May 3, 2007

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini men's and women's gymnastics teams gathered together to celebrate the season accomplishments of both squads in 2007 on Wednesday evening at the annual awards banquet. Junior Wes Haagensen, the 2007 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, took home the men's top honor as the Most Valuable Gymnast.

On top of giving the squads a chance to gather and remember the past year, both teams spent the night honoring those individuals who led to this season's accomplishments, while the women also said goodbye to their seniors as the men's team did not have a senior on the roster.

Taking home awards was sophomore Tyler Williamson,who was named the Most Improved Gymnast, while freshman Chad Wiest received the Fighting Illini Attitude Award and sophomore Michael Boyer grabbed the team's Scholar-Athlete Award. Rounding out the Illini taking home hardware was junior Tyler Yamauchi, who earned Most Outstanding Gymnast honors.

In addition to the team awards, next year's team captains were selected, with Boyer and Yamauchi garnering the distinctions for the second straight season.

In retrospect, the Illini finished the season with a fifth-place finish at nationals and Big Tens and boasted four All-Americans combining for five All-America accolades at NCAAs. The men's gymnastics team also received the highest GPA Award at the annual Scholar-Athlete Banquet, turning in the highest mark of all varsity teams at the U of I.