Huskers Gear Up for NCAA Championships

The 11th-ranked <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Nebraska men’s gymnastics team travels to State Park, Pa., this week to close the 2007 season at the NCAA Championships held at Rec Hall on the PennState campus. Competition begins on Thursday, April 12 with the team qualifier at Noon and 6 p.m. CST, continues on Friday, April 13 with the team and all-around finals, and concludes on Saturday, April 14 with the individual event finals.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

Tickets are $28 for all-session adult passes and $16 for youth, senior citizen and student all-session passes. Single-day passes for the April 12 team qualifier are $8 (adult) and $5 (student/youth/senior citizen), while single day passes for the April 13 team finals and April 14 event finals are $12 (adult) and $6 (student/youth/senior citizen).

 

Fans unable to attend the meet can follow the action by watching Live Stats available at Huskers.com. Fans can also catch a tape delayed broadcast of the team and all-around finals on ESPN2 on Tuesday, April 17 at 1 p.m. CST.

 

Nebraska is one of 12 teams to qualify for the meet, which is held at PennState for the first time since 1997. NU is slated to compete during Session II at 6 p.m. CST on Thursday. The Huskers will square off against some of the nation’s toughest programs during the initial rotation, including No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 3 Penn State, No. 6 Minnesota, No. 8 Cal and No. 10 Temple. The Huskers, who will begin the competition on the still rings and follow through Olympic order, must finish within the top three teams in their session in order to advance to the team finals on Friday.

 

Nebraska is familiar with just three of the five teams in its session, after having competed against both Oklahoma and Cal during the regular season and again at the MPSF Championships on March 31. The Huskers also faced Minnesota in a home dual on March 11. Nebraska has competed against Oklahoma more than any other team this season, including three times during the regular season and again at the MPSF Championships. Additionally, the Huskers have seen Cal twice. Despite the frequent competition, the Huskers have yet to post a win over any of these teams this season.

 

Of the other two teams, meet host PennState presents the biggest challenge with an average team score of 216.59, nearly 10 points higher than Nebraska’s best score of 2007.

 

Six other top teams will compete in Session I of the team qualifier, including No. 1 Ohio State, No. 4 Stanford, No. 5 Michigan, No. 7 Illinois, No. 9 Iowa and No. 12 Army. Only Stanford represents the MPSF during this first session, which is otherwise dominated by Big Ten competitors.

 

Scouting the NCAA Field

The 2007 NCAA Championships field includes some of the most historically successful teams in men’s collegiate gymnastics. Together, these 12 programs are responsible for 56 national team titles, 43 runner-up finishes and 26 Nissen-Emery awards. The NCAA meet also hosts many of the top individual competitors in the country, including national team member Jonathan Horton of Oklahoma.

 

The 2006 NCAA all-around champion, Horton is again a favorite for the all-around crown this season. With a win, the junior would become the 13th gymnast in collegiate gymnastics history to earn back-to-back all-around titles.

 

With Horton at the helm, the Sooners are definitely the team to beat this season, after posting back-to-back national title wins in the last two seasons. Oklahoma owns seven team titles and with one more, would tie Nebraska for the third most national crowns in men’s gymnastics history.

 

Ohio State is in prime form to oust the OU regime, as the Buckeyes have topped the Sooners in dual competition during the regular season and go into the NCAA Championships the No. 1 seed. OhioState is aiming for its fourth-ever team title, but will be contested not only by the Sooners, but by an extraordinarily talented 12-team field. In fact, the top five teams heading into the championships are separated by fewer than two points and three of the five teams (Ohio State, Michigan and Oklahoma) have held the No. 1 ranking at one point this season.

 

First Things First

Nebraska must first make it through the initial six-team field in its session before it can worry about the overall 12-program format. The Huskers are faced by five top teams in Session II of the 2007 NCAA Championships, including Oklahoma, Penn State, Minnesota, California and Temple.

