Follow Justin's Road to the Beijing Justin Spring is entering his second season with the Illinois men's gymnastics program. Spring, one of the Illini's most talented gymnasts, finished his collegiate career in 2006. He now looks to help lead the Orange and Blue to Big Ten and NCAA Championship titles in his new role on the coaching staff. In his first season, Spring was instrumental in helping the Illini return to the NCAA Championships Super Six, as the Illini extended their top-five finishes to five straight years with a fifth-place finish at NCAAs and Big Tens. In a year that was considered a rebuilding year for an Illinois squad trying to replace a talented senior class - including 12-time All-American Spring and eight-time All-American Adam Pummer - the Illini were going to have to fill that void without a senior on the roster in 2007. However, the Orange and Blue put together another tremendous run to close out the year. The performance included edging top-ranked Ohio State out of the NCAA Team Finals, as the Illini finished second in NCAA Qualifying Session I. On the year, UI also had three gymnasts combine to earn five All-America awards between them (Wes Haagensen, Chris Silcox, Chad Wiest, Tyler Yamauchi). Haagensen led the pack with three, a runner-up finish in the all-around, a fourth-place performance on floor and a sixth-place outing on high bar. Finishing his collegiate career in 2006, Spring strung together one of the best seasons in Illinois gymnastics' history. The season culminated in earning the 2006 Nissen-Emery Award, an honor that goes to the top senior male gymnast in the nation. A double titlist at the 2006 NCAAs, Spring took home the crown in the high bar and defended his title in parallel bars. In addition, he carded five total All-America honors with a second-place finish in all-around, third on floor exercise and fourth on vault. Along with his individual honors, Spring helped the Illini to runner-up finishes at the 2006 NCAA and Big Ten Championships. The finish at NCAAs came half-a-point shy of team-champion Oklahoma, and just short of the Orange and Blue's 10th national title. Overall, the Burke, Va., native is a four-time NCAA Champion, winning a pair of titles on high bar in both 2004 and 2006 and back-to-back crowns on parallel bars in 2005 and 2006. Along with his national recognition, Spring earned 2006 Big Ten Gymnast of the Year accolades after winning the all-around crown at Big Ten Championships. In all, Spring finished his illustrious career with three All-Big Ten first team honors, six Big Ten Gymnast of the Week laurels and three Inside Gymnastics' NCAA Gymnast of the Week honors. During his four-year career, Spring garnered three Big Ten Championships with titles on parallel bars and all-around in 2006 and on the floor exercise in 2004. Spring is a two-time recipient of the Dike Eddleman Athlete of the Year award (2004, 2006), which goes to Illinois' top male and female athlete. A face and name that will forever be remembered in Illini record books, Spring left the Fighting Illini a 12-time All-American, the most since Abie Grossfeld earned 13 from 1957-59, and holds the Illinois record on floor exercise, vault, parallel bars and high bar. Spring's success has extended far beyond his honors in collegiate competition. Most recently, Spring competed at the 2007 World Cup meet in Moscow, taking home second on high bar at the event. The Illini great also was chosen to the 2007 U.S. Pan American Games team, bringing home the United States' first gold medal at the games in 16 years when he claimed the crown on parallel bars. He also helped lead the U.S. to a bronze medal finish at the Games hosted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Spring then followed the performance with a stellar outing at the 2007 Visa U.S. Championships, where he collected his second U.S. title on high bar - first since 2005 - and was a silver medalist on floor exercise. Overall, Spring is a four-time U.S. Senior National Team member after his fourth straight selection in 2007, while an injury during a vault pass at 2007 Visas kept him out of contention for his third selection to the World Championships team. Spring also earned a spot on the 2006 World Championships roster, but had to withdraw due to injury. Spring also represented the U.S. at the 2005 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Melbourne, Australia, on floor exercise, parallel bars and high bar. At the 2005 World Championships, Spring finished 10th to qualify as a reserve on high bar and finished 12th on parallel bars. In 2005, Spring became the first Illini to ever win his first U.S. title, while also scoring a 9.500 on high bar at the 2005 American Cup to take home the silver medal behind only Olympic champion Paul Hamm. The Illini gymnast finished fourth on the high bar at the 2004 Visa U.S. Championships and competed for Team USA at the 2003 World University Games in Daegu, South Korea, advancing to the finals on floor. Spring graduated from the University of Illinois in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in speech communication. THE SPRING FILE Education Collegiate Career International Career Coaching |
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