Huskers Hunt for Dual Win over Gophers

The No. 10 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team remains in <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Lincoln this weekend, as it hosts eighth-ranked Minnesota at 2 p.m. this Sunday, March 11 at the Devaney Sports Center. The Huskers will be joined by the eighth-ranked Nebraska women, which play host to No. 13 Iowa State in a double dual. Sunday marks fans’ final chance to the see the Nebraska men and women in a double dual this year. Fans unable to attend can watch live stats for both the NU men and women by going to Huskers.com.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The Huskers are 0-2 at home this season and will be hunting for their first dual win against the Gophers on Sunday. NU’s highest team marks of the year have both come at home, and the Huskers are on pace to better those scores once more against Minnesota. Sunday’s dual against the Gophers is one of two final chances for Nebraska to improve its national qualifying score, which can include as many as two home totals.

 

NU is on the winning end of a 16-12-1 all-time record with Minnesota, with Nebraska’s last win over the Gophers taking place at the DevaneyCenter in 2005. The Huskers will have to overcome some major obstacles to repeat that win this Sunday, as Nebraska has suffered several major blows to its lineup over the last two weeks. The NU freshman have been hit especially hard, with all-arounders Kyle Shanahan and John Robinson limited to just a few events due to injury, and ring specialist Tony Maras potentially out for the season with a broken hand.

 

Despite the recent setbacks, Nebraska enters this weekend’s competition after posting a season-high team mark of 206.30 in its loss to No. 5 Stanford (216.85) on March 4. Sophomore T.J. Schmidt posted a career-high score of 9.25 on the pommel horse and earned his forth parallel bars title (9.25) of the season in the meet, while senior Jason Wassung captured the runner-up spot in the all-around with a season-high 52.80.

 

Minnesota travels to Lincoln after posting a season-high mark of 216.50 at home on March 3. Despite the competitive score, Minnesota remained eighth in the national standings and has a 6-9 overall record.

 

Sunday’s meet is the second of three straight home competitions for Nebraska in the month of March. The Huskers end both their home schedule and the regular season with a dual against Air Force on Saturday, March 17 at 7 p.m. NU seniors Jon Charter and Jason Wassung will be honored following the meet in a special Senior Night ceremony.

 

Scouting the Minnesota Golden Gophers

2007 Record: 6-9

Head Coach: Michael Burns, Third Season

Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 10/2

All-Americans Returning/Lost: 0/0

Top Returner: Jacob Lee

2006 NCAA Finish: Ninth

 

?? A Quick Look at the Gophers

Minnesota has consistently performed well in 2007, putting up team scores that are competitive with those of the nation’s top five teams. This past weekend against a Wisconsin club team, the Gophers put up a season-high score of 216.50, the third highest team mark in the nation for the week, trailing only OhioState (218.65) and Stanford (216.85).

 

Minnesota’s performance has gotten it some key wins this season, including a win over No. 6 Illinois in January. Additionally, the Gophers have come the closest to dethroning top-ranked Michigan in dual action, falling to the Wolverines, 209.30-209.80, at home on Feb. 17.

 

Minnesota’s team success hasn’t relied on any one individual this season, but instead been spread across a 15-man lineup. Senior all-arounder Jacob Lee headlines the still rings and parallel bars rotations for the Gophers and is ranked 10th on the parallel bars with an average of 9.267. This could present the greatest challenge Nebraska’s T.J. Schmidt and Jason Wassung have seen on the event this season as the pair has combined to take every parallel bars crown this year.

 

?? Last Meeting

Despite winning four of six event titles and leading the meet through five rotations, the Nebraska men’s gymnastics team fell to Minnesota, 202.90-204.15, in their last meeting on Feb. 18, 2006, at the Sports Pavilion in Minneapolis, Minn.

 

The Huskers were led by individual event wins from Tony Burtle on the floor exercise (8.75), Stephen T?trault on the pommel horse (8.80), Nick Moore on the vault (9.40) and Derric Wood on the high bar (9.25).  T?trault’s score was a season high at the time, while Moore corralled a career-high on the vault en route to the first event title of his career at Nebraska.

 

?? Husker History vs. Minnesota

When it comes to Husker history, the annual meet with the Gophers is as much a tradition as national titles or Head Coach Francis Allen’s career. Actually, NU’s rivalry with Minnesota dates back to before Allen’s coaching reign when the NU legend competed for the Huskers in their first meeting with Minnesota in 1964. Although the meet ended with a 63.5 to 48.5 Nebraska victory, the Gophers would go on to amass 12 wins of their own over the next 30 years despite a five-year gap between 1971 and 1976 when the two programs did not compete. 

 

With the all-time dual record currently at 16-12-1, NU welcomes Minnesota to the DevaneyCenter this Sunday looking for win No. 17 and its first dual victory of the season. Nebraska’s history when hosting Minnesota bodes well for a win as the Huskers are 10-3 all-time against the Gophers in Lincoln. In fact, NU has not lost to Minnesota at the DevaneyCenter since dropping a 205.65-207.55 decision in 2001.

