CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 7 Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team is set to open Big Ten competition this weekend on the road, facing No. 8 Penn State in University Park, Penn. On Saturday, Jan. 29. The meet is set to kickoff at 3 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on B1G+.
This weekend's event will be the first dual meet of the season for the Illini, and will also include the Illini women's gymnastics team facing off against Penn State in a double-dual meet format.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illini placed third at the 2022 edition of the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 15 with a team score of 385.950. In the 2022 season opener, the Fighting Illini men's gymnastics team finished third at the 2022 Windy City Invitational.
The Illini were bested by Ohio State (387.700) and Michigan (398.500), while Illinois defeated GymACT programs Iowa (346.000), Minnesota (338.500), NIU (309.550) and UIC (301.100).
Sophomore Logan Myers was the lone all-arounder on the evening, tying his career-high on the vault with a 14.200 and compiling an overall 67.200 all-around score. Fellow classmate Sebastian Ingersoll saw the most action of his Illini career at the meet, tallying marks of 12.750 on still rings, 13.700 on vault, and 13.300 on the high bar.
SCOUTING PENN STATE
The Nittany Lions rank No. 8 in the NCAA heading into the weekend with a team average score of 382.850. Penn State is 1-0 on the season after opening their year defeating Army. The Nittany Lions have also placed first in the West Point Open and the Navy Open, scoring a season-high team score of 393.650 at the West Point Open. PSU was picked to finish third in the B1G this season, and sophomore all-arounders Matt Cormier and Michael Jaroh were named B1G Gymnasts to Watch for the upcoming season.
NEW DUAL MEET FORMAT FOR 2022 SEASON
In August, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved new changes to the dual meet format and team scoring for men's gymnastics. Dual meets will now follow a head-to-head format, and the five-up, five-count format will now be followed throughout the entirety of the season.
The head-to-head format includes gymnasts from both teams alternating routines on the same apparatus. This allows the competition to be easier to follow for spectators and will provide consistency for judging. A six-minute "halftime" has also been added to dual meet formats following the first three events, and will not be used during multiteam events.
Scoring will also change as all meets will follow the five-up, five-count format, meaning only five gymnasts compete per apparatus with each of their scores counting towards the team total. Previously, a six-up, five-count format was used prior to the annual Winter Cup competition, with the five-up, five-count format in use after the Winter Cup.
FIGHTING ILLINI MEN'S GYMNASTICS 2022 OUTLOOK
Illinois returns 17 letter winners from the 2021 squad that placed sixth in the nation and fourth in the B1G. 2021 NCAA Pommel Horse national champion Ian Skirkey returns looking to defend his title, while fellow All-American Connor McCool looks to improve upon a sixth-place finish on the floor at the 2021 NCAA Championships. The defending B1G vault champion Michael Fletcher also returns and looks to lead the team in the all-around along with seniors Hamish Carter and Clay Mason-Stephens. Â
NEWCOMERS
Four newcomers join the Fighting Illini roster in 2022, including three freshmen and a graduate transfer. Graduate Student David Pochinka joins the team after transferring from Minnesota, and will contribute to Illinois' pommel horse, rings, parallel bar and high bar rotations. Freshmen Yan Inhaber-Courchesne (FX, SR, PB, VT), Maksim Farkhadau (PH), and junior transfer Ashton Anaya (SR) will also be key additions to the Illini rotation this season.
MCCOOL AND SKIRKEY NAMED B1G GYMNASTS TO WATCH
Ahead of the 2022 men's gymnastics season, junior Connor McCool and senior Ian Skirkey were named Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch, and the Illini were picked to finish fourth in the B1G by the conference coaches.
Skirkey enters the 2022 season as the reigning NCAA National Champion on the pommel horse after a stellar 2021 season that included an all-American honor and second team all-B1G honors following his runner-up performance at the 2021 B1G Championships.
McCool enters the 2022 season following an all-American season on the Floor Exercise and a runner-up performance on the floor at the 2021 B1G Championships, earning him second team all-B1G honors.
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