IL L I N O I S ME N S GY M N A S T I C S

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1 IL L I N O I S ME N S GY M N A S T I C S W W W. F I G H T I N GIL L I N I.C O M (WE E K 13 // 2008 BI G TE N CH A M PI O N S H I P S) RE C HA L L UN I V E R S I T Y PA R K, PA. NO. 5 ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI AT FRIDAY, APRIL 4 6 P.M. CT TEAM FINALS / EVENT PRELIMINARIES SATURDAY, APRIL 5 6 P.M. CT INDIVIDUAL FINALS ILLINOIS QUICKFACTS UNIVERSITY Location Urbana-Champaign Enrollment ,326 Nickname Fighting Illini Colors Orange and Blue Conference Big Ten President B. Joseph White Chancellor Dr. Richard Herman Athletic Director Ron Guenther Home Facility Huff Hall COACHING STAFF Head Coach Yoshi Hayasaki Alma Mater Washington, 71 Overall Dual Record/Years /32 Big Ten Dual Record/Years x -76-1/32 Assistant Coach/Season Jon Valdez/Eighth Alma Mater Sam Houston State, 90 Assistant Coach/Season Justin Spring/Second Alma Mater Illinois, 06 MEN S GYMNASTICS OFFICE Office Manager Sara Rhodes Gymnastics Office Phone Gymnastics Office Fax RECAP 2007 Record Overall/Dual / Big Ten Finish Fifth ( ) 2007 NCAA Finish Fifth ( ) 2007 Average Score High Score Preseason Ranking Eighth National Champions Returning/Lost / All-Americans Returning/Lost /0 Letterwinners Returning/Lost /0 Newcomers Team Captains Michael Boyer, Sr Tyler Yamauchi, Sr. First Year of Men s Gymnastics Years at NCAA Team Championships/Last /2007 NCAA Ti t l e s nine ( 39, 40, 41, 42, 50, 55, 56, 58, 8 9 ) SETTING THE SCENE The No. 5 Illinois men's gymnastics team could not be more ready for the 2008 edition of the Big Ten Championships, this year hosted by Penn State University in University Park, Pa., April 4-5 at historic Rec Hall. The championships begin with the crowning of the team and all-around champion on Friday, while the individual event finals will be decided on Saturday. Both session begin at 6 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. ET. CHAMPIONSHIPS ON THE BIG TEN NETWORK This year s championships will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. The Big Ten Network will broadcast the 2008 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics Championships live to a national television audience; the first gymnastics competition to be aired live by the BTN in its history. The championships also will be re-broadcast on Monday, April 7 (6 & 8 p.m. ET), Wednesday, April 8 (4 & 6 p.m. ET), Thursday, April 10 (team & all-around finals - 12 p.m. ET), and Friday, April 11 (individual event finals - 12 p.m. ET). This is the second appearance for the Illini on the BTN, with there last a display of competitiveness when they outperformed Minnesota and Iowa in all three teams final dual of the regular season. ILLINI ALPHABETICAL ROSTER MEET COVERED LIVE ON BIG TEN NETWORK, WHILE LIVE SCORING AND RESULTS CAN BE FOUND AT ********************************** Live scoring can be accessed by logging onto and clicking on the gametrak PSU link. PREVIEWING THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS This year s competition is sure to be a tight race between the Illini, who are looking to capture their first title since 2004, while host and defending NCAA champion Penn State, threetime defending league champion Ohio State and hungry competitor Michigan are all eyeing the prize as well. All six teams are ranked in the top 10 in the nation. The No. 3 Nittany Lions have spent the entire season near the top and boast six All-Americans. Illinois (No. 5) brings with it six All-Americans as well, while Michigan (No. 6) also will contend for the league crown. Three-time defending Big Ten champion Ohio State (No. 7) has been beset with injuries in 2008 but remains dangerous. Minnesota (No. 8) and Iowa (No. 10) are young, up-and-coming teams. The meet will showcase Nissen-Emery Award finalists DJ Bucher (Ohio State), Wes Haagensen (Illinois), and Derek Helsby (Penn State) as three of the top senior gymnasts in the country. Name Class Event Hometown (High School) Boyer, Michael SR All-Around Northbrook, Ill. (Glenbrook North) Bradley, Ross SR All-Around Naperville, Ill. (Naperville North) Drollinger, Jon SR All-Around Hoopeston, Ill. (Hoopeston Area) Haagensen, Wes SR All-Around Belleville, Ill. (Belleville West) Hulbert, Brian SO All-Around Mokena, Ill. (Lincoln-Way East) Liscovitz, Brian SO All-Around Hillsborough, N.J. (Immaculata (Somerville, N.J.)) Luketin, Nate FR All-Around Roselle, Ill. (Lake Park High School) Lung, Chris JR All-Around Lexington, Mass. (Lexington) Moe, Kyle FR All-Around Champaign, Ill. (Champaign Central) Padera, Kyle JR All-Around Winfield, Ill. (Wheaton North) Pasek, Roger FR All-Around Sleepy Hollow, Ill. (Dundee-Crown High School) Ribeiro, Daniel FR All-Around Chestnut Ridge, N.Y. (Northern Highlands Regional) Ruggeri, Paul FR All-Around Manlius, N.Y. (Fayetteville Manlius High School) Saavedra, Andres SO All-Around Belleville, N.J. (Belleville) Schell, Johnny FR All-Around Gaithersburg, Md. (Gaithersburg High School) Silcox, Chris SR All-Around San Antonio, Texas (Churchill) Stango, Nick JR All-Around Cheshire, Conn. (Cheshire) Stannard, Luke SO All-Around Waukegan, Ill. (Warren Township) Wiest, Chad SO All-Around Butler, Pa. (Moniteau) Williamson, Tyler JR All-Around Lake Forest, Calif. (Orange Lutheran) Yamauchi, Tyler SR All-Around Sugarland, Texas (Elkins)

