Husker Seniors Lead Successful 2006 Campaign

In many ways, the 2006 men’s gymnastics season was one of rebirth for <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska, which welcomed former Olympian Jim Hartung into its coaching ranks after 18 years under the well-known trio of Francis Allen, Chuck Chmelka and Jim Howard.  After leading the Huskers to four national championships in the 1980s, Hartung carried his success into coaching this season by helping Nebraska to a solid 2006 season including its fourth consecutive NCAA Championships appearance.  <?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Leading the Huskers this season was a formidable senior core that quickly blossomed into five stalwart competitors.  The group, consisting of Tony Burtle, Derric Wood, Ray Hacker, Nic Matthews and Nick Moore, was responsible for 15 of NU’s 18 event titles and accounted for 51 percent of Nebraska’s total regular-season team points. 

 

Their overall success rode on a wave of individual accomplishments highlighted by Wood’s remarkable return to the top of the NU lineup.  After two years blemished by health complications, Wood rose to the occasion of his senior season to earn seven individual event titles, set a career-high mark of 9.45 on the high bar and earn Mountain Pacific Gymnast of the Week honors twice.  At the NCAA Championships, Wood advanced to the finals on the pommel horse just missing All-America honors.

 

Nebraska began the season in typical fashion with a trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the 14th annual Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 13-14.  After claiming second place (196.10) in the team competition, Wood and junior Jason Wassung notched event titles on the parallel bars (8.35) and pommel horse (8.85), respectively.  The weekend also showcased the collegiate debut of NU freshmen T.J Schmidt, Jacob Ives and James Mauldin, in addition to the NU debut of junior transfer Jon Charter.

 

On Jan. 21, the Huskers transitioned from the mountains to the beach, as they competed in the Stanford Open in Palo Alto, Calif.  In the second week of competition, Nebraska improved event scores on every apparatus except the vault in front of a sold-out crowd at the Burnham Pavilion to finish third overall (198.475).  Individually, Nebraska’s only top-three finish came from Schmidt with a score of 8.90 on the parallel bars.  The event proved to be Schmidt’s top point-producer for the year with a season-high score of 9.15 and a four-week stint on the national parallel bar top-20 rankings.

 

As Nebraska took a break from team competition, Burtle and sophomore Stephen T?trault faced some of the nation’s best at the 2006 Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Nev., Feb. 3-4.  In his first Winter Cup appearance, Burtle finished 18th on the floor and earned his highest meet score on the vault (14.90).  T?trault meanwhile grabbed 16th overall in Session I in his second Winter Cup.

 

The Huskers returned to action with their first home meet of the year on Feb. 12 against Iowa.  The home crowd fueled Nebraska’s lineup to a team score of 209.45, nearly 10 points higher than NU’s previous season-best mark.  The Huskers still came up short against the Hawkeyes, who managed a score of 209.60.

 

Despite the loss, the Huskers set seven career-high marks and swept the top-three spots on both the vault and the parallel bars.  Burtle notched his first event title of the season with a 9.35 on the vault, while Wood garnered his second parallel bars title with a score of 8.90.  Wood also took first on the high bar with a career-high score of 9.45.  Following his performance, Wood was named the MPSF Gymnast of the Week, while the Huskers climbed to their highest team standing of the season at No. 9.

 

Nebraska returned to the road as it traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., on Feb. 18, where NU suffered a 204.15-202.90 setback to Minnesota but claimed a handful of individual honors.  Burtle claimed his second consecutive event title with the win on the floor exercise (8.75), Wood nailed top honors on the high bar (9.40), T?trault won the pommel horse (8.80) and Moore secured the first event title of his collegiate career with the win on the vault (9.40).

 

Moore repeated the honor two weeks later with a career-high score of 9.45 on the vault as Nebraska hosted Oklahoma on March 5 at the BobDevaneySportsCenter.  Despite scoring a solid 208.65 as a team, the Huskers fell to the defending national champion Sooners (214.65). 

 

The Huskers followed the Sooners back to Norman for a triangular competition the next weekend, where they took losses to Sooners and Cardinal.