 

?? No. 2 Oklahoma

  2007 Record: 11-2

  Head Coach: Mark Williams, 8th Year

  All-Americans Returning/Lost: 12/2

  Top Returner: Jonathan Horton

  2006 NCAA Finish (Score): First (221.40)

 

A Quick Look at the Sooners

With four NCAA team titles in the last five seasons, the Oklahoma Sooners are undoubtedly the favorites for the 2007 NCAA team crown. However, the Sooners haven’t been unbeatable this season, leaving them vulnerable to give up their crown in 2007.

 

Oklahoma is 11-2 on the year, dropping meets to Big Ten heavy hitters OhioState and Michigan earlier in the year. OU has posted a season-high mark of 220.50 in its final regular-season win over Iowa on March 17 and went on to win its third consecutive MPSF title.

 

?? No. 3 PennState

  2007 Record: 14-2

  Head Coach: Randy Jepson, 16th Year

  All-Americans Returning/Lost: 3/0

  Top Returner: Matt Cohen

  2006 NCAA Finish (Score): Fourth (215.125)

 

A Quick Look at the Nittany Lions

The host of the 2007 NCAA Championships, PennState has been nipping at the heels of the top teams all season. The Nittany Lions have posted big wins over OhioState and Illinois, but have also suffered losses to Michigan and Stanford. PennState’s win over OhioState came behind a season-high score of 220.15, but the Lions fells short in their hopes to repeat the win at the Big Ten Championships, which saw the Buckeyes edge PennState for the team title.

 

Returning 2006 All-Americans Derek Helsby and Tommy Ramos have been consistent for the Lions this season, with Ramos leading the nation on the still rings (9.645). PennState has also enjoyed a successful season from sophomore Casey Sandy, who is ranked first on the pommel horse (9.40).

 

No. 6 Minnesota

  2007 Record: 8-9

  Head Coach: Mike Burns, Sixth Season

  All-Americans Returning/Lost: 0/0

  Top Returner: Jake Lee

  2006 NCAA Finish (Score): Ninth (206.95)

 

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. The Gophers own a season-high score of 216.50 and notched wins over Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska, while almost dethroning then top-ranked Michigan on Feb. 17.

 

Minnesota’s late-season surge improved the Gophers to sixth in the national rankings, their highest standing of the year. The Gophers, who claim 2007 Big Ten Coach of the Year Mike Burns, Big Ten Freshman of the Year Andre Berry and Nissen-Emery finalist Jake Lee, have a good shot at advancing to the NCAA team finals this season for the first time since 2002.

 

No. 7 California

  2007 Record: 6-5

  Head Coach: Barry Weiner, 17th Season

  All-Americans Returning/Lost: 6/0

  Top Returner: Tim McNeill

  2006 NCAA Finish (Score): Fifth (215.00)

 

A Quick Look at the Bears

The Bears finished the regular season with a 213.00-212.30 upset over OhioState on March 10 and finished third at the MPSF Championships with a score of 215.00. California is hungry for its first NCAA team title since 1998 and with Nissen-Emery finalist Tim McNeill at the helm, the Bears will have the opportunity to pull an upset over several higher-ranked seeds.

 

McNeill, who is ranked second nationally on the pommel horse, earned the NCAA crown on that event last year. He is also solid on the parallel bars, ranking fourth with an average of 9.42.

 

No. 10 Temple

  2007 Record: 9-9

  Head Coach: Fred Turoff, 31st Season

  All-Americans Returning/Lost: 0/0

  Top Returner: John Vogtman

  2006 NCAA Finish (Score): 12th (196.925)

 

A Quick Look at the Owls

After posting just a 196.925 and finishing 12th at the 2006 NCAA Championships, the TempleOwls have made dramatic strides over last season. The Owls own an average of 205.18 and enter this year’s championships as serious contenders for a top-10 finish.

 

Temple is led by sophomore John Vogtman, who is ranked ninth nationally in the all-around. Vogtman is especially strong on the pommel horse and vault, where he has posted averages of 8.66 and 8.75, respectively.

 

Husker History at the NCAA Championships

Nebraska first found itself in the winner’s circle at the NCAA Championships in 1979. This success launched a string of consecutive NU titles over the next five years, ending in 1983. Since then, the Huskers have seen three additional team championships in 1988, 1990 and most recently in 1994.

