CHICAGO - The men's gymnastics team will host the 45th annual Windy City Invitational on Saturday(Jan. 17). Squads from Michigan, Ohio State, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois will all join the Flames at the UIC Pavilion to compete in the meet, scheduled to begin at 7:30 pm.

"I cannot put into words how excited the entire UIC Gymnastics program is for this weekend. It is the 45th Windy City Invitational, but it is finally home," said head coach Charley Nelson. "UIC has taken a lot of pride over the years hosting the NCAA's best to begin the season and that is still the case."

"Our squad is a little healthier with Chris Root back in the lineup after a shoulder injury and he will be a huge help on floor, pommel horse, and parallel bars," continued Nelson. "We will also need a strong night from Trent Jarrett, Alexander Dumstorf, and Keith Kohn."

At last year's invite, Michigan took the crown with a first-place score of 437.500. The Flames placed sixth after combining for a team score of 395.500.

Jacob Thurber posted a pair of team-best scores on floor and vault. Thurber recorded a 13.450 on floor and scored a 14.500 on vault. Teammate Jason Gaides led UIC on rings with a 14.150, while Trent Jarrett scored a 13.700 on parallel bars.

Last week, Brett Valin broke his own school record in vault recording a score of 15.000. Valin will be presented with the Edward J. Saleh Memorial Award and Scholarship at the Windy City Invitational. The honor is given to a UIC senior gymnast every year who best exemplifies academic and athletic excellence representing the UIC men's gymnastics program. The award is given in memory of Edward Jay Saleh, a former UIC gymnast who was killed in a motorcycle accident.

"Brett is sitting among the nation's top vaulters," said coach Nelson. "I expect he will still be in the top-10 after Saturday."

Both Valin and Gaides will be competing for the Gary Morava All-Around Championship after finishing 6th and 5th, respectively, in 2014.