NU Returners Lead Newcomers in Annual Intrasquad

<?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln ? Nebraska’s returning letterwinners showed their experience on Thursday as they jumped ahead of the Husker newcomers, 99.25-95.70, during the first day of the annual NU intrasquad. Day one of the two-day event featured the first half of Olympic rotation, including the floor exercise, pommel horse and still rings.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

After the newcomers bounded out to a 34.15-33.20 lead in the floor exercise, the Husker returners gained the lead by outscoring the newcomers on the final two events.

 

“Our seniors and our upperclassmen really did a great job today,” assistant coach Chuck Chmelka, one of the meet’s judges, said. “They were a little beat up, but they handled it and got through their routines pretty well.”

 

Leading the NU returners were senior Jason Wassung and junior Stephen T?trault, a pair that has shouldered Nebraska's all-around responsibilities for the past two seasons with remarkable success. Wassung began the meet with a solid 8.85 to tie for second on floor exercise and added a strong showing on still rings with an 8.15. T?trault took top honors on the pommel horse with a 9.00, just five-hundredths off of his 2006 season best of 9.05.

 

Also giving top performances for the returning team was sophomore T.J. Schmidt and senior Jon Charter. Schmidt finished second behind T?trault on the pommel horse with a score of 8.80, which tops his career high of 8.50 on the event. Schmidt also nabbed second place on the rings with a score of 8.70, another career-best mark.

 

Charter notched a career high of his own on the floor exercise, where he tied Wassung for second with an 8.85.

 

While the Husker returners were improving on old marks, the NU newcomers got the opportunity to set the bar high right out of the gate. As anticipated, the newcomers were especially impressive on the floor exercise, earning a team score of 34.15 behind a pair of 9.0 performances by Daniel Br?l? and Kyle Shanahan, who tied for first in the event.

 

“Our freshmen really did a nice job,” Chmelka said. “They each did well in their own particular area and that helped things out as a whole. It’s really encouraging to see how they performed.”

 

Overall, the newcomers won two of the three event titles for the day, with freshman Tony Maras, a former Junior Olympic national still rings champion, adding the top rings score of 8.80.

 

The two squads square off again tomorrow at 4 p.m. at the Devaney Sports Center, where they will compete on the vault, parallel bars and high bar. As members of one of the top vaulting squads in the nation in 2006, the Husker returners hold the edge on that event, but could face a challenge especially on the high bar, which features a number of talented freshmen.

 

“As coaches, we’re glad that the gymnasts decided to compete as teams like this,” Chmelka said. “They are really pulling for each other on their individual teams and at the same time for their teammates as a whole. It gives the meet a more competitive edge and builds team support overall.