Recently, the rivalry between men’s gymnastics teams at Illinois and Michigan has developed. The No. 3 and No. 6 teams, respectively, have been trading victories back and forth the past few years.
It began in 2009, when the Wolverines defeated the Illini at the Windy City Invitational and then Illinois won in a dual meet later in the season. At the Big Ten Championships, it was announced on live TV that Illinois won the title, but after a last-minute score adjustment the two teams ended up with a tie, sharing the title.
Last season, Illinois defeated Michigan at the Big Ten Championships only to have the Wolverines beat them a week later and win the NCAA Championship title.
The two teams face off on Saturday and the anticipation for the meet is high.
“They are our biggest rivals and every time we face them we’re psyched,” junior Tyler Mizoguchi said.
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Head coach Justin Spring said it’s not going to be the typical rivals battling it out but instead both of the teams’ “B-squads.”
On both teams, the top performers are resting after a intense competition last weekend at the U.S. Winter Cup Challenge. Most athletes will compete in watered-down routines, Spring said.
Senior Paul Ruggeri will not compete in the meet because he is out for anywhere from two-six weeks due to an ankle sprain.
This is the meet where the younger members on both squads will have the opportunity to prove themselves.
“I think it will be interesting to see how the younger guys take this situation with a new line-up, big pressure and away at Michigan,” Spring said. “It will be fun to see how they react to this pressure.”
For Illinois, freshman Jordan Valdez has stood out, earning Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors Jan. 31 after tallying third-place finishes on the parallel bars and high bar during Illinois’ dual meet against Iowa on Jan. 29.
On Michigan’s end, freshman Sam Mikulak placed second on the vault at the Winter Cup Challenge. He won Big Ten Freshman of the Week Feb. 7 and 15.
It is likely that these freshmen will not compete in as many of their routines because they are also resting after the Winter Cup Challenge.
“I’m excited to see how some of the younger guys do,” senior Daniel Ribeiro said. “All of them have a lot of talent and they haven’t been able to show it yet. This is their chance to show us what they can do in the upcoming years.”
Spring said nearly every gymnast will compete on some event he has not competed on yet this season. He said this meet will help the coaching staff see if anyone deserves a different place in the line-up.
The meet will still be a battle for the bragging rights, as always.
“This will not be an accurate representation of how both our teams are going to be,” Spring said. I’ve put the challenge on the table that we can see if we can still beat Michigan.”