 

 

Reviewing the Rankings: Nebraska vs. Minnesota

Event                          Nebraska (Season Average)  Minnesota (Season Average)

Floor Exercise             12th (34.75)                                                 8th (36.233)

Pommel Horse             7th (34.10)                                                   9th (33.633)

Still Rings                   10th (35.367)                                                9th (35.633)

Vault                           9th (34.517)                                                   6th (34.95)

Parallel Bars                9th (35.25)                                                     8th (35.35)

High Bar                      10th (34.067)                                                8th (35.167)

Team                          10th (205.483)                                            8th (209.467)

 

 

Last Meet Repeat: Huskers Snag Season-High in Loss to Stanford

Despite battling with an injury-plagued lineup, the No. 10 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team notched a season-high team score of 206.30 in its loss to No. 5 Stanford (216.85) on March 4 at the DevaneyCenter.

 

A string of injuries to the Husker freshman class over the last two weeks left Nebraska able to put a full six-man lineup on just four events. Despite the setbacks, Nebraska still managed its team best performance behind high scores on the pommel horse (35.35), vault (34.95) and parallel bars (35.40).

 

Much of NU’s success is owned to a trio of Nebraska natives, senior Jason Wassung, junior Stephen T?trault and sophomore T.J. Schmidt, who have continually spearheaded the Husker efforts in 2007. Wassung claimed the runner-up spot in the all-around with a season-high score of 52.80, followed by T?trault in third (51.20). Schmidt captured Nebraska’s lone event title of the afternoon with his a score of 9.25 on the parallel bars, his fourth title of the season.

 

Nebraska struggled on the floor exercise to start the meet, before finding its rhythm on the pommel horse with a season-high team score of 35.35, an improvement of nearly two points over NU’s previous season best. The Huskers were led by Schmidt and T?trault, who both posted season-high marks of 9.25 and 9.15, respectively. Schmidt’s score was also a career high and earned him second place, while T?trault finished third.

 

Nebraska welcomed a surprise addition back to the pommel horse lineup, as freshman Kyle Shanahan scored a solid 8.15 after suffering an injury two weeks ago that was expected to keep him out of competition indefinitely. Although Shanahan’s return to the all-around is still undetermined, he will be able to compete on a limited basis over the next several weeks.

 

The Huskers were led on the still rings once again by freshman Tony Maras, who tallied an impressive 9.30, his second-highest rings score of the season. Schmidt added a score of 8.90 while Wassung finished NU’s ring set with a 9.00, giving Nebraska a team score of 35.20.

 

Despite performing a new routine for the first time this season, Maras also came out strong on the vault and landed a score of 8.90 to tie his season high and finish second in the event behind Stanford’s Greg Ter-Zakhariants (8.95). Wassung stuck his landing for a season-high score 8.75 and freshman Josh Rusler matched him (8.75) to tie for third place and help the Huskers to a season best team mark of 34.95.

 

Nebraska continued to roll on the parallel bars, beginning with a career-high score of 8.45 from sophomore James Mauldin. The Husker trio of Schmidt, T?trault and Wassung finished the rotation with Schmidt leading the way with a solid set for a 9.25, followed by an 8.75 from T?trault and an 8.95 from Wassung for third place.

 

On pace to better its season-high team score, Nebraska entered the final high bar rotation a bit shorthanded. In fact, only four members of NU’s six-man high bar lineup were able to compete. With the pressure on and little room for error, the four Huskers pulled through, inching toward an event score of 31.65 to land the season-best team mark of 206.30 over their previous best of 205.95, which NU earned in its last home meet on Feb. 2.

 

 

Husker Injuries Continue to Pile Up

The depleted Husker roster was dealt another heavy blow this week as freshman Tony Maras suffered a broken hand in practice that could keep him out of the lineup for four to six weeks. The injury also ends the chance for the Ramsey, Minn., native to compete against his home state Gophers this weekend.

 

Maras’ has emerged as Nebraska’s most prolific rings competitor this season, earning a season- and team-high mark of 9.45 and capturing a title on the event against Iowa on Feb. 24. The crown made Maras NU’s only freshman to reach the top of the podium this season. Additionally, Maras has been a strong competitor on the floor exercise, vault and most recently the parallel bars for NU.

 

Maras’ injury is one of a slew of misfortunes to strike at the Nebraska newcomers over the last few weeks. NU’s first loss came just over two weeks ago as freshman Kyle Shanahan suffered an injury in practice that was expected to keep him out of the rotation indefinitely. However, fortunately for Nebraska, Shanahan was able to make a limited return against Stanford with a score of 8.15 on the pommel horse. Shanahan could potentially add the parallel bars in this Sunday’s meet against Minnesota, but will not be back to the all-around lineup for several weeks.

 

Following Shanahan’s injury, the Huskers also felt the loss of three other freshmen last weekend, including John Robinson, Adrion Hernandez and Daniel Br?l?. Robinson is struggling with a knee injury that has kept him out of events requiring much tumbling, but is expected to increase his participation this Sunday. Also, Hernandez and Br?l? should be back to full strength and compete against Minnesota.