2 IL L I N O I S ME N S GY M N A S T I C S W W W. FI G H T I N GIL L I N I.C O M (BI G TE N CH A M PI O N S H I P S) FOLLOW THE ACTION ONLINE Fans can follow all of the action of both days of competition at the 2008 Big Ten Men's Gymnastics on the web with live scoring updates. Click on the "gametrack PSU" link on the official website of Nittany Lion athletics, to gain access. ILLINOIS AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS The Illinois men s gymnastics program has been one of the most decorated in Big Ten history, winning a total 134 Big Ten individual championships since Most recently, Wes Haagensen took home the all-around (54.450), while Tyler Yamauchi captured the vault (9.575) title in The last time the Big Ten Championships were hosted at Huff Hall came in 2004, which also marked the last time the Orange and Blue won a league crown, edging out Penn State for the title. The Illini have played host to the Big Te n Championships a total of 15 times (1912, 1920, 1929, 1931, 1935, 1939, 1947, 1956, 1965, 1972, 1978, 1986, 1992, 1995, 2004), winning the team title six times as host. In terms of conference honors, Haagensen and Yamauchi each earned first team All- Big Ten honors in 2007, bringing the Illini s total to 40 selections by a total of 22 athletes since Head Coach Yo s h i Hayasaki last garnered the Coach of the Year award in his third accolade - after last winning it in back-to-back years from 1988 and Fred Roethlisberger of Minnesota and Hayasaki are the only three-time winners of the honor. ILLINOIS AT THE 2007 BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS Against a fully loaded field, then No.7 Illinois took home fifth place at the 2007 Big Ten Championships. Wes Haagensen claimed his first Big Ten Championship a l l - a round title with a in the process, securing the second consecutive all-around title for Illinois since assistant coach Justin Spring captured the honors in In what will go down as one of the most thrilling Big Ten Championships in the last 10 years, the Ohio State Buckeyes came from behind to capture a third consecutive title with a team total of , the first team to capture three straight since host Minnesota did it in Penn State University, who last won their first conference title in 2003, narrowly missed another conference crown by a 10th of a point, tallying The University of Minnesota, who led through the final rotation, finished in third with a The University of Michigan, who was slated No. 2 nationally, ended competition in fourth with The Illini picked up fifth with and the University of Iowa rounded out the field with NEXT UP FOR THE ILLINI In two weeks, the Illini take on the country s best as they travel to Stanford, Calif., for the 2008 NCAA Men's Gymnastics Championships. From April 17-19, the nation's elite descend upon Maples Pavilion on the campus of Stanford University to vie for team and individual titles. The competition begins on Thursday, April 17, with two qualifying sessions that are scheduled for 3 and 9 p.m. CT. The topt h ree teams from each qualifier then advance to battle for the national championship at 9 p.m. CT on Friday, April 18. The nation's top all-around performer also will be crowned on Friday, while the top-10 competitors from each event from the team championships advance to compete for All-American and NCAA title honors on Saturday, April 19, during the individual event finals, which are held at 9 p.m. CT. The top-eight finishers earn All-America nods, during event finals, while there will be six national titles up for grabs as well. BIG TEN NETWORK DEBUT Illinois made its Big Ten Network debut in style in a tri-meet hosted in Minneapolis, pitting the Illini against Minnesota and Iowa. In the dual, UI took down its conference foes in front of a national television audience the Illini also have appeared on Fox Sports Net at the Pacific Coast Classic. Overall, the Illini claimed a total of six individual titles, while an Illini was in the top-three on every event to make their debut on the BTN a success Nissen-Emery Aw a rd finalist We s Haagensen led the way, as he charted t h ree first-pace finishes, placing in a three-way tie for first on parallel bars (15.000), winning the high bar (14.950) title out right, while he finished ahead of a crowded field in the all-around (87.300). Illinois now makes its second appearance on the BTN, hoping that the network brings with it the same luck that garnered them first-place honors in Minneapolis. Perhaps, even bringing the Fighting Illini their first Big Ten crown since SENIOR SIGN OFF This year s senior class of Michael Boyer, Ross Bradley, Jon Dro l l i n g e r, We s Haagensen, Chris Silcox and Ty l e r Yamauchi came into the season with high expectations on themselves and this year s Fighting Illini team as a whole. However, injuries have sidelined four of the six in the early goings of the 2008 campaign, making the senior s final season a bit rocky at times. However, despite all of the obstacles, the class has still managed to be a foundation for this team through the first nine meets SCHEDULE DATE OPPONENT LOCATION TIME/RESULT 1/12 Windy City Invitational Chicago, Ill. 2nd of 7 ( ) 1/19 VS. #7 MINNESOTA* CHAMPAIGN, ILL. L, /26 at #8 Ohio State Columbus, Ohio W, /08 Winter Cup Challenge Las Vegas, Nev. NTS 2/09 Winter Cup Challenge Las Vegas, Nev. NTS 2/16 VS. #1 PENN STATE* CHAMPAIGN, ILL. L, /23 Pacific Coast Invite Oakland, Calif. 