After an eventful year filled with mixed emotions and rotating lineups, No. 7 Illinois (4-3, 1-2) is in the home stretch of its season.
Freshmen five
For five athletes, it was their first season as collegiate athletes and Illini. Starting a new chapter leads to new expectations and goals in life. Two Illini gave their take on how they expected this season to go.
“I didn’t really have a specific expectation for how my first year as an Illini would go,” said freshman Matthew Vu Nguyen. “I just knew that if I kept my head down and focused on being the best version of myself, good things would follow. As for the team, throughout the ups and downs of the season, knowing that we gave our all and left everything on the floor, I can confidently say that we can all hold our heads high, proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
Vu Nguyen’s first season includes two event titles — a Big Ten Freshman of the Week award and the College Gymnastics Association Rookie of the Week award. Additionally, two of his career highs are above 14, an impressive mark.
Get The Daily Illini in your inbox!
Another freshman, Ian Sandoval, had high hopes for his rookie season. Sandoval is nearing the end of his first season and obtained numerous accomplishments. Sandoval has been named the CGA Rookie of the Week three times and was Inside Gymnastics’ NCAA Gymnast of the Week. He also earned two Big Ten Freshman of the Week awards and one Big Ten Gymnast of the Week honor. Last, he had five total event wins.
“Honestly, I had very high expectations for myself for my first year because I am a competitive person,” Sandoval said. “I wanted to show that I didn’t come to college to mess around and waste my time, but to build a name for myself and grow in life and as an athlete…I feel blessed that it (the season) has been going really well.”
However, Sandoval suffered an injury that required him to take a break from competing.
“Being injured was very hard on me and the team because this wasn’t the first injury that our team has had to deal with this season,” Sandoval said. ”Despite this, I made sure to help in any way I can by mainly providing good energy so that the team wouldn’t feel discouraged but be motivated to push through these hardships that we have been facing all year.”
On the upside, Sandoval is said to be returning to the competition floor. Regardless of setbacks, both athletes reached new heights for their rookie season and brought the Illini much success in the 2025 season.
From losing to lessons
A loss is not the outcome any team aims for. However, these losses can lead to eye-opening moments for the Illini. Fifth-year Will Hauke shared how the team’s most recent loss led to some of their biggest lessons.
“I think the biggest defining moment this year was losing to Penn State,” Hauke said. “I feel like tough losses such as this can really open your eyes to what is missing. Although this team has always worked extremely hard, this loss hurt and allowed us to reflect on what we were missing.”
The Illini have yet to take the floor since their recent loss. After a few weeks off, they will compete against the No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes (4-3, 1-2) for their final fight of the regular season.
Moving forward is one of the biggest lessons in life. Assistant coach Connor McCool shared the biggest lessons for the team.
“Energy and belief matters,” McCool said. “It would be so easy to write this season off and the guys just go through the motions to get to the end. But there has been no loss in belief in our mission, despite all the injuries and stuff thrown at us…There isn’t a group of guys hungrier to close the gap between us and our competition than the men on our team. We took the two bye weeks to focus on raising the standard of excellence after two meets where we didn’t get the job done the way we wanted. If we are going to challenge the best, we need to practice that way every day, and they have done everything we have asked of them and more.”
Bigger and better
With the regular season coming to a close, the team is preparing for the conference meet and upcoming championships. Even after the season comes to an end, the work doesn’t stop.
McCool offered insight into what the future of the team holds and the return of one of their star athletes, junior Tate Costa.
“The remainder of this season is all about showing ownership and competing with intensity and fire for each other and the team,” McCool said. “They are going to fight for every single routine and show a higher level of preparation than the other teams on the floor. If we do that, we can contend against anyone. Looking into next year, we know we have a big difficulty gap from the best teams that we need to make up, so the guys will hit the gym immediately after the season to focus on raising our difficulty level. Additionally, we are eagerly awaiting the return from some of our injuries, particularly Tate Costa, as well as a strong class of incomers who will continue to bolster our depth to fight for an NCAA Championship at home at the State Farm Center in 2026.”
Regardless of an athlete’s class or if they are a coach, one thing is a constant for the program — they are a brotherhood and will continue to support each other regardless of the outcomes.
Illinois will go head to head with Ohio State for its final regular season meet Tuesday at 3 p.m. CST in Columbus, Ohio.
@lauram0131