 

 

Triple Threat

The Husker trio of senior Jason Wassung, junior Stephen T?trault and sophomore T.J. Schmidt bring more than experience to the Nebraska roster this season; they bring results. In six meets this season, these three returners have accounted for 58.3 percent of NU’s team point production, or 707.25 of 1,212.35 total points.

 

Wassung, the team’s only consistent all-arounder, is responsible for almost 23 percent by himself and has counted all but three routines toward the Husker team score.

 

In addition to the team contribution, Wassung, T?trault and Schmidt’s performance has paid individual dividends as well. Together, they own 12 of 14 event titles for Nebraska, with Schmidt leading the way at seven.

 

 

Watching Wassung

In his final season with the Huskers, senior Jason Wassung has proven he is a competitor to watch.

 

Wassung has finished either first or second in the all-around in every meet this season, including earning a pair of all-around titles. Nebraska’s only four-year competitor, Wassung has also set career-high marks on the parallel bars (9.40) and high bar (9.20), and owns an event title on each apparatus.

 

The Lincoln native owns a season-high all-around mark of 52.80, which he earned against Stanford on March 4. The score tops his all-around high in 2006 and improved Wassung to fifth in Tuesday’s GymInfo national rankings.

 

Overall, Wassung has counted for more than 23 percent of Nebraska’s point production this season, marking team scores for all but three routines. His performance has not gone unrecognized, as he was named the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Co-Gymnast of the Week on Feb. 27. He was also selected as a member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Fall Honor Roll for the first time in his career in February.

 

 

Schmidt Hits

In his second season at Nebraska, sophomore T.J. Schmidt has consistently surpassed expectation.

 

In 2007, Schmidt has set career high scores eight times, besting his own high scores on floor exercise (8.60), pommel horse (9.25), 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.

 

The Blair, Neb., native owns a team-high seven event titles this season, three on pommel horse and four on parallel bars. He also owns a team-high score of 9.25 on the pommel horse, which he set against Stanford on March 4.

 

Schmidt debuted at 13th on the pommel horse in GymInfo event rankings this season and this week improved to sixth nationally. He is also ranked 13th on the parallel bars.

 

 

T?trault Makes Big Return to Husker All-Around Group

After a Jan. 20 injury took junior Stephen T?trault out of the floor exercise and vault lineups, his return to the all-around was always highly anticipated by the Huskers. But what Nebraska didn’t expect was that the Lincoln, Neb., would come back even better than before.

 

In his first meet back on all six events against Iowa on Feb. 24, T?trault put together his best performance of the season. The 5-8 all-arounder landed season-high scores on the floor exercise (8.90), still rings (8.65), vault (8.55) and all-around (51.80), and earned his first event title of the season with a career-high mark of 8.95 on the parallel bars. It was the first time the Lincoln, Neb., native had bettered a career high since his freshman season in 2005.

 

T?trault continued to improve against Stanford on March 4, setting a season-high mark on the pommel horse (9.15) for third place.

 

His recent performances have put T?trault on the national stage, including a 17th-place ranking on the pommel horse (8.767) and a No. 14 ranking in the all-around (49.717).          

 

 

NU’s Tags Road Score for NCAA Qualifying Average

Nebraska’s score of 204.20, which it notched on the road at Iowa on Feb. 24, will count toward its NCAA qualifying average. The average, which determines which teams advance to the NCAA Championships, is a modified three-score calculation that takes a team’s four best scores, drops the highest and then averages the remaining three counting no more than two home scores. Thus, each team will have to count one road mark and as Nebraska’s score against Iowa is its highest this season, it will be added into that final qualifying mark.

 

 

Huskers Draw Largest Crowd of 2007

Nebraska’s home opener against Oklahoma on Feb. 2 featured a crowd of 4,125 fans, the largest crowd to view an NCAA men’s gymnastics meet this season. In fact, the mark is more than double any other dual in the nation and is rivaled only by the West Point Open, which combines attendance over a three-day period.

 

 

T?trault Selected to Inaugural Husker 24

Nebraska junior Stephen T?trault was honored on Feb. 16 by the Nebraska Alumni Association as a member of the inaugural Husker 24, an award that recognizes students for displaying the association’s core values of leadership, service, integrity and spirit.

 

T?trault was among 24 University of Nebraska juniors to receive the honor. He was chosen from a group of 65 nominees who were nominated by a faculty or staff member. The inaugural group was recognized with at a banquet with the winners later being awarded a Nebraska Ring at the annual Nebraska Ring Ceremony in April.

 

T?trault is a 2005 All-American for Nebraska, and competes as an all-arounder for the Huskers this season. The Lincoln, native also serves as the men’s gymnastics Student-Athlete Advisory Committee representative and is a member of the 2006 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Academic All-Conference team. 

 

T?trault was among six Husker student-athlete selected for the honor, including Sarah Pavan (volleyball), Mark Hightower (baseball), Meghan Hungerford (soccer), Imke Reimers (women’s tennis) and Issar Yazhbin (track and field). 

 

 

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.