Feb. 28, 2008
Notes vs. Iowa in PDF Format
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -
The No. 5 Illinois men's gymnastics team hits the road for its second straight week, this time taking on Big Ten foe No. 11 Iowa on Saturday, March 1, at 2 p.m. at the Field House in Iowa City, Iowa. The Illini are coming off a rough performance at the 2008 Pacific Coast Classic, but are looking to rebound this weekend when they face the Hawkeyes for the second time this season, previously besting them with a second-place finish at the 2008 Windy City Invitational compared to Iowa's last-place finish in the six-team field.
"In the middle of the season, it is always good to have some guys take a break and allow some other gymnasts step up and see what they can do," head coach Yoshi Hayasaki said. "This weekend, Wes and Paul will be resting, which leaves some room for other guys to step up and really show what they can do. We are coming off back-to-back weekends of tough competition, so it will be good for us to take a step back and work on getting better at our routines and just cleaning them up."
A full recap of the Illini's performance against the Hawkeyes will be available following the conclusion of the meet on Saturday. Live stats and results of this weekend's matchup against Iowa also can be found at hawkeyesports.com, or by visiting the schedule link at the official home of Illinois men's gymnastics at fightingillini.com.
SETTING THE SCENE
The Illini are looking for their second dual meet victory of the season - second on the road as well - when they take on No. 11 Iowa this weekend. The Orange and Blue have had mixed results up to this point in the season, starting off the year with a second-place showing at the 2008 Windy City Invitational, and most recently finishing fifth behind a loaded field of national championship contenders at the 2008 Pacific Coast Classic. Overall, the meet between the Illini and the Hawkeyes marks the 196th time the two teams have met in either regular season, invitational or championship competitions. Illinois owns an all-time record of 117-78 over Iowa in their historical rivalry.
IN THE BOOKS: 2008 PACIFIC COAST CLASSIC RECAP
The No. 5 Illinois men's gymnastics team finished the highly competitive 2008 Pacific Coast Classic in fifth place with a team score of 346.700 at the Oakland Convention Center. While the team finish was far from the Illini's expectations, individually the Fighting Illini posted 13 top-15 finishes to close out a solid performance at the 2008 Classic, with their highest finish coming from senior and 2007 Big Ten all-around champion Wes Haagensen, who took second in the all-around with a score of 86.200.
At the end of the night, the Orange and Blue overall had one of their toughest nights all season in the gym but still managed to set six career highs before the competition was finished. Despite the troubles, Illinois' bright spots stemmed from Haagensen's silver medal finish in the all-around, while the 2007 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year also tossed in a tied for seventh effort on parallel bars (14.700). Freshman Paul Ruggeri continued to impress the nation with his third-place finish on floor (15.500) and tied for third outing on high bar (14.850). Ruggeri also was Illinois top finisher on vault, carding a 15.500, which was good enough for 11th in the competitive field. Senior co-captain and two-time All-American on rings, Tyler Yamauchi, turned in a career-high on still rings to finish sixth overall with a score of 15.400, followed by Haagensen, who came in 17th with a career-best 14.750. Sophomore Luke Stannard was the Fighting Illini's leader in the standings on pommel horse, as he tallied a tied for 12th-place finish along with junior Chris Lung.
HAWKEYE'S LAST TIME OUT
The Hawkeyes placed first at the Pacific Coast Classic (PCC) in Oakland, Calif., with a final score of 336.700. The Hawkeyes competed in another division outside of the collegiate division the Illini competed in at the Classic, facing Arizona State, Washington and Michigan in their section of the PCC. Curtis Kleffman broke two season records at the meet to lead Iowa. Kleffman also won the all-around competition with a final score of 84.650 and placed second on pommel horse, scoring a 14.400. Ben Ketelsen placed second in the all-around, breaking his previous season high with his mark of 83.200.
ONE SIDED AFFAIR
Since 2001 the Illini have owned the series against the Hawkeyes, winning all six meetings during that span. The last time the Hawkeyes won a meet against the two Big Ten competitors came in 2000, when Iowa stole a slim 230.150-225.200 victory against Illinois in a tri-meet with Michigan State in Iowa City, Iowa.
RIBEIRO RIDING HIGH AS A FRESHMAN
Freshman Daniel Ribeiro is having the best season of any Illini on pommel horse since Ben Newman (2002-05) dominated the event for the Orange and Blue when he captured the Big Ten crown in three consecutive seasons from 2003-05. After a strong start at the Windy City Invitational, the Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., native has finished lower than third only once all season long and has three titles on the year, those coming against a loaded field that included No. 1 Stanford at Windy City, in a dual against three-time defending Big Ten Champion Ohio State and then against then-No. 1 Penn State.
Ribeiro is still as the top-ranked gymnast on pommel horse in the country in front of notable Tim McNeill of California, the two-time defending NCAA champion on the event.
FOUTAIN OF YOUTH
In 2008, the youth of Illinois and its freshman and sophomore classes are wowing not only the Illinois coaching staff, but also the nation. In particular, freshman Paul Ruggeri, who is ranked in the top-six on five different events, including No. 6 on floor exercise (15.417) and seventh on high bar (14.833). The Manlius, N.Y., native also is tabbed No. 7 in the all-around (86.400) and tied for seventh on vault (15.917).
On the year, the young Illini has posted 13 top-three finishes to lead all Orange and Blue gymnasts in the category, including a team-leading seven event titles, with almost half - three crowns in his last four outings to be exact - coming on floor.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
In the latest GymInfo poll released on Feb. 25, the Illini maintained their fifth-place ranking with an overall team season-average 351.333. The Illini are in the top-seven on every event, including a No. 4 ranking on both floor and pommel horse. The Illini also are ranked No. 5 on vault and seventh on still rings and parallel bars.
NEW SCORING SYSTEM
Men's collegiate gymnastics has elected to adopt the International Gymnastics Federation's (FIG) "Code of Points" as its new scoring system, beginning in the 2008 season. Previously, the sport had been using a modified version during the 2006 and 2007 seasons, which still put a maximum value of 10 points on each routine. In the newly adopted system, a gymnast's final score will be the sum of his Difficulty and Executing Scores [Explained Below]. The scores for each routine will be open-ended, with most scores earning between 13-16 total points, depending upon the apparatus.
Difficulty Score
The Difficulty Score will award gymnasts points for the difficulty and technical content of a routine. Two judges on an A Panel will be responsible for crediting the athletes for connections (two high-level skills that are connected) and for completing element group requirements for an apparatus. The nine most difficult skills and the dismount will account for the Difficulty Score. All skills have a set value and are categorized into six groups, depending upon the difficulty aspects of the element. Connection values can be earned on floor, rings and high bar for an extra 0.100 or 0.200 points.
Execution Score
The Execution Score will be decided upon by two to four judges on a B Panel. Beginning with 10 points, deductions for errors, faults in execution and presentation will be made by all judges independently. The Execution Score will be computed by taking a varied average of the B Panel marks. The range of deductions will be from 0.100 points for a small error and 0.800 points for a fall.
