LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Tate Costa, Preston Ngai, and Garrett Schooley represented the Illini at the 2026 Winter Cup in Louisville, Ky., on Saturday night.
Schooley secured the event title on vault, and Ngai posted a fifth-place finish in the all-around while also placing second on pommel horse.
"We made some big gains today at the USA Winter Nationals," said head coach Daniel Ribeiro. "All three guys really stepped up and showed the improvement that was needed. We still have a lot of room to grow, but this was a huge hurdle for Preston, Garrett, and Tate. Now, we just have to wait to see if any of them made the USA Senior National Team."
The Illini started the night on floor, which saw Schooley secure a 13.600, the highest score on the event after the first rotation. Costa registered a 12.950, while Ngai notched a 12.500.
On pommel horse, Ngai bounced back with a 14.308, less than five-hundredths of a point off his career-high on the apparatus en route to his second-place finish. Costa collected the Illini's second-best score with his 13.050.
Switching gears to still rings, Ngai led the way once again for the Orange and Blue with a 13.250, while Schooley was right behind him at 13.150.
Schooley put together his highest score of the night on vault, sealing the event title with a career-high 14.571. Ngai recorded a 13.600, with Costa collecting a mark of 13.150.
After the Illini trio competed on parallel bars, the Orange and Blue ended the night on horizontal bar. Illinois' highest score came from Ngai, who secured his fifth-place all-around finish with his score of 13.050.
UP NEXT
The Illini return to Huff Hall for a tri-meet on Saturday afternoon. Illinois will host Greenville and Navy at 12 p.m. CT, which will feature a Ninja Warrior Competition after the meet.
