Husker Duo Takes on Nation?s Best

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St. Paul, Minn. ? Nebraska gymnasts Stephen T?trault and Jason Wassung took on some of the nation’s top competitors on Wednesday at the 2006 VISA Championships at the XcelEnergyCenter in St. Paul, Minn.  Of the 42 gymnasts in the men’s all-around, Wassung finished 21st with a score of 80.70, while T?trault followed in 29th with a score of 65.10.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Despite their all-around scores, neither Wassung nor T?trault advanced to the field of 36 finalists who will compete on Friday evening for the chance at joining the U.S. National Team. 

 

“With not making the finals, both of the guys are already talking about what they did wrong and how they can fix it before our season begins,” assistant coach Chuck Chmelka said.  “So it’s really positive for them to come here and see the best in the country.  It motives them because they can see that they are within reach and that they just have to work hard and do the right things to get to the next level.”

 

Qualifiers for the finals were based on a points system, which awards points depending on what place a competitor takes in a given event.  First place receives 20 points, second 19 and so on with the 20th finisher earning one point. 

 

The top two all-arounders after Friday’s finals qualify for the U.S. team as well as seven additional gymnasts based on the points system.

 

Wassung posted a pair of top-20 finishes at the meet, finishing 17th on both vault (15.05) and high bar (13.85).  Wassung’s vault score was his best of the evening, however, his high bar routine also gained attention.

 

T?trault’s top finish was also on the vault where he placed 21st overall with a score of 14.80 off of a Yurchenko double layout.

 

This was the first VISA Championships where either Wassung or T?trault competed in the senior division after both competed as juniors previously in their careers.

 

“A lot of the competitors are this event have been here consistently for the past four or five years,” Chmelka said.  “Our guys are doing this for the first time in several years and for the first time ever at this level.  It’s not an excuse.  It’s just the reality of how much experience some of these other gymnasts have.” 

 

Team Chevron’s Alexander Artemev leads the all-around heading into the finals with a score of 89.45, followed by team mate Guillermo Alvarez (89.40).  Oklahoma’s Jonathan Horton owns the third-place position (89.15) followed by Stanford’s David Sender in fourth (88.60) and Team Chevron’s David Durante (88.60) in fifth.