Ahead of its final regular season action of the year, No. 4 Illinois men’s gymnastics crushed No. 7 Ohio State on senior night (413.200-406.350). The Illini honored six seniors last Saturday: Ashton Anaya, Ethan Boder, Michael Fletcher, Sebastian Ingersoll, Evan Manivong and Connor McCool. The Illini have just one more opponent in front of them before the post season and can clinch a share of the Big Ten title with a win over the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions.
The Illini were dominant against the Buckeyes, netting wins in six events as a result. Sophomore Tate Costa was responsible for half of the titles thanks to impressive showings on the floor (14.400), on the parallel bars (14.100) and the all-around (81.750). On the horizontal bar, sophomore Ryan Vanichtheeranont notched 14.100 while junior Amari Sewell took the vault title with a 14.850, just 0.050 away from his career-high. Lastly, Anaya earned his 16th title for the still rings (14.200).
“I’m very appreciative for the seniors and for the guys who are leaving,” Sewell said. “They’ve held onto a very strong culture and improved the culture.”
The Illini also received an impressive number of awards and recognition this week both for the team and individual athletes. Freshman Brandon Dang is the No. 1 athlete for the pommel horse and Sewell took the No. 1 spot for the vault. Illinois is the only school to have more than one athlete take the No. 1 spot. Anaya, Fletcher and McCool were also all named to be finalists for the Nissen-Emery Award. Freshman Preston Ngai represented the Illini and won the all-around competition at the Berlin Junior Team Cup this week. The Illini are No. 2 for the floor and high bar and are No. 3 in the pommel horse, still rings and vault.
This weekend, Illinois is opposite a Penn State squad fresh off a loss to No. 3 Michigan but is also undefeated at home. The difference in competition is also steep, as the Nittany Lions are 3-2 on the year compared to the Illini’s 12-3 mark.
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Despite its impressive records this season, Sewell said that the team doesn’t settle and is always looking for ways to improve.
“We’re a team who doesn’t settle for complacency,” Sewell said. “There’s always room for improvement no matter how good we do. There’s no such thing as a perfect day.”
Illinois men’s gymnastics will compete in University Park, Pennsylvania, on Saturday at 3 p.m. CT.
