Illini Insider

Three to watch

Three Illini events to keep an eye on this weekend:

MEN'S TENNIS

Florida Gulf Coast Invitational

Fri.-Sat. at Naples, Fla.

Talk about an extreme makeover. An Illini team with five new players will open the 2010 portion of its schedule in this four-team tournament. No. 15 Illinois joins No. 13 Florida State, Florida Atlantic and host Florida Gulf Coast in individual competition before beginning its dual-meet schedule on Jan. 22.

After going through his fall schedule with four available players, Illini coach Brad Dancer brought in reinforcements from not only the United States, but several points on the globe. The newcomers include Brian Alden of Barrington; Karunuday (you can call him "KU") Singh of India; Johnny Hamui of Wesley Chapel, Fla.; Stephen Hoh of Australia; and Bruno Abdelnour of Syria. Hamui is a junior transfer from Florida who went 31-23 in singles in two seasons with the Gators.

Illini returnees include the nation's No. 2-ranked doubles team, Dennis Nevolo and Marek Czerwinski. Nevolo also is ranked 43rd in singles. Dancer also regains the services of senior Meedo El Tabakh, who was sidelined by injury in the fall.

The Illini will tune up for this meet with an exhibition match today in Naples, Fla., against the USTA National Junior Team.

WOMEN'S TRACK & FIELD

SASF Invitational

Fri.-Sat. at Carbondale

Tonja Buford-Bailey enters her second year at the Illini coaching helm with much of the same talent that carried her 2009 team to 12th place in the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Ranked No. 19 in the USTFCCCA preseason poll, Illinois is led by two-time national champion Angela Bizzarri (outdoor 5,000 meters, cross-country) and three-time All-American Aja Evans (shot put). Melissa Bates is another key returnee, the junior winning the 2009 Big Ten title in the outdoor 400 and anchoring the indoor 1,600 relay team to a school record last winter.

Buford-Bailey plans to enter most of her roster in this season opener with the exception of her top distance runners. Coming off a lengthy cross-country season that concluded with a 12th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, that group will be given additional time before re-entering competition.

Among the newcomers, Buford-Bailey expects sophomore Clarrisa Toomer to make an immediate impact. The transfer from Texas-Arlington joins a sprint corps "that we had some holes to fill," the UI coach said.

Buford-Bailey also is hopeful that three freshmen in particular – Marissa Golliday (400), Kayla Smith (60 to 200) and Kawanna Brooks (horizontal jumps) – can develop into key contributors by late season.

"We are just trying to get them adjusted to competing at this level every weekend and focusing on making small improvements each week to prepare for the Big Ten meet," she said.

MEN'S GYMNASTICS

Windy City Invitational

7 p.m. Sat. at Chicago

The Justin Spring Era officially begins, with the 2008 Olympian making his head coaching debut for his alma mater. The four-time NCAA champion served as an Illini assistant the past three years before succeeding Yoshi Hayasaki, who retired last spring after 33 seasons.

The Illini, No. 5 in the GymInfo preseason poll, will join five other ranked teams in this season opener. The field includes No. 4 Michigan, No. 7 Ohio State, No. 8 Minnesota, No. 10 Iowa and No. 11 Illinois-Chicago.

Illinois boasts three of the nation's top returning collegians in juniors Paul Ruggeri and Daniel Ribeiro and senior Luke Stannard.

Ruggeri won his second straight NCAA title in high bar and first in parallel bars. The 2009 Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year award winner as the Illini's top male athlete also was an All-American in four events and a Big Ten champion in two last year.

Ribeiro is the defending NCAA champion in pommel horse, an event he placed fourth in last August at the Visa Championships – the national championship meet for USA Gymnastics. Afterward, Ribeiro was named an alternate for the U.S. World Championships team.

Along with Ribeiro, Stannard gives Illinois the NCAA's most potent 1-2 punch in pommel horse. The Waukegan native is the defending U.S. champion in the event after placing first at the Visa Championships. He also is the reigning Big Ten champ.

Illini of the week

GREG SHROKA

Track & field

The senior already was the Illini's No. 2 all-time performer in the outdoor high jump. Now he's No. 2 indoors as well. Shroka, who entered his final collegiate indoor season outside the UI's all-time top 10, cleared 7 feet, 0 1/4 inch on Saturday during a dual meet with Iowa at the UI Armory. Only Gail Olson, who set the school record of 7-3 in 1980, has soared higher in UI history. Shroka also became the third high jumper in UI indoor history to join the 7-foot club, along with Olson and Rudy Reavis (see The List, below). Shroka made a considerable improvement on his previous best indoor jump, which was 6-10 1/4 last March at the Big Ten Indoor Championships.