 

Individually, eight Nebraska gymnasts have captured all-around titles. Former Olympian and current NU assistant coach Jim Hartung earned consecutive titles in 1980 and 1981; while Nebraska’s most recent all-around victory came from Jason Hardabura in 1999.

 

Since its dominant team run during the 1980s and early 1990s, the Huskers have not advanced to the NCAA team finals since 1999. Nebraska has also not captured an individual event titles since Hardabura’s 1999 all-around crown.

 

NU has consistently advanced to the NCAA Championships for the last five consecutive seasons. In 2006, NU finished 10th among 12 teams, with both Jason Wassung and Stephen T?trault qualifying for the all-around finals. Derek Wood also advanced to the individual event finals on the pommel horse, where he finished eighth.

 

Ringing in Nationals

At the 2007 NCAA Championships, Nebraska will quite literally be ringing in the competition. The Huskers begin Session II of the team qualifier on Thursday, April 12 on the still rings and will move through Olympic order from there.

 

This is the third time this season that the Huskers will begin on the rings, after back-to-back rings starts at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 13 and at the Oklahoma Triangular on Jan. 20. Nebraska owns a season-high mark of 36.05 on the still rings in 2007 and is ranked 12th nationally in the event.

 

Unfortunately, the Huskers will be without their top rings competitor at the NCAA Championships, as freshman Tony Maras is sidelined with a broken hand.

 

Husker Injury Update

After spending the majority of the 2007 season plagued by injury, the Huskers are nearly back to full strength heading into the NCAA Championships.

 

While NU will still be without freshman ring specialist Tony Maras, who suffered a spiral fracture in his hand earlier this season, the remainder of the Nebraska roster is slated to compete to one degree or another.

 

Freshmen all-arounders Kyle Shanahan, John Robinson and Josh Rusler all missed time this season, but will each compete in at least three events. Additionally, junior Stephen T?trault, who suffered a knee injury that took him out of the floor exercise and vault earlier this season, continues to compete at full strength in the postseason and is a favorite to qualify to the all-around finals for the second consecutive season.

 

Breaking in the Newbies

For five members of the 2007 Nebraska lineup, next week’s competition marks the first NCAA Championships of their careers. The newcomers, which include four true freshmen and one first-year sophomore, have played a major role in NU’s point production all season and hope to continue filling that role at nationals.

 

Headlining the group is all-arounder Kyle Shanahan, who is back into competitive form after suffering a pair of ankle injuries early this season. While Shanahan is still out of the floor exercise and vault lineups, he will be an important contributor in the other four events, especially on the high bar where he scored a team- and career-high mark of 8.80 at the MPSF Championships.

 

Guide to the NQA

The 12 teams that received invitations to the 2007 NCAA Championships were selected based on a national qualifying average (NQA) as computed by GymInfo.  The NQA was figured by selecting the four highest regular-season scores, counting no more than two home meets, and the highest of these scores was dropped. The conference meet score was then doubled and added to the three remaining regular-season scores. The average of these five scores, which includes the doubled conference score, resulted in the national qualifying average.

 

For the Huskers, this means that NU’s scores of 206.60, 205.95 and 204.2 from the regular-season were added to twice its conference score of 203.45 and the average of these five scores resulted in Nebraska’s 11th-place score of 204.14.

 

Conference Clash

Since its inception in 1994, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation has posted a competitive presence against the well-established Big Ten.  In fact, in the last 12 years, MPSF teams have taken eight NCAA team titles and seven runner-up finishes despite owning half as many programs as the Big Ten. 

 

However, over the last eight seasons, only Oklahoma has earned a team title and only Stanford has earned a runner-up spot. Otherwise, the Big Ten’s PennState and OhioState have made national names for themselves as the teams to beat.

 

But a quick glance at the 2007 NCAA Championship field indicates that the MPSF is still a strong presence in the national scene. With Oklahoma holding steady at No. 2, Stanford chasing at No. 4, Cal at No. 8 and Nebraska in 11th, many of the top teams represent the MPSF. 

