Feb. 28, 2010

Results

CHICAGO - The UIC men's gymnastics team returned home for a matchup against sister school Illinois on Sunday afternoon, claiming an individual event win on the still rings by stalwart senior Nikolai Korepanov.

The 12th-ranked Flames fell to the third-ranked Illini by a 351.300-337.200 margin. "It's important to remember that this is still a very young team," said head coach "CJ" Johnson. "While there were some silly mistakes here and there, I'm pleased with how we came out and performed. Our score would have been different with Andrew Stover in the lineup, but the focus is on long-term results, performing well at conference and beyond."

Senior leadership continued to pave the way for UIC, as Nick Persino was the runner-up on both the high bar (14.550) and vault (15.200).

Nikolai Korepanov, currently ranked 10th in the nation on rings, tied for first with a score of 14.750 on his specialty.

Neal Thompson posted an 83.700 to win the all-around competition, followed closely by freshman Kyle Voissem (83.150).

The Flames now prepare for a pair of weekend competitions in Colorado at the Air Force Academy, beginning on Friday at 7 p.m. CST.