Kicking Off the 2025 Season: Men’s Gymnastics Takes Center Stage at the Windy City Invitational

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini commence the 2025 season at the Windy City Invitational, which serves as a qualifying event for the Winter Cup. The Orange and Blue will face off against competitors from various clubs and universities, including No. 4 Michigan.

All Attention On Us

• Preston Ngai and Garrett Schooley have been honored with spots on this year’s Big Ten Gymnasts to Watch list during the preseason.
• Both Ngai and Schooley earned letters for the Illini in the previous season.
• Ngai took part in eight competitions and delivered impressive performances at crucial moments, setting personal records at the Big Ten Championships (14.900 on vault) and NCAA Qualifiers (14.300 on pommel horse).
• Schooley also participated in eight events and captured two titles throughout the season (vault, all-around) while consistently achieving new career highs across all six events and the all-around.

Higher Aspirations, Increased Drive

• Tate Costa, the current NCAA high bar champion, enters his junior season with a revitalized sense of determination.
• After clinching the high bar title in April 2024, Costa qualified for the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships at the end of May. He secured a 25th place finish overall, earning a spot on the USA Gymnastics Senior Development Team, along with an opportunity to compete at the Olympic Team Trials in June.
• Thanks to his achievements and positive mindset, Costa has been appointed as team captain for the second consecutive year.
• “Last season certainly instilled in me a belief in my capabilities,” Costa remarked. “I now have objectives for the next four years. I aspire to join an Olympic team, secure a spot on a World Championships team, and be part of the Senior National Team. I aim to prepare myself for international competitions to demonstrate that I’m ready to represent the United States at the Olympics. Additionally, regarding my NCAA objectives, I want to win more national championships.”

Head Coach Daniel Ribeiro

Career Record: 37-20 (.649), Third season

Big Ten: 5-3 (.625), Third season

This Season: 0-0, Third season

Complete Illinois Meet Notes (PDF)