Illinois men's gymnastics fails to place at NCAAs
May 10, 2015
The Illinois men’s gymnastics team started off the year 10-0, its best start since 2010, but finished with its worst performance at the NCAA Championships since 2002.Despite injuries early on — sophomore Chandler Eggleston was ruled out for the year with a ruptured patella tendon and junior F...
Illini of the Week April 15: C.J. Maestas
April 15, 2015
After completing his final routine for the Illinois men’s gymnastics team Saturday at the NCAA Championships in Norman, Oklahoma, senior C.J. Maestas was lifted up in celebration by assistant coach Ivan Ivankov. The routine had won him the national high bar title. While he is an all-around competitor...
Illini men’s gymnastics falls short at Big Ten Championships
March 30, 2015
Three individual event title wins for the Illinois men’s gymnastics team helped relieve the sting of finishing in second place (436.700-436.100) behind Penn State in the team finals at the Big Ten Championships at State College, Pennsylvania, over the weekend. During team finals on Friday, senior Jordan Valdez got the ...
Illinois men’s gymnastics drop last meet of season.
March 16, 2015
Going up against a top-five opponent has become a problem for the Illinois men’s gymnastics team. The Illini lost to the two-time defending NCAA champion Michigan Wolverines on Sunday by a score of 435.750-428.500 in Ann Arbor, Mich. While No. 3-ranked Illinois won five event titles on the night, it was ...
Illinois men’s gymnastics receives first loss and learning lesson
March 2, 2015
The No. 2 Illinois men’s gymnastics meet against No. 1 Oklahoma on Friday was dubbed “The Perfect Dual.” Both teams entered with records of 10-0, but things went far from perfect for the Illini in Norman, Oklahoma Illinois trailed the entire competition in its 457.300-434.200 defeat. The floor...
Illini top Iowa in record-breaking performance
February 9, 2015
When senior Jordan Valdez flipped off the high bar and stuck his landing in the last event of the Illinois men’s gymnastics meet against Iowa on Saturday, he not only recorded a career-high score of 15.600, but he also cemented the highest team score in history as well. The Illini were not immediat...
Illini men’s gymnastics looks to finish strong against Iowa
February 5, 2015
The Illinois men’s gymnastics team has gotten off to an 8-0 start, but head coach Justin Spring is not completely satisfied with his team’s performance. Since the start of the season, Illinois has struggled in the final events of dual meets. But the cause isn’t clear to Spring. “It’s not like t...
Gymnastics wins in Windy City
January 20, 2015
The Illinois men’s gymnastics team did not feel like there was much to celebrate after coming in first out of six teams at the Windy City Invitational this weekend. The Illini were not in as good of form as they expected and are still trying to figure out their best lineup after injuries sidelined sopho...
Jordan Valdez’s journey to a national championship
By Kieran Hampl
April 16, 2014
Editor’s note: The Daily Illini sports desk sits down Sunday nights and decides which Illinois athlete or coach is our Illini of the Week. Athletes and coaches are evaluated by individual performance and contribution to team success. For Jordan Valdez, a trip to the NCAA individual finals was nothin...
Jordan Valdez brings home NCAA high bar national title, Illini finish 4th in team finals
By Kieran Hampl
April 14, 2014
Illinois junior Jordan Valdez rose to the occasion, bringing home the NCAA high bar title after competing in the national championships in Ann Arbor, Mich., over the weekend. The Illini, who finished fourth as a team on Friday night, still had high aspirations heading into the individual part of the...
Illinois men’s gymnastics places 4th in NCAA Championships
April 12, 2014
The No. 5 Illinois men’s gymnastics team placed fourth in the NCAA Championships on Friday. The Illini put up a valiant effort, scoring 435.350. Michigan won the title. Oklahoma finished second and Stanford took third. Michigan, the defending champion, scored a 445.050 in the winning effort. Illi...
Illini men’s gymnastics hopes to bring home national title
By Kieran Hampl
April 10, 2014
The No. 5-ranked Illinois gymnastics team hopes to top the field this weekend at the 2014 NCAA Championships. Late Tuesday afternoon, the Illini boarded the bus to Ann Arbor, Mich., with a practice day scheduled for Wednesday, before the three-day event begins. The team, which placed fourth at the ...