 

In their final regular-season meet of 2006, the Huskers welcomed the Air Force Falcons to the DevaneyCenter on March 19.  The dual marked a high point of Nebraska’s season.  As the chalk settled on an emotional Senior Day celebration, not only had Nebraska posted a season-high score of 212.15, but all six event titles were owned by Husker seniors.  Wood earned a trio of event titles including his first of the season on the pommel horse (9.05).  He also tied for first with junior Jason Wassung on the parallel bars (8.95) and tied his career-high score of 9.45 for first on the high bar.  Burtle took home a pair of titles including one on the floor with a career-high score of 9.25 and another on the vault where he tied with Matthews (9.20).  Hacker took top honors on the still rings with a score of 8.90.  The title was the first of Hacker’s collegiate career at Nebraska.  T?trault earned his first all-around title of 2006 with a season-high score of 52.45 followed by Wassung in second with a score of 50.45.

 

At the MPSF Championships on Feb. 25, which was changed to a one-day format for the first time in conference history, Nebraska posted a solid team score of 209.725 to claim fourth place. The Huskers produced event-high scores on the pommel horse, still rings and vault.  Individually, Matthews made his mark on the vault with a season-high score of 9.325 for third place.  Meanwhile, Wood continued his success on the pommel horse with a score of 9.05 for second place.  Wassung followed close behind in third with a score of 8.75.

 

Nebraska’s team score at the MPSF Championships propelled it to ninth place nationally and secured a spot at the NCAA Championships, April 6-8 in Norman, Okla.  Although the Huskers failed to qualify for the team finals at nationals, they did send both Wassung and T?trault into the all-around finals, in addition to advancing four other gymnasts into the event preliminaries.  However, during the second day of competition, T?trault aggravated a leg injury and could only compete on the pommel horse and high bar.  Meanwhile, Burtle suffered a torn ACL during the warm-up session on a vault landing and could not compete in the preliminaries at all. 

 

Wassung completed his run in the all-around finals and finished 12th with a score of 51.80.  Wood was the only Husker to advance to the event finals, where he finished 10th nationally on the pommel horse.

 

After a solid 2006 season, the Huskers hope to rise again on the national scale.  NU must replace five graduating seniors, but the Huskers’ incoming class of recruits is expected to make an immediate impression in 2007.  Nebraska also returns six experienced gymnasts to lay the foundation for success.

 

2006 Notes

? Advanced to the NCAA Championships for the fourth consecutive season and for the 23rd time in the last 28 years.

? Entered the 2006 NCAA Championships as the nation’s top ranked pommel horse squad with a national qualifying average of 34.28.

? Earned 18 regular-season individual event titles.

? Seven Huskers earned event titles in 2006, including all five seniors.

? Junior Jason Wassung ranked as high as sixth in the national all-around standings in 2006.

? Senior Derric Wood led the team with seven individual event titles; three on the parallel bars, three on the high bar and one on the pommel horse.

 

2006 Team High Scores  

Event                            Score

Floor Exercise               35.85 (vs. Air Force, 3/19)

Pommel Horse               34.75 (at MPSF, 3/25)

Still Rings                     34.025 (at MPSF, 3/25)

Vault                             37.025 (at MPSF, 3/25)

Parallel Bars                  35.25 (vs. Air Force, 3/19)

High Bar                        36.60 (vs. Air Force, 3/19)

Team                            212.15 (vs. Air Force, 3/19)

 

2006 Individual Event High Scores

Event                Score                Gymnast

FX                    9.00                  Tony Burtle (1/14)

                                                Nic Matthews (3/5)

                                                Jason Wassung (3/5)

PH                    9.05                  Derric Wood (3/11)

SR                    9.025                Ray Hacker (3/25)

V                      9.45                  Nick Moore (3/5)

PB                    9.10                  T.J. Schmidt (3/11)

HB                    9.45                  Derric Wood (2/12)

AA                    52.45                Jason Wassung (2/12)

                                                Stephen T?trault (3/19)