FightingIllini.com
The Official Home of University of Illinois Athletics
- Men's Sports
- MEN'S SPORTS
- Baseball
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Football
- Golf
- WOMEN'S SPORTS
- Basketball
- Cheerleading
- Golf
- Gymnastics
- Soccer
Illini Men's Gymnastics Takes Third At Big Ten Championships
  |
|
Travis Romagnoli turns in scores of 9.750 on high bar and 9.675 on parallel bars.
|
March 17, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The eighth-ranked Illinois men's gymnastics team jumped three places in the pre-championship poll an posted its best mark of the season to place third in the Big Ten Championships with a score of 228.075, Friday night in East Lansing, Mich.
The Illini placed over No. 3 Penn State, No. 5 Michigan State and No. 6 Iowa for the highest conference finish since 1992. The Illini started the competition with a strong 38.00 on rings then faltered with a 37.575 on vault. However, they bounced back with exceptional team marks on parallel bars (38.475) and floor (38.325). Michigan took the team title for the second straight year with a collegiate season-high of 232.10, followed by Ohio State 229.50 and the Illini in third. Iowa took fourth with Michigan State in fifth. Penn State finished sixth, while Minnesota took the eighth spot.
"We finally did what I knew we could do all season," head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said. "We competed so well tonight and I still think we can build on this for nationals. This team focused on what we needed to do and beat three team ranked higher than ourselves tonight and that is a real accomplishment for this team."
Romagnoli turned in scores of 9.750 on high bar and 9.675 on parallel bars to qualify for the individual finals on Saturday night. Oka will also compete in event finals on floor (9.725), still rings (9.650) and parallel bars (9.70). Junior Linh Hoang scored a 9.65 on pommel horse and 9.55 on vault, good enough for finals on the event.
BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Floor Exercise (38.325)
| 8. | Leo Oka | 9.725 |
| 14. | S.P. Crawford | 9.575 |
| 15. | Jonathan Ham | 9.55 |
| 19. | Linh Hoang | 9.475 |
| 31. | Nathan Torres | 9.20 |
| 34. | Travis Romagnoli | 9.10 |
Pommel Horse (37.85)
| 6. | Linh Hoang | 9.65 |
| 15. | Leo Oka | 9.475 |
| 19. | Paul Linnenburger | 9.375 |
| 21. | Matt Gill | 9.35 |
| 28. | Travis Romagnoli | 9.25 |
| 36. | Bob Spelic | 9.0 |
Still Rings (38.00)
| 5. | Leo Oka | 9.65 |
| 11. | Nathan Torres | 9.45 |
| Travis Romagnoli | 9.45 | |
| J.G. Ketchen | 9.45 | |
| 25. | Linh Hoang | 9.175 |
| 39. | S.P. Crawford | 8.55 |
Vault (37.575)
| 8. | Linh Hoang | 9.55 |
| 18. | J.G. Ketchen | 9.45 |
| 19. | S.P. Crawford | 9.425 |
| 36. | Leo Oka | 9.15 |
| Travis Romagnoli | 9.15 |
Parallel Bars (38.475)
| 7. | Leo Oka | 9.70 |
| 8. | Travis Romagnoli | 9.675 |
| 14. | Linh Hoang | 9.55 |
| Greg Cook | 9.55 | |
| 25. | Bob Spelic | 9.25 |
| 31. | Jonathan Ham | 9.15 |
High Bar (37.825)
| 2. | Travis Romagnoli | 9.75 |
| 12. | J.G. Ketchen | 9.55 |
| 19. | S.P. Crawford | 9.40 |
| 24. | Jonathan Ham | 9.15 |
| 38. | Leo Oka | 8.45 |
| 40. | Bob Spelic | 7.95 |
