No. 10 Huskers Host Sooners in Home Opener

Lincoln, Neb. - After a second-place finish at the Rocky Mountain Open last weekend, the tenth-ranked Nebraska men’s gymnastics team returns to Lincoln on Sunday, Jan. 18, to open its home schedule with a dual against No. 2 Oklahoma at 2 p.m.

Nebraska and Oklahoma will clash for the second time this season after opening their 2009 campaigns in Colorado Springs, Colo., a week ago. Although the Sooners topped the RMO competition with a score of 355.000, NU is eager to be back in action this weekend, hoping to break a losing streak to Oklahoma that dates back to the 2000 season.

Several NU gymnasts will play key roles in the dual this weekend, including seniors James Mauldin and T.J. Schmidt, who both placed second on their respected events last weekend, and junior John Robinson, who placed third in the all-around. After sitting out at the RMO due to injury, Husker juniors Kyle Shanahan and Daniel Br?l? hope to be back in action for the dual against the Sooners.

The Nebraska-Oklahoma rivalry has been around nearly as long as Nebraska gymnastics. The Huskers first met up with the Sooners in 1966, where NU was victorious, 165.00-118.25. The two teams continued to meet up nearly every year since 1966, where Oklahoma narrowly leads the series, 36-28-1.

Scouting the Oklahoma Sooners
No. 2 Oklahoma
2009 Record: 2-0-0
Head Coach: Mark Williams
Top Returners: Chris Brooks, Jacob Messina
2008 MPSF Finish (Score): First (359.150)
2008 NCAA Finish (Score): First (363.200)

A Quick Look at the Sooners
Oklahoma enters the dual against Nebraska after coming off a first-place finish at the Rocky Mountain Open with a score of 355.000. The Sooners return to the 2009 season after placing first at the NCAA Championships last season. The Sooners also claimed the 2008 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship for the fourth-consecutive year. Year after year, the OU gymnastics team is a national powerhouse under Head Coach Mark Williams. OU’s lineup is led by senior co-captains Chris Brooks and Jacob Messina. The Sooners also have five returning All-Americans, including seniors Russell Czeschin (FX), Chris Brooks (PB, HB), Jason Laughton (PH), Reed Pitts (FX) and sophomore Steven Legendre (FX, V, HB).

Rocky Mountain Open Review: Husker Seniors Shine in Second-Place Finish
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, Jan. 10.

Second-ranked Oklahoma placed first in the competition with a score of 355.000. 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 Br?l? 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, Kan., 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.