News & views

Ex-UI recruit thriving

One-time Illini baseball recruit Casey Crosby is No. 2 in Baseball America's rankings of the top 10 prospects in the Detroit Tigers' minor league system.

The left-handed pitcher also is rated to have the best fastball among Tigers prospects and is the No. 5 starter in Baseball America's projected 2013 lineup for the major league Tigers.

Crosby signed a national letter of intent with Illinois in November 2006 but never made it to campus after being drafted the following June in the fifth round by the Tigers.

The Maple Park Kaneland High School graduate was the Tigers' 2009 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 10-4 record and 2.41 ERA for West Michigan of the Class A Midwest League. Crosby struck out 117 batters in 104 2/3 innings while allowing only 70 hits. He was particularly dominant down the stretch, with a 0.78 ERA in his final 46 earnings.

Those numbers also earned Crosby selection to the Midwest League's postseason All-Star team.

It was Crosby's first full season since his senior year in high school. He did not sign with the Tigers until August 2007 following prolonged negotiations, then underwent reconstructive surgery on his throwing elbow that November. Crosby made his pro debut in August 2008, appearing in three games as a reliever.

Finally healthy in 2009, Crosby made 24 appearances, all as a starter.

Haagensen has surgery

Former Illini All-American gymnast Wes Haagensen is recovering from extensive surgery on his left shoulder. The U.S. Senior National Team member underwent repairs last month to tears in the rotator cuff and labrum. Surgeons also found a partial biceps tear, which is being treated through rehabilitation.

"The surgery to repair my biceps could have a potential risk of losing too much range of motion, so we have decided to leave it be and rehab very progressively," Haagensen said in an e-mail to The News-Gazette.

The surgery will prevent Haagensen from entering the USA Gymnastics Winter Cup Challenge Feb. 4-6 in Las Vegas. Results from the meet will be used in selecting a new U.S. Senior National Team. Haagensen, who competed in the 2009 World Championships, still could retain his spot. That's because five of the 15 team members will be selected by the U.S. Men's Program Committee at its discretion.

Haagensen said he is hopeful of returning to action by early March, which would give him several competitions before the 2010 Visa Championships – the sport's national meet – in August.

"In the meantime, I am using this time to develop other weak areas, such as reshaping my body line, execution, developing stronger core strength, working on developing stronger and faster twitch leg muscles, and studying and understanding the physics of the sport itself," Haagensen said. "I am working with the strength and coordination coaches (at the U.S. Olympic Training Center) and other trainers and doctors within the U.S., so when I get back into gymnastics, I should be stronger and more well-rounded than ever before."

The tender facts

Last November, Illinois announced the signing of men's tennis player Jean Andersen as part of a recruiting class entering school this semester. Instead, the South African is now on the Texas roster.

What happened? At the time of the announcement, Anderson had signed a tender with the UI, not a national letter of intent.

A tender, according to UI assistant athletic director for compliance Ryan Squire, is an agreement by a school to offer an athletic scholarship. However, a tender is not binding on the prospect, and other schools are permitted to recruit the athlete. The tender differs from a national letter of intent, which is binding on both parties after being signed.

Eddleman Award watch

Each week we'll rank our top three candidates for the 2009-10 Dike Eddleman Award, which annually goes to the top male and female athletes at the University of Illinois.

MALE

1. John Dergo, wrestling. Second-ranked 184-pounder has won season-high eight matches in row.

2. Demetri McCamey, basketball. Junior guard entered week No. 1 in Big Ten in assists per game.

3. Greg Shroka, track & field. High jumper broke into UI's all-time indoor top 10 at No. 2.

FEMALE

1. Jenna Smith, basketball. On Sunday, became second Illini to reach 1,000 career rebounds.

2. Lacey Simpson, basketball. Senior's 309 career steals 57 more than UI's all-time runner-up.

3. Allison Buckley, gymnastics. Junior tied for No. 1 in vault in NCAA's South Central region.

The list

Greg Shroka became the No. 2 performer in Illini history in the men's indoor high jump on Saturday. The all-time top five:

NAME HEIGHT YEAR

Gail Olson 7-3 1980

Greg Shroka 7-0 1/4 2010

Rudy Reavis 7-0 1976

Brandon Lloyd 6-11 1/2 2000

Charley Kurlinkus 6-11 1/2 2005

Comments

Add a Comment