COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Illini posted a final team score of 307.100 at the 2026 OSU Open, falling to fourth place. Despite the gap in the final tally, the Illini showed promising on the still rings and parallel bars.
The still rings proved to be the team's most productive rotation. Illinois surpassed its projected event score to finish with a 52.700, led by Garrett Schooley's 13.400. Hasan Aydogdu followed with a 13.300, while Connor Micklos and Vahe Petrosyan each contributed a 13.000 to the effort.
On the parallel bars, the Illini maintained their momentum with an event total of 52.100. Petrosyan paced the group with a 13.500, followed by a 13.300 from Micklos and a 12.800 from Sam Kaplan.
The floor exercise and vault rotations saw mixed results. Nathan Whitaker provided the highlight on floor, hitting his projected mark with a 13.700 to help the team to a 51.050. On vault, the Illini combined for a 52.950, anchored by Schooley's 13.900 and a 13.550 from Kaplan.
Kaplan and Schooley battled throughout the day in the all-around competition. Schooley finished the afternoon with a 77.050 total, while Kaplan ended with a 76.600. Kaplan's day included a team-best 13.850 on the pommel horse, though the team total for that event was held to a 51.600.
Consistency on the high bar remained the primary obstacle for the Illini, as the team posted a 46.700 in the rotation. Aydogdu provided a bright spot in the final event, sticking his landing for a 13.500 and winning the event title.
"First meet of the year was about getting some experience and getting the jitters out. We have about fifty percent of our starting lineup set to come back in a couple weeks," Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro quotes. "With that being said, we are still much better than the score we put up today. I was excited to see some strong performances from Hasan, Connor, Garrett, and Sam. We will only go up from here."
The Illini head to Sarasota, Fla next weekend to compete at the Sam Mikulak Men's Gymnastics Invitational.
