Editor’s note: This is the seventh part of a series highlighting Illinois gymnast Paul Ruggeri’s road to potentially qualifying for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Paul Ruggeri is fulfilled.

It may have taken the senior Illinois gymnast an extra year, but he accomplished everything on his college checklist — more than any gymnast in program history.

He was on an Illinois team that won four straight Big Ten titles, capping off its success with a national title last weekend, the first for the program in 23 years.

His individual successes had come before that as he finished his career third on the Illinois all-time titles list, a nine-time All-American, a four-time NCAA Champion and the 2012 Nissen-Emery Award winner, given to the most outstanding collegiate senior gymnast.

“When I was a freshman and sophomore I was incredibly grateful and lucky to have won the NCAA titles that I did,” Ruggeri said. “I spent the rest of my time at Illinois searching for that team title.”

Ruggeri opted to redshirt and remain at Illinois an extra year when he got injured at the beginning of last season. He took an Olympic exemption, meaning he didn’t have to take classes because he was directly training for the Olympics. It was a tough decision, as many of Ruggeri’s friends were graduating. He’d be one of the oldest athletes on the team and he’d be pushing his dreams of becoming a doctor back even further. But he wanted to notch that last item off his checklist. He wanted to win a team crown.

“This win really wouldn’t of been possible if I didn’t hurt myself,” Ruggeri said. “I think everything happens for a reason. I think I’m learning that slowly but surely in my life.”

Ruggeri said it was lucky that he was searching for a team title instead of individual accolades last weekend. He didn’t have his best performance, suffering falls on the high bar and performing a sub-par floor routine.

He’s not sure exactly what it was — a mixture of nerves and excitement, or still being ill from a stomach virus. He still produced high enough scores to win a share of the NCAA title on the vault and take second in the parallel bars.

It’s the level of gymnastics he’s throwing: complex skills with some of the highest start values in the country — high risk with high reward.

Ruggeri knows he needs to evaluate the risk-reward ratio if he wants to accomplish his next goal: earning a spot on the 2012 Olympic team. He leaves in three days for national team training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo.

“Paul was even working on his floor routine today because he was mad he didn’t make finals,” Illinois head coach Justin Spring said Saturday.

He’s not quite sure what will happen next year. Maybe he’ll continue working out and move to the Olympic Training Center, where he can now accept funding. Or maybe he’ll decide to take on medical school. Or maybe he’ll join Cirque du Soleil. Or maybe something completely different.

The one thing he knows for sure: nothing will ever be the same as right now — training in Champaign under Spring with his entire team.

“No matter what my future brings, it’s not going to be the same,” Ruggeri said. “I‘m gonna miss the sport and the brotherhood that we have. I’m not going to have 20 guys supporting me in the gym, cheering me on with every single thing I do.”

He knows it’s time to pass the torch to the younger gymnasts.

“If I can be literally half the person that Paul is, I’m set,” said freshman C.J. Maestas, who’s laid the groundwork for future success.

Ruggeri has done it all in collegiate gymnastics, now he can sit back and watch and see if Maestas breaks his records.

“I am fulfilled,” Ruggeri said. “My NCAA career is over and I can’t imagine a better five years than what has happened to me in the last few.”