5th of 6 ( ) 2/29 at #11 Iowa Iowa City, Iowa W, /08 VS. #5 MICHIGAN* CHAMPAIGN, ILL. W, /15 at #14 Illinois-Chicago Chicago, Ill. W, /21 #8 Minnesota/ #9 Iowa Minneapolis, Minn. 1st of 3, /4-5 Big Ten Championships (University Park, Pa.) 4/4 Big Ten Team & All-Around Finals / Event Prelims 6 p.m. 4/5 Big Ten Event Finals 6 p.m. 4/17-19 NCAA Championships (Stanford, Calif.) 4/17 NCAA Session I 3 p.m. 4/18 NCAA Team & All-Around Finals / Individual Prelims 9 p.m. 4/19 NCAA Event Finals 9 p.m. * Indicates co-ed meets in conjuction with the women s gymnastics team Home matches in BOLD and are held at Huff Hall All times are Central and subject to change BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK Jan. 15:......Casey Sandy, PSU, Jr. Jan. 22:......Casey Sandy, PSU, Jr. Jan. 29:.....Jake Bateman, OSU, Sr. Feb. 5:.Jake Bateman, OSU, Sr.; Vladi Vladi Klurman, PSU, Sr. FEB. 12:....PAUL RUGGERI, ILL, FR. FEB. 19:....PAUL RUGGERI, ILL, FR. Feb. 26:......Casey Sandy, PSU, Jr. Mar. 4:......David Chan, MICH, So. MAR. 11:..WES HAAGENSEN, ILL, SR. Mar. 18:......Geoff Reins, IOWA, Jr. Mar. 25:......Casey Sandy, PSU, Jr. Gy min f o T E A M R A N K I N G S RK... SCHOOL AVG Stanford Oklahoma Penn State California ILLINOIS Michigan Ohio State Minnesota Nebraska Iowa William & Mary Illinois-Chicago Temple Navy Air Force CGA NATIONAL GYMNAST OF THE WEEK Jan. 14:...David Sender, STAN, Sr. Jan. 22:.Kyson Bunthuwong,CAL,Fr. Jan. 29:...David Sender, STAN., Sr. Feb. 5:..John Vogtman, TEMPLE, Jr. FEB. 12:..PAUL RUGGERI, ILL, FR. Feb. 19:.Kyson Bunthuwong,CAL,Fr. Feb. 26:.Jonathan Horton, OKLA, Sr. Mar. 4:..Kurtis Kleffman, IOWA, Sr. MAR. 11: WES HAAGENSEN,ILL., SR. Mar. 18:.Kyson Bunthuwong,CAL,Fr Jonathan Horton, OKLA, Sr. Mar. 25:.....Anthony May, UIC, Sr. I L L I N I LEADERS IN TOP-3 FINISHES Wes Haagensen (1st:7,2nd:7,3rd : 5 ) Paul Ruggeri (1st:10,2nd:7,3rd:2) 13 - Tyler Yamauchi (1st:6,2nd:6;3rd:1) Daniel Ribeiro (1st:7,3rd:2) Roger Pasek (1st:3;2nd:2,3rd:2) Luke Stannard (2nd:2.3rd:3) Brian Liscovitz (1st:3,3rd:1) Michael Boyer (1st:1,2nd:2,3rd:1) Jon Drollinger (1st:1,3rd:2) Chris Silcox (2nd:1,3rd:1) Andres Saavedra (1st:1,3rd:1) Chad Wiest (1st:1) Tyler Williamson (2nd:1) Chris Lung (3rd:1) Ross Bradley (2nd:1)

3 IL L I N O I S ME N S GY M N A S T I C S W W W. FI G H T I N GIL L I N I.C O M (BI G TE N CH A M PI O N S H I P S) In Illinois first seven meets of the year, the senior class accumulated a total of 18 topt h ree finishes and four individual titles. However, in UI s last four competitions that f e a t u red the contingent re t u rning to a healthy status and to top form, the veteran crew has combined for 23 top-three finishes and 11 individual titles. They also helped Illinois tab season-bests on pommel horse ( Michigan, UIC) twice, still rings ( Michigan), parallel bars ( UIC) and its team score ( Michigan) in the process. It will definitely be the resurgence of the 2008 seniors that will be the deciding factor and stimulus for this year s chances at a Big Ten and NCAA title. ACADEMIC ALL-BIG TEN As the winter term of the school year comes to a close, the Big Ten recognized a total of 469 winter sports athletes who have been named to the Academic All-Conference Team. The conference honored 41 men's and 43 women's gymnasts in the process. To be eligible for Academic All-Big Ten selection, student-athletes must be letter winners in at least their second academic year at their institution and carry a cumulative gradepoint average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. Below, is a list of Illinois honorees: Michael Boyer, Sr., Advertising Ross Bradley, Sr., Speech Communication Jon Drollinger, Sr., Sociology Chris Lung, Jr., Business Administration Chris Silcox, Sr., Theatre Luke Stannard, So., Psychology Tyler Yamauchi, Sr., Kinesiology NISSEN-EMERY AWARD FINALIST: WES HAAGENSEN University of Illinois senior gymnast We s Haagensen has been named a finalist for the p restigious 2008 Nissen-Emery Aw a rd, announced the College Gymnastics Association (CGA). Considered the Heisman Trophy of college gymnastics, the Nissen- Emery Award is presented to the top collegiate senior gymnast each year. Haagensen joins a long list of Illini greats that have been honored as finalists, including Butch Zurich (1980), Steve Lechner (1981), Joe Ledvora (1986), Tigran Mkchyan (1988), David Zeddies (1989), Ricard o Cheriel (1993), Brian Kobylinski (1995), Jon Corbitt (1998), Kyle Zak (1999), Tr a v i s Romagnoli (2000), Leo Oka (2001), J.G. Ketchen (2002), Bob Rogers (2004), Ben Newman (2005) and Justin Spring (2006). The award has been handed out annually since 1966 and was founded by trampoline inventor George Nissen. The Belleville, Ill., native now looks to join a elite group of those finalists that have gone on to hoist the honor for