Why he's our Coach of the Year: The 34-year-old Spring, an upcoming inductee into the Illinois athletics Hall of Fame in September based on his resume as a gymnast with the Illini, guided Illinois to its first Big Ten title since 2012 before the Illini finished third at the NCAA championships.
How would you describe the last year?
This last year was like four years coming. We were second for three years at the Big Tens and always had a super talented senior class. I think finally everyone was like, 'Enough, we're going to get this Big Ten championship and make a serious run at the national title.