 

2008 Nissen Race Heats Up

While the Nissen-Emery award selection is always a competitive process, the 2008 Nissen nominations might be more daunting than usual.

 

A quick look at the national scene shows a surprising pattern sweeping collegiate gymnastics. The pattern is that many of the nation’s top gymnasts are in their junior years.

 

In the national all-around ranks, the top two all-arounders are juniors including Stanford’s David Sender in first and Illinois’ Wes Haagensen in second. Actually, another junior, Oklahoma’s Jonathan Horton, could be ranked above Sender, but he has not competed in the all-around in all of Oklahoma’s meets this season. Both Haagensen and Horton were also awarded Gymnast-of-the-Year accolades by the Big Ten and MPSF conferences, respectively.

 

 The same pattern holds for the Huskers, as junior Stephen T?trault is Nebraska’s only returning All-American and is one of two Huskers ranked in the all-around (12th). T?trault owns three event titles this season and has been ranked among the nation’s top 20 on the pommel horse.

 

Making His Move

With so much of the Nebraska lineup sidelined with injury during the regular season, sophomore James Mauldin has stepped up and become a solid contributor. After not competing on a single event for five weeks, Mauldin stepped in on the pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars for NU against Iowa on Feb. 24, and has been a consistent force in all three events.

 

In Nebraska’s last regular-season dual, Mauldin brought his skills to a new level, tallying career-high marks on the pommel horse (8.40) and still rings (8.50). The Racine, Wis., native’s scores brought him yet another achievement, as he reached the podium for the first time in his career with a third-place finish on the pommel horse.

 

Despite the return of most of NU’s previously injured gymnasts, Mauldin has retained his place on the active Nebraska roster and is scheduled to compete on the pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars at the NCAA Championships.

 

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 eight meets this season, the three returners have accounted for more than 61 percent of NU’s team point production, or 1,108.45 of 1,829 total points. That total has continued to rise over the last several weeks as the three gymnasts have consistently presented top performances for Nebraska toward the end of the season.         Wassung, the team’s only season-long all-arounder, is responsible for almost 25 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 18 of 20 event titles for Nebraska, with Schmidt leading the way at 10.

 

MPSF Honors

Junior Stephen T?trault earned the MPSF’s final Gymnast-of-the-Week honor following his notable performance to end the regular season against Air Force. In the meet, T?trault marked a season-high score of 52.00 in the all-around and took home event titles in vault (9.00) and high bar (9.05). It was the first vault title for the Lincoln, Neb., native since he earned All-America honors on the event in 2005.

 

With T?trault’s award, Nebraska ended the season with three MPSF Gymnast-of-the-Week selections, the second-highest total of any team in the conference.

 

Sophomore T.J. Schmidt started things out for the Huskers by earning his award on Jan. 22, followed by a Gymnast-of-the-Week honor for senior Jason Wassung on Feb. 27.

 

Nebraska ties Oklahoma as the only two teams in the league to have three separate athletes selected as gymnasts of the week. Overall, Oklahoma’s Jonathan Horton won Gymnast-of-the-Year honors in 2007, while OU head coach Mark Williams was named Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

 

Watching Wassung

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

 

Wassung finished either first or second in the all-around in every regular season meet, including three all-around titles. Nebraska’s only fourth-year competitor, Wassung has set career-high marks on the parallel bars (9.40) and high bar (9.40) in 2007, and owns an event title on each apparatus.

 

The Lincoln native owns a season-high all-around mark of 52.95, which he earned against Minnesota on March 11. The score tops his all-around high of 52.50 in 2006 and improved Wassung to fourth in the GymInfo national rankings, where he remained for three consecutive weeks.

 

Overall, Wassung has counted for more than 25 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 is also a five-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll.

 

Schmidt Hits

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

 

During the regular season, Schmidt set career-high scores nine times, besting his own high scores on floor exercise (8.85), 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 freshman to 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.