Illinois in Zeddies in leading his team to Illinois gymnastics' last NCAA championship that year - and Spring in 2006, the four-time NCAA titlist, 12-time All-American and 2008 Olympic hopeful. Haagensen is the reining Big Ten Gymnast of the Year, leading Illinois to its fifth straight top-five finish at NCAAs in The 2007 Big Ten all-around champion has captured six All-America honors throughout his fouryear career, with two apiece coming on floor exercise ( ) and in the all-around ( ). He also has All-American laurels earned on high bar (2007) and parallel bars (2006). Haagensen is a two-time preseason All-Big Ten honoree and a unanimous season-ending All-Big Ten team selection in both 2006 and A three-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Week selection, the UI veteran also has been named CGA NCAA Gymnast of the Week three times, once every year since 2006, as well as earning 2005 Big Ten Rookie of the Year. In 2008, Haagensen has a total of 18 topthree finishes and seven individual titles. The winner of the Nissen-Emery Award, along with several other awards - including national and regional Coach of the Year and national Assistant Coach of the Ye a r, will be announced on Wednesday, April 16 at the annual College Gymnastics Association banquet. The banquet is held the day prior to the start of the national championships and kicks off the festivities in Stanford, Calif. The other six finalists for the annual award include Jonathan Horton of Oklahoma, David Sender of Stanford, Tim McNeill of California, DJ Bucher of Ohio State, Derek Helsby of Penn State and Luke Vexler of Temple. PASEK TAKING ADVANTAGE Freshman Roger Pasek saw an opening in the lineup and on the podium in Illinois meet against No. 14 Illinois-Chicago, as both of its all-around competitors in Wes Haagensen and Paul Ruggeri were out of the lineup. With the opportunity to step up in front of him, he took advantage by winning both the floor and vault titles en route to setting a season high on floor and pommel horse (14.000) in the process. His mark on vault came just.200 away from his career best. He then backed up the perf o rmance when both competitors returned to the lineup during the tri-meet vs. Iowa and Minnesota, as he captured his second straight floor crown with a score of a career high. Pasek now has three titles to his name as a freshman, continuing to help Illinois build the confidence of its Big Ten and NCAA title h u n g ry roster as it enters Big Te n Championships this weekend. WES HAAGENSEN NAMED BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK Senior Wes Haagensen earned his first Big Ten Gymnast of the Week accolade of the season for the week ending March 10 before then earning CGA National Gymnast of the Week laurels for the same week, announced the Big Ten and the national gymnastics governing body on March 11. Haagensen grabs back-toback accolades after helping lift No. 6 Illinois over No. 5 Michigan on Senior Day at Huff Hall to give Illinois its first win over the Wolverines since 1998 en route to setting a season-high in the process. The honor is Haagensen's first of 2008, and third of his career for both honors, his last coming on Jan. 17, 2007 when he also captured both recognitions for the same week. In the top performances, he produced his best meet of the season in the process. For most of the 2008 campaign, the Illini veteran has been battling through nagging injuries and has slowly worked his way back to the top form that earned him Big Ten Gymnast of the Year in So then fittingly on Senior Day, the defending Big Ten all-around champion Haagensen led the charge, taking home top marks in the allaround (89.600) - the tied for fifth-highest score set by any gymnast in 2008 at the time - and parallel bars (14.950). Haagensen took home five top-three finishes on the afternoon in all, posting a second-place outing on high bar (14.900), and a pair of third-place perf o rmances on floor (14.700) and rings (15.250). His marks on rings and in the allaround were career-bests. Haagensen now has 15 top-three finishes on the year, which include four individual titles - two of which came against the Wolverines. The Belleville, Ill., native now joins freshman Paul Ruggeri on the list of Illini honorees for the weekly honor in 2008, with Ruggeri earning the laurel in back-to-back weeks on Feb. 12 and Feb. 19. SILCOX MAKES A COMEBACK Senior Chris Silcox, a 2007 high bar All- American and NCAA individual qualifier on floor last season, has been nursing a pair of injuries in 2008 that have kept him out of the Illini lineup all season. In his first meet back against Michigan, however, you would not have known the senior had missed a beat. Silcox came back with a bang, sticking his landing to finish off his first routine of the year in a competition en route to taking second overall with a Then against Illinois-Chicago, Silcox bested his mark on parallel bars with a in the meet the second highest by a gymnast at the dual while taking third on high bar with a Silcox took a meet off in the tri-meet against Minnesota and Iowa, but is healthy and ready to go for the 2008 Big Ten Championships. GIVE ME MORE YAMA Senior Tyler Yamauchi, who sat