Huskers Host Sooners in Home Opener

After nearly a month on the road, the No. 11 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team returns to <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln this Friday, Feb. 2, to open its home schedule against the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners at 7:30 p.m. Fans attending the meet can take advantage of Dollar Days at the DevaneySportsCenter, with $1 admission, $1 hot dogs and $1 Pepsi products.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The meet also features a face off between the No. 6 Nebraska and No. 5 Oklahoma women and is one of three double duals for the two Husker gymnastics squads this season. Fans unable to attend the meet can still follow the action with Live Stats for both the men’s and women’s duals available on Huskers.com.

 

This weekend’s meet is the earliest home-opener for the Huskers in four years and the first time Nebraska has hosted on a Friday since taking on Oklahoma and Air Force in triangular action in 2004. That meet saw Nebraska come its closest to toppling the Sooners in the last seven years, falling 219.20 to 218.525, while NU’s team score in that competition still stands as it’s highest since 2000.

 

Nebraska has not seen a win over Oklahoma since a 227.075 to 224.175 home win for the Huskers in 1999. Since then, NU is 0-14 in regular-season duals against OU. The last time the Sooners made the trek to Lincoln was on March 5, 2006, which ended in a 214.65-208.65 OU victory.

 

This is the third time in four weeks that Nebraska will meet up with the two-time defending national champion Sooners, with the fourth meet scheduled at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on March 31.

 

The Huskers come into Friday’s double dual following a third-place finish at the Stanford Open on Jan. 27. Nebraska posted a team score of 202.90; just slightly off pace of its season best of 203.30, which it set on Jan. 20. Sophomore T.J. Schmidt continued to dominate the parallel bars for the Huskers, taking home his second title in the event with a score of 9.10. Senior Jason Wassung also kept up his consistent performance in the all-around, finishing second with a score of 49.80.

 

The Sooners continue their two-week road tour with their trip to Lincoln following a disappointing 221.00 to 218.00 loss to No. 1 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Jan. 27. The loss shattered a 37 meet win streak for Oklahoma that dated back to the 2005 season.

 

NU’s dual with Oklahoma is one of four home meets for the Huskers this season, including a three-week home stand beginning on March 4 against Stanford. The Huskers will also face Minnesota on March 11 and Air Force on March 17.

 

 

Scouting the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners

2007 Record: 4-1

Head Coach: Mark Williams, 8th Season

Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 12/2

All-Americans Returning/Lost: 12/2

Top Returner: Jonathan Horton

2006 NCAA Finish: First

 

? A Quick Look at the Sooners:

? Oklahoma saw its 37-meet win streak fall last weekend as the Sooners dropped a 221.60 to 218.00 decision to No. 1 Michigan in Ann Arbor. OU’s streak dated back to the 2005 NCAA Qualifier and has seen the Sooners through back-to-back national titles over the last two years.

 

? After missing Oklahoma’s season-opener at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 12, junior Jonathan Horton returned to the OU lineup against the Huskers and Air Force on Jan. 20. But Horton, the defending NCAA all-around champion, was not put back into the all-around rotation for the Sooners until they met with Michigan last weekend. The Houston, Texas, native didn’t take long to make himself at home in the all-around once more, winning the event with an impressive score of 54.70. Horton also took home the floor exercise, vault and parallel bars titles from that meet.

 

? If there is one event that plagues the Sooners this season, it is the pommel horse. Oklahoma owns a season-high team score of 34.10, well below most of its other event scores, which are typically in the range of a 36 or 37. Senior Brian Carr leads OU on the pommel horse with a season-high score of 9.00, which he set against Michigan on Jan. 27. Carr’s score matches Nebraska’s season-high pommel horse mark of 9.00 set up by sophomore T.J. Schmidt.

 

? Nebraska’s last win over Oklahoma was during a Friday night home meet, 227.075 to 224.175, in 1999. NU went on to win all four of its home duals that year.

? Last Meeting

This Friday’s dual is the third of four scheduled bouts between Nebraska and Oklahoma this season, with the Sooners taking the first two meetings earlier this season. Oklahoma first topped NU at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 12, before again toppling the Huskers in Norman on Jan. 20, 213.65-203.30.

 

Despite the team loss, Nebraska did post its highest team score this season, improving by almost 14 points from its season-opening mark of 189.70. Additionally, NU did manage to beat the Sooners in one respect, tallying a team pommel horse score of 33.00 over OU’s score of 32.80.

 

Individually, sophomore T.J. Schmidt had his best meet of the season against the Sooners on Jan. 20, earning both the pommel horse and parallel bars crowns with career-high scores of 9.00 and 9.35, respectively. Schmidt and Oklahoma’s Chris Brooks were the only two competitors to win more than a single event title in the meet.