 

He owns a team-high 10 event titles this season, five on pommel horse and five on parallel bars. Schmidt has taken both crowns in the same meet only twice this season, most recently against Air Force to close the regular season on March 17. 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 the GymInfo event rankings this season and improved to the sixth-place spot this week. He is also ranked 11th on the parallel bars.

 

T?trault Turns it Up

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 highly anticipated by the Huskers. But what Nebraska didn’t expect was that the Lincoln, Neb., would come back stronger than ever.

 

In his first meet back on all six events against Iowa on Feb. 24, T?trault put together one of his best performances of the season. The 5-8 all-arounder landed then 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. He closed the regular season in high style, setting season-high scores on the vault (9.00), high bar (9.05) and all-around (52.00) in the win over Air Force, earning event titles on the vault and high bar.

 

The 5-8 all-arounder’s performance has resulted in success on the national level, as this week T?trault is ranked 12th (51.467) in the GymInfo polls.       

 

Last Meet Repeat: MPSF Recap

Berkeley, Calif. ? The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team finished fourth with a team score of 203.45 at the 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships on March 31 in Berkeley, Calif.

 

Oklahoma took home the team title for the third consecutive season and the eighth time in nine seasons with a score of 217.95, while Stanford (216.10) and Cal (215.00) wrapped up the second- and third-place spots, respectively. Air Force finished fifth with a score of 189.05.

 

In his fourth and final MPSF Championship showing, senior Jason Wassung led the Huskers throughout the meet, finishing fourth in the all-around (51.25) for the second consecutive season and tying for second on the vault with a season-high mark of 9.10

 

Sophomore T.J. Schmidt also captured a top-three finish on the pommel horse, finishing third with an 8.70.

 

Nebraska got off to a rough start in the meet, scoring 31.90 on the pommel horse as a team, its second-lowest horse score of the season. The Husker hopes were hindered by three falls, including falls in two straight sets to start the order and another to cap the event. Only Schmidt (8.70) and freshman Kyle Shanahan scored above an 8.0, with Shanahan turning in a career-best 8.45.

 

Fortunately, Nebraska shook off the cobwebs in the second rotation, landing a solid score of 34.80 on the still rings. The Huskers were led again by Schmidt, this time with a career-high score of 9.10. He was matched by Wassung (9.10), who stuck the landing to his set for his highest rings score since Feb. 24.

 

Fueled by his rings routine, Wassung brought great energy into the vault in the third rotation and was rewarded with a season-high score of 9.10. Junior Stephen T?trault added a strong mark of 8.90, and the Huskers finished the event with a team score of 34.45, nearing their season best of 34.95, which NU set against Stanford on March 4.

 

After three rotations, Nebraska held fourth place overall with a score of 134.80. Oklahoma led the team competition (147.45), followed by Cal in second (145.40), Stanford in third (142.95) and Air Force in fifth (126.70).

 

Nebraska moved to the parallel bars in the fourth rotation, an event that typically serves up strong scores for the Huskers. The apparatus proved only lukewarm for NU on the evening, as the Huskers scored a 33.65, well behind their season average of 35.40. Schmidt grabbed Nebraska’s best single performance on the event, notching a score of 9.00.

 

Shanahan, who had marked a career high of 8.45 on the pommel horse to open the meet, again emerged in the fifth rotation on the high bar, tallying his second career best of the night and leading the Huskers with an 8.80. Wassung added an 8.60 for a team score of 33.95.

 

Nebraska finished the 2007 MPSF Championships on the floor exercise (34.70), led once again by Wassung with a score of 9.10. Schmidt neared his career high with an 8.70, and T?trault added an 8.55 to end the evening for the Huskers.

 

NCAA on ESPN

The 2007 NCAA men’s gymnastics championships will be broadcast after the completion of the event on ESPN2 on Tuesday, April 17 at 1 p.m. CST.

 

The broadcast will feature only the national team and all-around finals, which will be held on Friday, April 13 at the Rec Hall on the PennState campus in State College, Pa.

 

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 during the entire regular 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 students who were nominated by a faculty or staff member. The inaugural group was recognized 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-athletes 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).