out most of the beginning of the season due to injury, has slowly been on the rise back to his top form that he had in That form included becoming the 2007 Big Ten vault champion, being named to the All-Big Ten team and advancing to the individual finals at NCAAs on vault and floor before capturing his third All-America honor on floor last season. So, in limited action through the first five events, Yamauchi captured two event titles (both on still rings) and six total top-two finishes. In his last four duals, however, the senior has been on top of his game, grabbing four events titles three on still rings and one on parallel bars and a total of seven top-three finishes in one less competitions. Those performances also included posting a team-best on rings, a top-10 mark on the event in the country in In all, Yamauchi has the posted the third-highest top-three finishes on the team with 13, and the fourth-most titles of six on the roster behind freshmen Daniel Ribeiro (7), We s Haagensen (7) and Paul Ruggeri (11). RIBEIRO RIDING HIGH AS A FRESHMAN Freshman Daniel Ribeiro is having the best season of any Illini on pommel horse since Ben Newman ( ) dominated the event for the Orange and Blue when he captured the Big Ten crown in three consecutive seasons from After a strong start at the Windy City Invitational, the Chestnut Ridge, N.Y., native has finished lower than third only once all season long and has seven titles on the year, those coming against a loaded fields all season long. Ribeiro is still the top-ranked gymnast on pommel horse in the country in front of notable Tim McNeill of California, the twotime defending NCAA champion on the event. In all, Ribeiro has posted six of the top-10 s c o res in the country on the apparatus, including the second-best tally of a against fifth-ranked Michigan. Ribeiro is the favorite for the Big Ten title this weekend. DROLLINGER ON A ROLL Senior Jon Drollinger has really come into his own on still rings as of late, posting one of the Illini s top-five scores in his outings against No. 11 Iowa. Against the Hawkeyes, Drollinger posted the countries tied for seventh-best score of 2008 (at the time) with his to win his first event title of the year in the process. Against the Wolverines, he backed up the effort by tabbing a , earning him a fourth-place finish in a highly competitive field before most recently finishing third his third top-three finish of the year with his bronze medal perf o rmance against Illinois-Chicago (15.000). With top finishes in back-to-back-to-back weeks, he has risen to a tie for 14th in the country on the apparatus with a three-score average of RUGGERI: FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH In 2008, the youth of Illinois and its freshman and sophomore classes are wowing not only the Illinois coaching staff, but the nation as well. In particular, freshman Paul Ruggeri, who is ranked in the top 11 on four different events, including third on floor exerc i s e

4 IL L I N O I S ME N S GY M N A S T I C S W W W. FI G H T I N GIL L I N I.C O M (BI G TE N CH A M PI O N S H I P S) (15.483) and fourth on high bar (14.867). The Manlius, N.Y., native also is tabbed No. 9 in the all-around (85.433) and tied for 11th on vault (15.850). On the year, the young Illini has posted 19 top-three finishes to lead all Orange and Blue gymnasts in the category, including a team-leading 11 event titles, with almost a third four crowns in his last six outings to be exact coming on floor. ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS In the latest GymInfo poll released on April 1, the Illini are ranked fifh with a team average The Illini also are in the top-six on every event, including a No. 1 ranking on pommel horse (57.650) and No. 4 placing on floor (59.900). The Illini also are ranked No. 5 on vault (62.683) and parallel bars (58.850) and sixth on still rings (59.000) and high bar (57.467). RUGGERI BIG TEN GYMNAST OF THE WEEK, AGAIN F reshman Paul Ruggeri earned Big Te n Gymnast of the Week honors in back-to-back weeks on Feb. 11 and 19. Ruggeri earned his first honor after not only outperf o rm i n g national team contenders at Winter Cup, but also the entire collegiate field as the highest collegiate finisher - as a freshman - outside of current U.S. Senior National members. He then backed-up the top performance the following week against Penn State. Ruggeri grabbed the honor after capturing thre e event titles on floor, vault and high bar against then top-ranked Penn State. PRESEASON ALL-BIG TEN: HAAGENSEN AND YAMAUCHI Seniors Wes Haagensen and Tyler Yamauchi received their second straight All-Big Ten preseason selections, announced the conference office on Thursday, Jan. 10. The Illini were picked to finish fourth by the conference coaches as a team in the preseason rankings, while defending NCAA Champion and No. 2-ranked Penn State was chosen as the preseason league favorite. Coming in at second was No. 6-ranked Michigan, while three-time defending Big Ten champion and fourth-ranked Ohio State was picked third, followed by No. 7 Minnesota and No. 9 Iowa rounding out the list. VETERAN LEADERSHIP In 2008, the Illini are looking once again to be a national