1. Illinois’ high-scoring performance progressed it in the rankings from No. 3 to No. 2.
Junior Amari Sewell, who won vault last weekend with a score of 14.400, said that the Illini are aiming for the No. 1 spot atop the rankings.
“The goal is to reach number one,” Sewell said. “Proving that once again our preparation and talents can show for themselves, the scores can prove that we are number one. Rankings can also prove that. I believe that putting up good scores and staying consistent will get us to number one.”
This weekend marks the first conference meet for the Illini in over a month. The last time Illinois competed against another Big Ten school was in early February when it came out with a big win over No. 4 Michigan.
The Cornhuskers currently sit at the No. 5 with a 1-1 conference record and a 4-2 overall record. Despite Nebraska participating in half as many meets as Illinois, there are still some overlapping opponents between the two programs. Nebraska faced off against Michigan on Feb. 10, losing by a considerable margin (407.700-398.850). However, when the Illini faced off against the Wolverines a week earlier on Feb. 3, they won 413.800-410.350.
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It is crucial to field the best lineup possible every given week, which means there are no guaranteed spots. As the regular season winds down and preparation for the postseason begins, it is even more important to maximize points across the board. Sewell said that each routine is considered every week, and each person is fighting for their chance in the lineup.
“With the understanding of how a 16-man lineup works, each person is gutting their events to compete for the team to show that we are the best of the best,” Sewell said. “In practice, every routine and every turn is accounted for. We are showing day in and day out that we are prepared and ready to do what we need to do to get into the lineup.”
No. 2 Illinois will take on No. 5 Nebraska on Sunday at 1 p.m.