 

Additionally, NU senior Jason Wassung took home the third all-around title of his collegiate career with a season-high score of 50.35.

 

? Husker History

The historical lineage between Nebraska and Oklahoma, two of the nation’s greatest traditions in men’s gymnastics, is as rich as the programs themselves.  The rivalry started in 1966 with a triangular between the Huskers, Sooners and Air Force.

 

Over the last 31 years, Nebraska and Oklahoma have remained staples in collegiate competition, reaching a 34-28-1 all-time series record that shifted in favor of the Sooners in 2005 with a 219.35-216.10 OU win on Feb. 20, 2005 in Lincoln.

 

But the bond between Nebraska and Oklahoma reaches far beyond the columns of wins and losses.  These two respected institutions also share a number of other intrigues. To begin with, NU and OU face each other more than any other team on either’s schedule.  This season alone, the two programs will compete four times, including the back-to-back duals to start the season.

 

Also, Allen actually coached Oklahoma head coach Mark Williams. In fact, Williams, who is now considered one of the sport’s top coaches, spent his collegiate career with the Huskers, where he was a part of the Nebraska national championship teams in 1979 and 1980 along with NU assistant coach Jim Hartung, in addition to being crowned a high bar All-American in 1978.

 

Huskers Maintain No. 11 Team Ranking

Despite scoring a 202.90 at the Stanford Open last weekend, Nebraska did not manage to move in the GymInfo rankings, instead maintaining its 11th-place position. However, the Huskers did gain ground in several event rankings, moving from 15th to 13th on floor exercise (33.45), from 14th to 11th on pommel horse (31.717) and 13th to 11th on parallel bars (33.167).

 

No. 1 Michigan kept hold of its top billing with a win over No. 3 Oklahoma, while Cal made the biggest leap, going from 13th to 8th in a single week.

 

Reviewing the Rankings: Nebraska vs. Oklahoma

Event                              Nebraska (Avg.)             Oklahoma (Avg.)

Team                              11th (198.633)               3rd (212.85)

Floor Exercise                 13th (33.45)                   2nd (37.00)

Pommel Horse                 11th (31.717)                 5th (33.333)

Still Rings                        10th (34.233)                 5th (36.30)

Vault                               12th (33.10)                   1st (35.45)

Parallel Bars                    11th (33.167)                 3rd (36.083)

High Bar                          10th (32.967)                 4th (34.683)

 

 

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma Rotation Order

 

Rotation

1

 

Nebraska

 

Oklahoma

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Nebraska

 

Oklahoma

 

 

 

 

3

 

 

 

Nebraska

 

Oklahoma

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

Nebraska

 

Oklahoma

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

Nebraska

 

Oklahoma

 

6

 

Oklahoma

 

 

 

 

 

Nebraska

 

 

 

 

No Place Like Home

After three weeks on the road, Nebraska finally returns to Lincoln this Friday for its first home dual of the season. The Huskers are the one of just four teams in the country not to have a home competition before that date, including James Madison, Ohio State and William and Mary. William and Mary own the latest home opener on Feb. 17.

 

Competing at home typically means big things for Nebraska, which has consistently performed better in Lincoln than anywhere else in the country. In 2006, the Huskers increased their team score by more than 11 points in its first home dual, going from a 198.475 to a 209.45, and expect another solid performance this Friday.

 

Gymnastics Double Dual Part of “Dollar Days” Weekend

Friday’s double dual is just one of several Husker sports hosting “Dollar Days” this weekend. The three-day event features $1 admission, $1 hot dogs and $1 Pepsi products at four Husker sports, beginning at the NU Coliseum for wrestling on Thursday and continuing at the Devaney Center with gymnastics on Friday, and track and field and women’s basketball on Saturday.

 

Last Meet Repeat

Nebraska sophomore T.J. Schmidt, the reigning MPSF Gymnast of the Week, grabbed his fourth event title in three weeks as he earned the parallel bars crown with a score of 9.10 at the Stanford Open in Palo Alto, Calif., on Jan. 27. The title was Schmidt’s second on the parallel bars, in addition to the pair he owns on the pommel horse this season.

 

As a team, Nebraska finished third (202.90), with meet host No. 7 Stanford taking the top spot (209.65) followed by No. 13 California in second (207.50).

 

Nebraska led the meet through the first three rotations, but struggled through the second half of the meet and dropped to third.

 

Nebraska started on the floor exercise for the first time this season, posting a meet-high team score of 35.25 behind an individual and team season-high mark of 9.35 from freshman Kyle Shanahan. The Monument, Colo., native, who returned to the Husker floor lineup for the Stanford Open after a one-meet absence, scored NU’s highest floor score in over two years and earned his first trip to the podium in third place.

