CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Redshirt-junior C.J. Maestas had a career day in the Illinois men's gymnastics team's 436.700-423.450 win over No. 11 Nebraska in the 2015 Huff Hall finale on Sunday, March 8. Illinois climbed to 11-2 with the win and is now 7-0 in Big Ten competition. With the loss, Nebraska fell to 4-9 overall and is still winless in the Big Ten at 0-4.

"I think that it is perfectly fitting that C.J. steps up on the all-time titles list at his senior meet," shared head coach Justin Spring. "Very well deserved. I saw one of the best C.J. Maestas that I've seen, honestly, since he's been here."

Maestas, who is still recovering from a shoulder injury, competed in four events in the final home meet of his career. The Corrales, New Mexico, native left Huff Hall with three more event titles under his belt along with a spot on the career event titles list as he tied assistant coach Daniel Ribeiro for 10th all-time at 45 career titles.

The Illini shut the Huskers out today, taking all seven event titles. Maestas opened the day with titles on the first two events, floor and pommel horse. Mike Wilner nabbed another still rings title with Fred Hartville following with the vault honor. Maestas and Jordan Valdez shared the parallel bars title while Valdez took the honor on high bar. Tom Gibbs took home the top spot in the all-around.

To open the day, Maestas turned in a 15.550 on the floor while Taylor Smith took third on the event with a 14.950. Gibbs registered a 14.150 followed by Hartville at 13.800 and Matt Foster at 13.600.

Next, on pommel horse, Maestas led the pack with a 15.100, a tie for the best mark of his career on the event. Logan Bradley and Jake Tilsley were part of the three-way tie for second place with a 15.000, a career-best for Tilsley. Foster finished fifth with a 14.150 reading while Brandon Ngai and Gibbs shared the next spot, coming in at 14.100.

On still rings, Wilner narrowly beat Max Mayr to the title with a mark of 15.200. Mayr registered a career-high 15.150 on the day. Joey Peters turned in a third-best mark of 14.750. Dennis Minton, and teammate Gibbs, both finished with a score of 14.500 for fifth place.

It seemed as though Maestas would tie Ribeiro's career titles with a career-best score of 14.950 on vault, but Hartville had other plans. Hartville, the final vaulter for the Illini, turned in a 15.300 to take the title on the event and dropping Maestas to second on the event. The event title moved Hartville into a tie for the seventh most career vault titles in Illini gymnastics history at 10. Gibbs took the third spot with a 14.900, while Peters and Valdez finished with marks of 14.600 and 14.000, respectively.

Heading to parallel bars, Maestas had his final shot of the day at writing his name into the Illinois men's gymnastics record book, again. As the fourth Illini competitor of the event, Maestas turned in a career-best score of 15.350 to send him to the top of the chart by over a point. With just Valdez, the 2014 NCAA runner-up on parallel bars, to go, Maestas was able to hold on to a share of the title as the judges flashed a 15.350 for the redshirt-senior, Valdez, as well. Mayr took the third spot on the event with a score of 14.150, while Gibbs and Foster finished with scores of 13.800 and 13.650, respectively.

Valdez dominated the high bar to move ahead of his coach, Spring, on the career high bar titles list with 17, for sole possession of seventh place. The redshirt senior turned in a 15.450 on the day. Bobby Baker competed solely in high bar in the Huff Hall season finale and took home the second spot with a career-best score of 14.900. Gibbs also registered a career best, coming in at 14.600, while Mayr finished with a mark of 14.400 for the third and fourth spots.

"He [Valdez] brings an execution level to gymnastics better than anyone else in the entire country and he showed that today on both of his events," Spring said.

Gibbs won the all-around crown with a career-best score of 86.050 for the Illini.

Illinois will finish the regular season slate on the road at Michigan this Sunday, March 15. The action from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is set for a Noon CST start. The event will be recorded by BTN for a delayed airing that will show on Tuesday, March 17 at 6 p.m. CST.