contender behind the efforts of seniors All-Big Ten selections We s Haagensen and Tyler Yamauchi. The Illini upperclassmen, in fact, also have to be one of the best in the country, as it includes fellow All-Americans seniors Ross Bradley and Chris Silcox and junior Chris Lung. Along with the All-America returnees, the Illini feature one of the top senior classes in the country, a contingent that brings with it a total of 11 All-American accolades and a combined two Big Ten event titles, three All-Big Ten selections, eight CGA All-America Scholar Athlete a w a rds and eight Academic All-Big Te n selections RECRUITING CLASS Head coach Yoshi Hayasaki announced the signing of Tyler Mizoguchi, C.J. Padera, Austin Phillips and Anthony Sacramento to National Letters of Intent to join the Fighting Illini in The class includes a slew of USA Junior National team experience and will be pivotal in helping Illinois reload after another large graduating senior class will depart the Orange and Blue after this season. A top competitor on high bar and a great allaround gymnast, Mizoguchi is the reigning 2007 US Visa Men's Junior Champion on high bar, while also finishing third on parallel bars, fifth on pommel horse, eighth on floor and sixth in the all-around at the championships. In addition, Padera adds a wealth of talent, coming in as a six-time Junior Olympic National participant, placing fifth at 2006 nationals on high bar and 13th in the all-around in both 2006 and Phillips comes to Illinois a two-time Region 7 a l l - a round champion, four-time junior national competitor and the reigning titlist in Level 10 (16-18) on pommel horse, rings and in the all-around at the 2007 Pacific Coast Classic, one of the most prestigious and largest gymnastics competitions of the year. A success in the gym and the classroom in Region 5, Sacramento rounds out the class, joining the team as a three-time First Team Academic All-American and received the Certificate of Excellence award all four years of high school. TOP-20 NAT I O N A L LY RANKED ILLINI E V E N T G Y M N A S T R A N K I N G AVG SCORE F X Paul Ruggeri 3 rd Roger Pasek 11 t h P H Daniel Ribeiro 1 s t Luke Stannard 12 t h S R Tyler Ya m a u c h i 5 t h Jon Dro l l i n g e r 14 t h V T Paul Ruggeri T- 11 t h Roger Pasek T- 17 t h Wes Haagensen T- 17 t h P B Wes Haagensen T- 11 t h Tyler Ya m a u c h i 13 t h Brian Liscovitz T- 15 t h H B P a u l R u g g e r i 4 t h Wes Haagensen T- 8 t h A A Wes Haagensen 3 rd Paul Ruggeri 9 t h N A T I O N A L R A N K I N G C O M P A R I S O N B I G T E N C H A M P I O N S H I P S BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS FIELD (BY EVENT AS OF APRIL 1) TEAM FX PH SR VT PB HB ILLINOIS (5th) (4th) (1st) (6th) (5th) (5th) (6th) PENN STATE (3rd) (3rd) (5th) (2nd) (2nd) (4th) (4th) MICHIGAN (6th) (5th) (4th) (5th) (6th) (6th) (5th) OHIO STATE (7th) (6th) (10th) (7th) (8th) (9th) (7th) MINNESOTA (8th) (7th) (12th) (11th) (3rd) (8th) (9th) IOWA (10th) (8th) (6th) (14th) (7th) (16th) (15th)

5 IL L I N O I S ME N S GY M N A S T I C S W W W. FI G H T I N GIL L I N I.C O M (BI G TE N CH A M PI O N S H I P S) T O P TEAM & INDIVIDUAL S C O R E S F R O M A R O U N D T H E C O U N T R Y IN 2008 TOP-FIVE TEAM SCORES (OVERALL) 1. Oklahoma /15 2. Stanford /23 3. Stanford /26 4. Stanford /2 5. Michigan /2 - ILLINOIS /8 TOP-10 TEAM SCORES (BY EVENT) PARALLEL BARS 1. California /8 2. Oklahoma /15 3. California /15 4. California /16 5. Oklahoma /22 Penn State /2 7. Penn State /12 8. Michigan /19 California / Stanford /16 VAULT 1. Mitchell Mays Minnesota /15 2. Mitchell Mays Minnesota /12 3. Mitchell Mays Minnesota /21 4. Mitchell Mays Minnesota /19 5. Jimmy Wickham Ohio State /22 Mitchell Mays Minnesota /1 6. Vladi Klurman Penn State /8 7. David Sender Stanford /12 Scott Bloomfield Temple /2 Mitchell Mays Minnesota /16 FLOOR EXERCISE 1. Stanford /8 2. Oklahoma /15 3. Oklahoma /22 4. Michigan /22 5. Penn State /12 6. Penn State /15 7. Stanford /2 8. ILLINOIS /26 9. Oklahoma / Penn State /24 Stanford /23 POMMEL HORSE 1. Michigan /2 2. Michigan /8 3. Stanford /23 4. ILLINOIS /15 ILLINOIS /8 Penn State /22 Nebraska /22 8. Stanford /16 9. ILLINOIS /16 California /15 RINGS 1. Stanford /23 2. Oklahoma /15 3. Oklahoma /23 4. Penn State /24 5. California /15 6. Oklahoma /1 7. Penn State /2 Michigan /2 9. Oklahoma / California /23 VAULT 1. Oklahoma /15 2. Penn State /8 3. Minnesota /21 4. Minnesota /15 5. Oklahoma /23 6. Stanford /8 7. Oklahoma /16 8. Penn State /24 9. Penn State / Minnesota /1 HORIZONTAL BAR 1. Michigan /22 Michigan /19 3. California /16 4. Penn State /24 5. Stanford /2 6. California /23 7. California /15 California /8 Michigan /2 10. Stanford /16 TOP-10 INDIVIDUAL SCORES (BY EVENT) FLOOR EXERCISE 1. G. Ter-Zakhariants Stanford /8 Casey Sandy Penn State /12 3. Steven Legendre Oklahoma /22 Steven Legendre Oklahoma /15 5. Eddie Hay Ohio State /24 G. Ter-Zakhariants Stanford /16 7. Paul Ruggeri ILLINOIS /16 Kent Caldwell Michigan /22 Jonathan Horton Oklahoma / Paul Ruggeri ILLINOIS /26 Jamie Thompson Michigan /22 Steven Legendre Oklahoma /23 Eddie Hay Ohio State /16 David Sender Stanford /26 G. Ter-Zakhariants Stanford /26 POMMEL HORSE 1. Tim McNeill California /16 2. Daniel Ribeiro ILLINOIS /8 3. Daniel Ribeiro ILLINOIS /21 4. Tim McNeill California /8 Chris Harper Stanford /23 6. Daniel Ribeiro ILLINOIS /16 7. Daniel Ribeiro ILLINOIS /15 Daniel Ribeiro ILLINOIS /1 Timothy Schmidt Nebraska / Daniel Ribeiro ILLINOIS /12 RINGS 1. David Sender Stanford /23 2. Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /15 3. Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /23 4. T. Abdullah-Simmons Oklahoma /23 5. Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /1 6. Greg Stine Air Force /8 Tommy Ramos Penn State /24 8. Tyler Yamauchi ILLINOIS /8 Jacob Schonig Air Force /22 T. Abdullah-Simmons Oklahoma / T. Abdullah-Simmons Oklahoma /1 PARALLEL BARS 1. Kyson Bunthuwong California /15 Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /15 3. Sho Nakamori Stanford /26 Casey Sandy Penn State /12 Tim McNeill California /16 6. Casey Sandy Penn State /2 Jake Bateman Ohio State /24 Ryan Lieberman Stanford /2 9. Colin Christ California 3/8 Tim McNeill California 3/8 HIGH BAR 1. Eric Haeussler California /16 2. Paul Ruggeri ILLINOIS /26 David Sender Stanford /26 4. Dylan Carney Stanford 1/26 Jonathan Horton Oklahoma 2/16 6. Joe Catrambone Michigan /22 Dylan Carney Stanford /2 Joe Catrambone Michigan /19 9. Joe Catrambone Michigan / Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /15 Joe Catrambone Michigan /2 ALL AROUND 1. Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /15 2. Jonathan Horton Oklahoma /23 3. Casey Sandy Penn State /24 4. David Sender Stanford /26 5. Casey Sandy Penn State /12 6. Casey Sandy Penn State /22 7. Kyson Bunthuwong California /15 8. Wes Haagensen ILLINOIS /8 David Sender Stanford / Jake Bateman Ohio State /24

6 SEASON AND CAREER HIGHS (THROUGH MARCH 21, 2008) * Due to the new scoring system in 2008, all season scores for the Fighting Illini also serve as their career highs. Season/Career Highs Michael Boyer Floor Exercise Vault (Twice) High Bar Ross Bradley Pommel Horse High Bar Jon Drollinger Rings Wes Haagensen Floor Exercise Rings Pommel Horse (Twice) Vault (Twice) Parallel Bars High Bar All-Around Brian Liscovitz Pommel Horse Parallel Bars High Bar Vault Chris Lung Pommel Horse Rings Vault Parallel Bars High Bar Kyle Padera Rings Vault Roger Pasek Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Vault Daniel Ribeiro Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Season/Career Highs Paul Ruggeri Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Rings Vault Parallel Bars High Bar All-Around Andres Saavedra Floor Exercise Rings Vault Parallel Bars Chris Silcox High Bar Parallel Bars Luke Stannard Floor Exercise (Twice) Pommel Horse Vault High Bar Chad Wiest Floor Exercise Vault Parallel Bars Tyler Williamson Floor Exercise (Twice) Rings Vault Tyler Yamauchi Floor Exercise Pommel Horse Rings Vault Parallel Bars TOP-THREE TEAM SCORES Total vs. Michigan (3/8/08) at Ohio State (1/26/08) vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/15/08) Floor Exercise at Ohio State (1/26/08) at Windy City Invitational (1/12/08) vs. Michigan (3/8/08) Pommel Horse vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/15/08) vs. Michigan (3/8/08) vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Rings vs. Michigan (3/8/08) at Ohio State (1/26/08) vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/15/08) Vault at Ohio State (1/26/08) at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Parallel Bars vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/15/08) at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) vs. Michigan (3/8/08) High Bar at Ohio State (1/26/08) vs. Michigan (3/8/08) at Iowa (3/1/08) TOP SCORES OF 2008 TOP-FIVE INDIVIDUAL SCORES All-Around Wes Haagensen vs. Michigan (3/8/08) Wes Haagensen at Ohio State (1/26/08) Paul Ruggeri vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Wes Haagensen at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Wes Haagensen at Pacific Coast Classic (2/23/08) Floor Exercise Paul Ruggeri vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Paul Ruggeri at Ohio State (1/26/08) Roger Pasek at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Wes Haagensen at Ohio State (1/26/08) Paul Ruggeri at Pacific Coast Classic (2/23/08) Pommel Horse Daniel Ribeiro vs. Michigan (3/8/08) Daniel Ribeiro at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Daniel Ribeiro vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Daniel Ribeiro at Iowa (3/1/08) Daniel Ribeiro vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/15/08) Rings Tyler Yamauchi vs. Michigan (3/8/08) Tyler Yamauchi vs. Illinois-Chicago (3/15/08) Jon Drollinger at Iowa (3/1/08) Tyler Yamauchi at Pacific Coast Classic (2/23/08) Tyler Yamauchi vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Tyler Yamauchi at Ohio State (1/26/08) Vault Paul Ruggeri vs. Penn State (2/16/08) Paul Ruggeri at Ohio State (1/26/08) Roger Pasek at Ohio State (1/26/08) Five Times Last (2x) at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Parallel Bars Wes Haagensen at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Brian Liscovitz at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Wes Haagensen at Windy City Invitational (1/12/08) Wes Haagensen vs. Michigan (3/8/08) Paul Ruggeri at Iowa (3/1/08) Tyler Yamauchi at Ohio State (1/26/08) High Bar Paul Ruggeri at Ohio State (1/26/08) Wes Haagensen at Ohio State (1/26/08) Paul Ruggeri at Iowa (3/1/08) Wes Haagensen at Tri-Meet (3/21/08) Wes Haagensen vs. Michigan (3/8/08)å

