In a disappointing competition Friday, the Illinois men’s gymnastics team took fourth place at the NCAA championships despite entering with the No. 1 ranking.
The team posted a total score of 354.900 to narrowly edge California, who finished with a 354.700. It was the lowest score for the squad since February. Big Ten rival Michigan, who the Illini defeated just two weeks ago at the conference championships, finished first with a score of 360.500.
The team competition included numerous setbacks for Illinois, including several falls by top gymnast junior Paul Ruggeri, who finished 20th in the all-around after coming in ranked No. 3. In a strange occurence, a ring also snapped during sophomore Tyler Williamson’s routine on the still rings, leading to a 30 minute delay.
Sophomore Tyler Mizoguchi achieved All-America status by finishing 6th in the all-around, and 10 Illini qualified to move on to individual event finals.
During Saturday’s individual finals, four more Illinois gymnasts earned All-America honors, including senior Luke Stannard on the pommel horse, senior Tyler Williamson and sophomore Anthony Sacramento on the rings, and junior Chad Wiest on the floor.