 

The Huskers followed up on an outstanding floor performance with a solid team score of 33.40 on the pommel horse. NU was led by Schmidt (8.70), who ranked 13th in the nation on the event. Shanahan and Wassung also added season-high marks of 8.30 and 8.05, respectively.

 

Nebraska’s freshmen contingent continued to provide some of its strongest competitors in the still rings, including a season- and team-high performance from freshman Tony Maras for a score of 9.10.

 

But the second half of the meet saw Nebraska lose some of the momentum from the first three events, starting with a score of just 32.90 on the vault, its lowest event score of the meet.

 

The momentum NU lost on the vault would continue to plague the Huskers, who posted a team score of 33.15 on the parallel bars just one week after notching a meet-best 35.15 on the event.

 

After getting a break during the vaulting rotation for NU though, Schmidt returned to dominate the parallel bars for the third consecutive week with a score of 9.10 for the event title.

 

Schmidt’s performance reinvigorated Nebraska in the final rotation, which started with a season-high score of 8.35 on the high bar from freshman Adrion Hernandez and ended on a high note with a season-best score of 8.75 from junior Stephen T?trault.

 

Schmidt Hits

While the Huskers may have yet to reach their full potential this season, sophomore T.J. Schmidt has consistently surpassed expectation.

 

In the last three weeks, Schmidt has set career high scores seven times, besting his own high scores on floor exercise (8.60), pommel horse (9.00), still rings (8.95) and parallel bars (9.35). Schmidt’s success is not simply a case of making the leap from an often times limited freshman campaign to that of a more experienced sophomore. In fact, the Blair, Neb., native earned his share of the spotlight even in 2006 as NU’s top parallel bars specialist, earning a team-high score of 9.10 and advancing to the event preliminaries at the NCAA Championships. Instead, Schmidt’s outstanding start could more accurately be attributed to hard work and determination.

 

At the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 12-13, Schmidt tied his career high of 8.20 on the floor exercise and set new bests on the pommel horse (8.55) and still rings (8.65). Additionally, Schmidt’s performance earned him the first event title of his collegiate career with a first-place finish on the pommel horse. He also finished third on the floor exercise and second on the parallel bars.

 

Against Oklahoma and Air Force on Jan. 20, Schmidt again hit routine after routine, besting his scores on the pommel horse (9.00) and still rings (8.95) and setting a new career high on the parallel bars (9.35), while adding two more event titles to his collection with crowns on the pommel horse and parallel bars.

 

The Blair, Neb., native stayed the course at the Stanford Open on Jan. 27, taking home the parallel bars title with a score of 9.10 and setting a new career high mark of 8.60 on the floor exercise.

 

Schmidt debuted at 13th on the pommel horse in GymInfo event rankings last week and improved to 12th following his performance at the Stanford Open.

 

Fantastic Floor

In the last few years, Nebraska has built its reputation based on strong pommel horse and vault performances. But if NU’s work on the floor exercise at the Stanford Open is any indication of what is to come, the Huskers may soon add that event to its repertoire.

 

Led by a season- and team-high score of 9.35 from freshman Kyle Shanahan, Nebraska’s highest individual floor score in more than two seasons, the Huskers posted a team score of 35.25 at the Stanford Open on Jan. 27. Nebraska’s score dwarfed its previous best of 33.65. from the week before. In 2006, NU mounted a season-high of 35.85, but more consistently scored between a 32 and a 34 in the event. Just three meets in, the Huskers are already on pace to better that performance with the first step being strong floor routines at home this weekend.

 

Huskers Face Conference Foes Early

While most athletic programs like to start the season with a string of non-conference opponents before taking on conference foes, men’s gymnastics is a little different. In fact, typically, men’s gymnastics programs compete within their own conferences before branching out toward the middle of the season.

 

This holds true for Nebraska, which has already taken on all four of its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foes, including facing Oklahoma and Air Force at the Rocky Mountain Open and Oklahoma Triangular, and Stanford and California at the Stanford Open. The Huskers continue that trend this weekend, opening their home schedule with a dual against Oklahoma.

 

And the MPSF schools aren’t alone. The Big Ten, which supports the most NCAA men’s gymnastics programs of any conference, started their seasons with plenty of league opponents at the Windy City Invitational. The competition, which was hosted by non-conference school Illinois-Chicago, featured such Big Ten programs as Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa.

 

Cal to Host 2007 MPSF Championships

The 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships for men’s gymnastics will be hosted by California on Saturday, March 31 at Haas Pavilion. The MPSF meet will feature five teams ? Air Force, California, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Stanford. At last year’s national meet, three of the top five teams came from the MPSF, as Oklahoma won the NCAA title, while Stanford and Cal finished third and fifth, respectively.