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URBANA – It was hardly a shocker when an Illinois gymnast won the Big Ten pommel horse title in early April.

In Daniel Ribeiro, the Illini not only had the defending conference champion but the nation's top-ranked practitioner of the event.

"He's the big gun for our pommel horse," UI coach Yoshi Hayasaki said.

But even big guns misfire on occasion. And Ribeiro did so during the individual event finals, losing his grip in the midst of a challenging routine.

Still, Illinois retained its grip on the crown, thanks to perhaps the most overshadowed college gymnast in the nation.

Let us introduce you to Luke Stannard – reigning Big Ten pommel horse champion and the second-ranked guy in the event behind – you guessed it – Ribeiro.

Of course, no introduction is needed for Hayasaki.

The 33rd-year Illini coach wasn't the least bit surprised when Stannard rose to the occasion at the league meet. After all, even with the prodigiously skilled Ribeiro around, his junior teammate twice before had finished first in pommel horse this season.

"What's good about our team is, when (Ribeiro) made a mistake at the Big Ten Championships, we had somebody else take over that position," Hayasaki said. "(Stannard has) become such a contributor for us this season and somebody we can depend on."

The Big Ten Coach of the Year will count on Stannard again this week on the biggest stage in college gymnastics: the NCAA Championships. And if 2008 All-American Ribeiro commands the pommel horse spotlight in the leadup to the meet – which begins a three-day run today in Minneapolis – that's perfectly fine with Stannard.

"I don't mind that," the All-Big Ten first-teamer said. "Dan is such an amazing competitor and an amazing horse swinger – I would say one of the best in the world – that doesn't really bug me.

"I think we're No. 1 and 2 in the nation. To have that at one school and for that to rub off on other guys in our gym and to have the No. 1 horse team in the nation is something great to be part of."

Of course, so was standing atop the podium with other pommel horse medalists during the awards ceremony at the Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor, Mich. One night after scoring a career-high 15.400 to help Illinois win a share of the team title with Michigan, Stannard turned in his second-highest score ever (15.275) to reign as the league's pommel horse champ.

Even then, Ribeiro wasn't far from the modest Stannard's thoughts.

"I would have been almost as excited to get second behind Daniel as winning," the Waukegan native said. "I wouldn't say 100 percent (as excited) because it's amazing to be Big Ten champion. But all throughout the season I've gotten used to Dan beating me on horse and I'm totally fine with that because it means our team is just amazing and it's great to see your teammate do so well."

It's been a breakthrough campaign for Stannard, who has placed first four times (including once in floor exercise) and racked up 10 top-three finishes. The 2006 IHSA pommel horse champion from Gurnee Warren is regarded by Hayasaki as perhaps the hardest worker on the team. Now, all that diligent training is paying off in a big way.

"This year, he's a different guy," Hayasaki said. "Luke started to blossom."

At 6-foot-1, Stannard towers above most of his peers in a sport where the optimal height in most events ranges no higher than about 5-8.

"He's a big boy and somebody (who) in the beginning had a difficult time controlling his body," Hayasaki said. "But as he worked hard at strengthening and conditioning, he became stronger and stronger each year."

This season, Stannard competed in every event except still rings. But it's no coincidence that his greatest successes have come in pommel horse, where his lanky frame is not the obstacle it can be in some other events.

"Our pommel horse champions have always been tall," said Hayasaki, who has coached 14 Big Ten titlists in that event.

Although Stannard can't match Ribeiro's degree of difficulty – virtually no one in college gymnastics can – he consistently gets the maximum out of what his routine offers.

"He's very, very clean, and he's able to get through that routine nicely," Hayasaki said.

Given his success in pommel horse, it might come as a surprise that Stannard is fonder of a few other events.

"I wouldn't say I've always been in love with it," he said. "I like high bar and floor (exercise) better, but horse has always been my best event. And I'm happy to be where I am at now with it just after putting in a lot of hard work."

Stannard doesn't overlook the fact he's putting in that work side by side with Ribeiro – a guy who boasts the highest pommel horse score (15.950) in the nation this season and continually sets the bar high in practice.

"I would say he's very influential in me being as good as I've gotten at horse because of just working out with him every day," he said.

If all goes well this weekend, Stannard figures both will stand on the medals podium Saturday night after the individual event finals. The closer, the better.

"At NCAAs, if I end up second behind Daniel, that would be an incredible achievement for me," he said.

Twice the fun
For the first time in school history, both Illini gymnastics teams will compete in the NCAA Championships, which begin a three-day run today in Lincoln, Neb., (women) and Minneapolis (men). What to watch for from Yoshi Hayasaki’s No. 3 men and Bob Starkell’s No. 11 women, courtesy News-Gazette staff writer Jeff Huth:

ILLINI MEN
— Although Yoshi Hayasaki doesn’t want the focus to be on him, a primary storyline will be the fact this is his final meet. After 33 years as Illini coach, Hayasaski is calling it a career. His 1989 team won the NCAA title, and six others have placed in the top three. He clearly has earned a place among a triumvirate of great coaches — along with Hartley Price and Charlie Pond — in this tradition-rich UI program. On Wednesday, Hayasaki was named Central Region Coach of the Year, and aides Justin Spring and Ivan Ivankov were named Assistant Coaches of the Year.
— Assuming they’re on their game, no team should be able to match the firepower Illinois has in pommel horse. Daniel Ribeiro and Luke Stannard enter ranked 1-2 in the event, while three others are among the top 20: No. 9 Chris Lung, No. 18 C.J. Padera and No. 19 Roger Pasek. It’s no surprise, then, that the Illini rank No. 1 as a team in this event, a healthy 1.42 points ahead of No. 2 Michigan.
— There should be no panic if Illinois finds itself in a come-from-behind predicament. This team has been there, done that while rallying to capture a share of the Big Ten title April 3. The Illini trailed Michigan by 2.35 points heading into the final event. By responding with a season-high score of 59.100 in still rings, Illinois caught the Wolverines for its league-record 24th Big Ten crown.

ILLINI WOMEN
— Illinois enters its first national meet on a roll. While finishing second in the Big Ten meet March 21, the Illini set school records for team score as well as floor exercise and vault. Then, Illinois set another school mark — in balance beam — April 4 en route to placing second in the NCAA West Regional.
— Not everyone on the roster is a newcomer to the NCAA Championships. Last year, sophomore Allison Buckley and junior Nicole Cowart advanced to nationals as individuals in the all-around. Buckley earned second-team All-America honors in balance beam by tying for sixth in her session and placing 14th overall.
— Of the 12 teams at nationals, Illinois recorded the seventh-highest score in a regional meet. The Illini’s 196.700 total — the second-highest score in program history — was greater than four higher-seeded teams: No. 7 UCLA, No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 9 Stanford and No. 10 Arkansas. Seeds are determined by a statistical formula that includes results from
the regular season and regionals.