No. 7 Illinois (2-7-1, 0-4) wrapped up a successful Big Ten championships campaign with multiple individual medalists during the second day of competition. Junior pommel horse specialist Brandon Dang won his third consecutive title in the event and earned First Team All-Big Ten honors.
Alongside Dang, junior Garrett Schooley was also a First Team All-Big Ten honoree and graduate student Sam Phillips became a Second Team All-Big Ten honoree, his third career conference award.
The Illini previously scored a 316.700 to finish third in the team competition, which preceded the individual event finals. They were in a tight competition with the No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (6-2, 3-1), who finished in fourth place with 314.800.
Going into the individual finals, the Illini wanted to continue their successful history at the Big Ten championships, having at least one individual event final champion in 23 consecutive championships. Luckily, they wouldn’t have to wait long in the day.
Dang’s third straight
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Dang was the final competitor of the pommel horse final, beginning his routine with very difficult single pommel turns. This skill, which needs multiple rotations for credit, requires high levels of dexterity and concentration. This was followed by his one-armed pirouettes on the pommels and his traveling skills.
His transition into the dismount had a slight leg separation, but he emphatically stuck the landing, pumping his fists in the air, before saluting and celebrating with his teammates. It’s easy to imagine how the pressure to defend a title could build on an athlete, but Dang was unfazed in his quest for a legacy, cementing a third title.
His final score of 14.850 was .225 above second place, a more dominant win than last year’s where he only won by .150.
Top 10 finishes across the board
Schooley won a silver medal on the vault, competing an extremely difficult Tsukahara triple twist, with slightly crossed feet in the air and a large step backwards. However, the start value of that vault was enough of a buffer to mitigate the landing deduction and keep him on the podium. He finished with a 14.025, just .125 off of first place.
On the high bar, Phillips was authoritative. Beginning with a full-twisting layout Jaeger, he transferred seamlessly between normal, mixed and eagle grips, demonstrating a high level of skill and variety.
His high-flying skills earned him the silver medal, with his only deductions being a close catch on the Geinger release and a step on his massive double-twisting double layout dismount. His final score of 13.800 was .400 away from first place, which was won with a 14.200.
Sophomore Hasan Aydogdu finished sixth on the high bar after finishing late on his pirouetting skills and having a low landing on his dismount. However, he also performed a fabulous Kolman, which is a full-twisting double back over the bar and is worth .500 in difficulty, to make his total score a 13.375.
Junior Preston Ngai earned a 13.950 on a Tsukahara 2 ½ twist, finishing in fifth on the vault. He also finished fourth on the pommels with a score of 14.250, just off the podium again.
On the parallel bars, the Illini had three athletes place in the top 10. Phillips led the way with a 13.450, finishing fifth. Junior Dylan Shepard and senior Tate Costa placed seventh and ninth with a 13.200 and 11.775, respectively.
On floor and still rings, Schooley had his second and third top-five finishes with a 13.425 and 13.275. Costa and Ayogdu took seventh on floor and rings, with a 13.100 and a 12.850.
Up next
Illinois will hope to carry this momentum into the postseason, as it hosts the 2026 NCAA championships in Champaign, April 17-18, in search of another podium finish.
The format will be slightly different, with two afternoon and evening qualifying sessions taking place on April 17. These sessions will determine individual NCAA championships and the top six teams that qualify for the team final will battle on April 18.
@BoddySofia
