Husker Seniors Shine in Second-Place Finish

Colorado Springs, Colo. ? Behind key performances by Husker seniors T.J. Schmidt and James Mauldin, the No. 10 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team rang in the New Year with a second-place finish at the 24th annual Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., on Saturday night.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

Second-ranked Oklahoma placed first in the competition with a score of 355.00. The Huskers finished in second place with a score of 332.40, while No. 13 Air Force followed behind NU in third place (317.90).

The 2009 Rocky Mountain Open not only gave the Huskers valuable insight to how they match up with other teams in the nation, but also how their scores compared to last year’s season opener. Nebraska bested nearly every team event score from last season’s Rocky Mountain Open in route to blasting last year’s score of 327.650.

“We put a bunch of guys in the meet that weren’t even looking to be in the meet because Danny Brule went down and Kyle Shanahan is hurt,” Nebraska Coach Francis Allen said. “We threw them in the meet and they did a pretty respectable job. What I think is going to happen now is everybody has a feel for where they are. Johnny Robinson did a good job. He’s going to springboard off of that and we have to get Shanahan back in the lineup. We have Josh Dilworth ready to go on floor next weekend against Oklahoma. He’s an impact player on three events.”

Three Huskers snagged top-three finishes on three separate events. Senior James Mauldin tied for second on the pommel horse with a score of 14.65, while returning All-American T.J. Schmidt placed second on parallel bars with a score of 14.80. Junior John Robinson also notched a third-place finish in the all-around with a score of 81.60

 “The seniors are doing well, but they’re supposed to do well,” Allen said. “If you look at them, they’re really plugging away. They’re really smart and able to jump back on their reserve tank when they make mistakes. They did a good job and I expect them to keep doing it and keep the rest of the team right there with them.”

Nebraska came out swinging on pommel horse with a score of 56.00, besting last season’s RMO score by nearly five points. Junior Tony Maras opened the event for the Huskers topping his 2008 season pommel horse high (12.55) with a score of 12.95. Junior Josh Rusler tried his hand at pommel horse for the first time since his freshman season, scoring a career-high 13.55. However, two of the most impressive Husker routines came at the end of the lineup from senior co-captains Mauldin and Schmidt. Mauldin bested his career-high pommel horse score by over one point, scoring a 14.65 for a second place tie in the event standings. Schmidt followed close behind with a fourth place finish and a score of 14.50, which was nearly two-tenths higher than his Rocky Mountain Open showing last season.

The Huskers moved on to still rings in the second rotation, landing a solid score of 57.70. NU’s efforts to continually build the event have paid off, as no Husker scored below a 14.00. Nebraska also saw improvement from last season’s RMO rings score of 56.20. Mauldin led the Husker standings for the second-consecutive event, as he scored a 14.55 for sixth place in the competition. Maras notched a score of 14.50 for seventh place, while Schmidt helped the Huskers out with a score of 14.40 for a ninth-place finish.

NU struggled in the third rotation, mounting a team score of 59.50 on vault. Despite the team’s mishaps, newcomer Josh Dilworth, a freshman from Olathe, Kansas, started his collegiate career off on the right foot with a team-high score of 15.25. Redshirt freshman Cory Baumgarten and Rusler both added scores of 14.95 to round out the vault lineup. After three rotations, Nebraska held a score of 173.20 for second place, while Oklahoma held tight to first place (182.00) and Air Force sat in third (158.35).

The Huskers gained momentum in the fourth rotation, where they put together a score of 55.15 on the parallel bars, which was nearly one point better than last season’s RMO score.  Although the NU squad struggled with routines at the beginning of the lineup, Schmidt pulled through for the Huskers at the end of the rotation, posting a score of 14.80 for second place in the event standings. All-arounder Robinson also added a 14.20 for the Huskers on parallel bars, which earned him a sixth-place finish on the event.

Nebraska was slowed on the high bar in the fifth rotation, posting a score of 51.450. NU’s best showing came from sophomore Bear Danley, who scored a 13.65 for sixth place. Robinson followed close behind with a score of 13.35 for an eighth-place tie.

The Huskers finished the meet strong with a score of 52.40 on high bar. Robinson was NU’s top performer on the event with a score of 13.60, while Schmidt, who hasn’t competed on floor exercise since his sophomore season, scored a 13.40. However, NU’s final surge was not enough to forge ahead of Oklahoma. Upon the completion of the Rocky Mountain Open, Nebraska now holds a 1-1 record on the season.

Nebraska will return to action for its first home meet at the Bob Devaney Sports Center next weekend against familiar foe Oklahoma on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 2 p.m.   

 

“When we meet OU next week, they have to start on pommel horse and we get to start on floor,” Allen said. “We have a shot at being ahead of them after the first two events. If we can get everyone healthy, we’re going to have a pretty respectable team.”

 

 

Team Results                                       Score

1. Oklahoma                                          355.00                                                                         

2. Nebraska                                          332.40                                                 

3. Air Force                                           317.90             

4. Arizona State                                     312.95

5. Washington                                       303.20

 

All-Around Results                               Score

1. Stephen Legendre, Oklahoma             89.40

2. Chris Brooks, Oklahoma                     86.60

3. John Robinson, Nebraska                81.45

4. Matthew Hicks, USOTC                      80.10

5. Jacob Houder, Air Force                     79.25

6. Charles Baysinger, ASU                     77.60

 

Individual Event Results

Floor Exercise                                      Score

1. Stephen Legendre, Oklahoma              15.35

2. Russell Czeschin, Oklahoma               14.90

3. Patrick Piscitelli, Oklahoma                 14.65

 

Pommel Horse                                     Score

1.  Cory English, Oklahoma                    14.90

2T. James Mauldin, Nebraska              14.65

      Jacob Messina, Oklahoma               14.65

 

  

 

Still Rings                                            Score

1. Ian Jackson, Oklahoma                      15.30

2T. Stephen Legendre, Oklahoma           15.15

      Chris Brooks, Oklahoma                  15.15

 

Vault                                                    Score

1. Stephen Legendre, Oklahoma            15.90

2. Bobby Shortle, Oklahoma                  15.70

3. Ian Jackson, Oklahoma                      15.65

 

Parallel Bars                                        Score

1. Stephen Legendre, Oklahoma             14.95

2. T.J. Schmidt, Nebraska                      14.80

3T. Ian Jackson, Oklahoma                    14.60

     Cory English, Oklahoma                   14.60                           

 

High Bar                                               Score

1. Stephen Legendre, Oklahoma             14.70   

2. Joseph Haggerty, USOTC                  14.30*

3. Kyle McNamara, Oklahoma                14.20

 

 

*USOTC’s individual and team scores do not count toward the official results, as they are not sanctioned by the NCAA or a conference.