7 2008 MEN S GYMNASTICS RESULTS 2008 RESULTS (12-7 OVERALL, 6-2 DUALS, 5-2 BIG TEN) DATE OPPONENT RESULT TEAM FINISHES SCORE Jan. 12 at 38th Annual Windy City Invitational 2nd of 7 No. 1 Stanford Chicago 7 p.m. NO. 8 ILLINOIS UIC Physical Education Building No. 6 Michigan No. 4 Ohio State No. 7 Minnesota No. 13 UIC No. 9 Iowa JAN. 19 MINNESOTA L Jan. No. 8 Ohio State W Feb. 8-9 at Winter Cup Challenge NTS FEB. 16 NO. 1 PENN STATE L Feb. 23 at Pacific Coast Classic 5th of 6 No. 1 Stanford No. 3 Oklahoma No. 4 California No. 6 Michigan NO. 5 ILLINOIS No. 15 Air Force Feb. 29 at No. 11 Iowa W MARCH 8 NO. 5 MICHIGAN W March 15 at No. 14 Illinois-Chicago W March 21 No. 8 Minnesota/No. 9 Iowa 1st of 3 NO. 5 ILLINOIS No. 8 Minnesota No. 9 Iowa April 4 Big Ten Championships (University Park, Pa.) April 5 at Big Ten Individual Finals April 17 at NCAA Team Qualifier (Stanford, Calif.) April 18 at NCAA Team Finals April 19 at NCAA Individual Finals 2008 MEET-BY-MEET OPPONENT TEAM FLOOR EXERCISE POMMEL HORSE RINGS VAULT PARALLEL BARS HIGH BAR at Windy City Invitational #7 MINNESOTA at #8 Ohio State at Winter Cup Challenge #1 PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at #11 Iowa #5 MICHIGAN at #14 Illinois-Chicago at Tri-Meet #8 Minnesota/#9 Iowa at Big Ten Championships at Big Ten Individual Finals at NCAA Team Qualifier at at NCAA Individual Finals * BOLD INDICATES SEASON HIGHS / SCHOOL RECORDS

8 2008 MEN S GYMNASTICS PERFORMANCES Michael Boyer (Sr., Northbrook, Ill.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA (2) at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa (1) (2) MICHIGAN at UIC (3) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (2x) Ross Bradley (Sr., Naperville, Ill.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN at UIC (2) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Jon Drollinger (Sr., Hoopeston, Ill.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE (3) at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa (1) MICHIGAN at UIC (3) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Wes Haagensen (Sr., Belleville, Ill.) at Windy City Invite (1) MINNESOTA (2) (3) (2) (3) at Ohio State (2) (2) ( 2 ) PENN STATE (1) at Pacific Coast Classic ( 2 ) at Iowa MICHIGAN (3) (3) (1) (2) ( 1 ) at UIC at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (2) (1) (1) ( 1 ) (2x) (2x) Brian Liscovitz (So., Hillsborough, N.J.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA (1) at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN (3) at UIC (1) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (1) Chris Lung (Jr., Lexington, Mass.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN (3) at UIC at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Kyle Padera (Jr., Winfield, Ill.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN at UIC at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Roger Pasek (Fr., Sleepy Hollow, Ill.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State (T3) (T3) PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa (2) MICHIGAN (2) at UIC (1) (1) - at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa15.550(1)

9 2008 MEN S GYMNASTICS PERFORMANCES Daniel Ribeiro (Fr., Chestnut Ridge, N.Y.) at Windy City Invite (1) MINNESOTA (3) at Ohio State (1) PENN STATE (1) at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa (3) (1) MICHIGAN (1) at UIC (1) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (1) Season High/Career Paul Ruggeri (Fr., Manlius, N.Y.) at Windy City Invite (T3) MINNESOTA (1) (2) (2) (1) at Ohio State (1) (2) (1) PENN STATE (1) (T1) (1) (2) at Pacific Coast Classic (3) at Iowa (1) (1) MICHIGAN (1) (2) (2) at UIC at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (2) Andres Saavedra (So., Belleville, N.J.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN at UIC (3) (1) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Chris Silcox (Sr., San Antonio, Texas) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN (2) at UIC (3) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Luke Stannard (So., Waukegan, Ill.) at Windy City Invite (T3) MINNESOTA at Ohio State (T3) PENN STATE (3) at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN at UIC (2) (2) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (2x) Chad Wiest (So., Butler, Pa.) at Windy City Invite (T1) MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN at UIC at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa Tyler Williamson (Jr., Lake Forest, Calif.) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA at Ohio State PENN STATE at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa MICHIGAN at UIC at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (2x) Tyler Yamauchi (Sr., Sugarland, Texas) at Windy City Invite MINNESOTA (1) (T2) at Ohio State (1) (2) PENN STATE (2) (2) at Pacific Coast Classic at Iowa (2) MICHIGAN (1) (2) at UIC (1) (1) at Tri-Meet Minnesota/Iowa (1) (3)