March 19, 2004

Chicago, Ill.- This weekend the University of Illinois at Chicago welcomes an elite group of the nation's finest athletes as nine teams battle for the 2004 Eastern College Athletic Conference Men's Gymnastics Championships at the UIC Physical Education Building on Saturday, March 20th and Sunday, March 21st.

Team and All-Around Competition for the ECAC Championships will be held on Saturday at 2 p.m., while Individual Event Finals take place on Sunday at 2 p.m.

This year's ECAC Championship, in association with the Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League, marks the 78th year of the prestigious gymnastics title. Last year Temple secured its second-straight crown with a team total of 212.225.

The host Flames look to cap off their outstanding regular season with a conference title and a trip down I-57 to the NCAA National Championships in Champaign. UIC has led the ECAC/EIGL in team average most of the year, most recently with a three-score NCAA average of 212.042 that earned them a No. 10 in the national rankings.

The 2004 ECAC Championships will be held in Chicago and away from the Atlantic region for the first time in conference championship history.

ECAC rivals Army, Navy, James Madison, William & Mary, MIT, Southern Connecticut State, and Springfield College will join Temple and UIC in Chicago in an event sure to be an exciting prelude to this summer's Olympic Games in Athens.

Adult tickets are $6 for one session and $10 for an all-session pass, while UIC students and children may purchase single-session tickets for $3 and an all-session pass for $5. Programs, with scorecards and team rosters, concessions and commemorative t-shirts will also be available for sale.