CHICAGO- The UIC men's gymnastics program rounded out the season after hosting the 2017 ECAC Championships inside the UIC Pavilion. William & Mary took the crown with a score of 404.700 while UIC took fifth place with their overall score of 384.550.
"The youth movement is truly in full swing," said head coach
Charley Nelson, "A season high today, and certainly our best meet of the year."
Sophomore
Steen Haugsted set the pace for the squad after notching a team high of 13.550 on floor. Senior and co-captain
Keith Kohn continued the momentum with a clean routine on pommel horse earning him a 13.500, and tying with Rob Meyer of William & Mary, as well as Army's Brandon Shively, Nathan Goof and Andre Hufnagel for fifth place.
Fellow senior and co-captain
Christopher Root led the Flames on each of his respective events, tallying a 13.050 on the rings, a 13.750 on parallel bars and a 13.500 on high bar placing him in the fifth spot. Root was also second best on pommels after scoring a 12.700, followed by freshman
Michael Peluso's 12.100 total.
Additionally, freshmen
Asad Jooma and
Victor Bello each had excellent performances on vault tying with two of William & Mary's top contenders. Bello got the ball rolling after landing a massive front handspring double front (14.100) tying for fourth place, while Jooma closed out the event with a beautifully stuck landing that scored a 14.150 launching him into second.
"We've got a talented young team," said Nelson, "…we're going to be a top three team twelve months from now in the ECAC."
The NCAA will announce this Monday (April 10) which teams, all-arounders and individuals will be advancing to the NCAA Championships on April 21-22. Be sure to check back to uicflames.com to see who will be representing UIC at this year's NCAA's.
2017 ECAC Awards
Senior Gymnast of the Year: Rob Meyer, William & Mary
Rookie of the Year: Stephen Lewis, Springfield
Most Improved Gymnast of the Year: Noah Beeman, Navy
Coach of the Year: Mike Powell, William & Mary
Assistant Coach of the Year: Craig Holt, Navy
ECAC Team Results
1. William & Mary - 404.700
2. Navy - 402.550
3. Army - 392.450
4. Springfield College - 392.200
5. UIC - 384.550
