Nebraska Hits the Road for Minnesota, Air Force Matchup

After a two-week break from competition, the No. 10 Nebraska men's gymnastics team returns to action on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Minneapolis, Minn., against No. 8 Minnesota and No. 14 Air Force. The meet is slated to begin at 7 p.m. at the Sports Pavilion. Live stats will be available on Minnesota's website (gophersports.com).

The Huskers are 3-1 on the road this season, with a loss to Oklahoma and wins over Air Force, Arizona State and Washington. NU is eager to be back in action this weekend, hoping to break a losing streak against Minnesota that dates back to the 2005 season.

NU met up with the Golden Gophers twice in 2009 regular-season competition. The Huskers fell to Minnesota, 343.50-345.90, in Iowa City, Iowa, on Feb. 14, before the Golden Gophers defeated Nebraska, 353.30-349.40, in Lincoln on March 15. Air Force and Nebraska also competed against each other twice last season, as the Huskers swept the Falcons in both matchups.

Huskers in the National Ranks
Although Nebraska has not competed since its meet at the Rocky Mountain Open on Saturday, Jan. 16, the Huskers hold a 10th-place ranking in the latest GymInfo poll released on Monday, Jan. 25. The poll, which is calculated by average team score, also ranks NU fourth in the West region and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference. In addition, the Huskers are ranked 11th on floor exercise (55.95), 15th on pommel horse (51.35), eighth on still rings (56.40), fourth on vault (62.10), eighth on parallel bars (56.35) and ninth on high bar (54.90).

Individually, six Huskers rank in the national polls, including senior Kyle Shanahan, who is fifth on parallel bars (14.65) and 20th in the all-around (83.40). Senior John Robinson is No. 7 on vault (15.75), while junior Anthony Ingrelli ranks 13th on still rings (14.65) and sophomore Cory Baumgarten is 17th on vault (15.60). Newcomers Andreas Hofer and Mike Heredia also hold ninth-place rankings on parallel bars (14.50) and vault (15.70), respectively.

Scouting No. 8 Minnesota
With two meets under its belt, No. 8 Minnesota enters this weekend's matchup with a 3-4 record. The Golden Gophers started off the 2010 season with a fifth-place finish at the Windy City Classic on Jan. 16. After the first weekend of competition, Minnesota and Nebraska's scores were neck-and-neck, as the Golden Gophers posted a 337.65 their first weekend out, while NU put up a 337.05. Minnesota was back in action last weekend, as it hosted Arizona State and Washington on Saturday, Jan. 23. Minnesota defeated both ASU and Washington and improved its score to a 343.20.

Three Golden Gophers rank nationally, including seniors Colin McGuire (FX-Ninth, HB-13th) and Aaron Fortunato (FX-19th, HB-Fourth, AA-12th) and sophomore Adam LaFleur (V-20th).

Scouting No. 14 Air Force
The Falcons are 2-2 on the year, with its only two losses to Nebraska and Oklahoma. Like NU, Air Force has only competed once this season at the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 16. Air Force freshman James Okamoto earned the Falcon's best finish at the RMO, earning fourth place on pommel horse with a score of 14.05. Okamoto recorded the second-best pommel horse score in Air Force history. Junior Nash Mills helped the Falcons out with a sixth-place finish in the all-around (80.45), a fifth-place finish on vault (15.70) and a sixth-place finish on parallel bars (13.95).

Both Okamoto and Mills rank nationally, as Okamoto is No. 11 on pommel horse (14.05) and Mills is No. 9 on vault (15.70).

Shanahan, Robinson Set to Compete in Winter Cup Challenge
Senior all-arounders Kyle Shanahan and John Robinson were selected to compete at the Winter Cup Challenge on Feb. 4-6, in Las Vegas, Nev. The 2010 season marks the first time for both gymnasts to compete in the Winter Cup since the start of their college careers.

Over 100 gymnasts were selected to compete at the two-day meet, including members of the current Senior National Team and Junior Elite National Team. Nebraska will be joined by 11 gymnasts from the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

The competition will be held at the Las Vegas Sports Center on Thursday, Feb. 4, with three sessions of preliminary competitions. The top-42 athletes from the first day preliminaries will advance to the finals, which will be held on Saturday, Feb. 6.

Next Up For Nebraska
While Shanahan and Robinson will travel to Las Vegas for the Winter Cup Challenge, the rest of the Nebraska team will have a two-week break following its meet against Minnesota and Air Force. The Huskers will take on Oklahoma for the second time in the 2010 season on Feb. 13, at Norman, Okla.

Last Time Out: Huskers Take Second at RMO, Ingrelli Captures Rings Title
Colorado Springs, Colo. - Junior Anthony Ingrelli notched a score of 14.65 to capture his fifth career still rings title, as the No. 9 Nebraska men's gymnastics team finished second at the Rocky Mountain Open. The Huskers earned a team score of 337.05, while third-ranked Oklahoma topped the standings with a score of 347.40 and No. 14 Air Force placed third with a 325.85. Club teams Arizona State (319.40) and Washington (277.95) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

As the first meet of the season, the Rocky Mountain Open serves as a benchmark for the Huskers to see how they have progressed from the previous season. Comparatively, NU scored nearly five points higher than the 2009 RMO, blasting last season's score of 332.40.

While Ingrelli was the only Husker to top an event at the RMO, senior co-captain Kyle Shanahan placed within the top-three finishers in two events, including a second-place finish on parallel bars (14.65), a second-place finish on high bar (13.90). Newcomer Andreas Hofer earned a 13.85 on high bar for third place behind Shanahan on high bar.

For the first time since the 2005 season, Nebraska competed three gymnasts in the all-around, including Shanahan, Hofer and senior John Robinson. Shanahan earned a third-place finish in the all-around (83.40). Robinson (83.35) and Hofer (81.20) finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Nebraska came out swinging on high bar in the first rotation, notching a score of 54.90, which is more than three points higher than last year's RMO score of 51.45. The three all-arounders led the way on high bar, as Shanahan put up a 13.90 for second place. Hofer posted a 13.85 for third and Robinson scored a 13.80 for fourth. Junior Bear Danley rounded out the top-five high bar scores with a 13.35.

The Huskers posted a score of 55.95 on floor exercise, again besting last season's RMO score of 52.60. Newcomer Michael Heredia's score of 13.45 started a string of outstanding performances for the Huskers, including a team-best 14.60 from Shanahan. Sophomore Josh Dilworth earned a 14.50, while Robinson earned a 13.40.

Suffering the loss of last year's seniors and pommel horse specialists T.J. Schmidt and James Mauldin, Nebraska struggled on pommel horse in the third rotation. Several falls caused the team to put up a score of 51.35, one of the worst scores on the event in two seasons. Senior Josh Rusler stepped up for the Huskers, scoring a team-high 13.00. Robinson followed close behind Rusler with a 12.90, while Hofer posted a 12.85. Sophomore David Jacobs opened his collegiate career on pommel horse with a score of 12.60, while Danley posted a matching 12.60.

Despite a tough go on pommel horse, NU gained momentum in the fourth rotation on still rings, historically one of NU's best events. The team held true to tradition, posting a solid score of 56.40, as still rings specialist Ingrelli earned a team-high score of 14.65 for first place. Robinson put up a score of 14.05, while Hofer earned a 13.90 and Maras notched a 13.80.

The Huskers maintained intensity, as junior Cory Baumgarten opened a strong vaulting night for the team with a career-high score of 15.60, besting his former career-high by two-tenths of a point. Heredia notched a huge score of 15.70, while Robinson earned a team-high 15.75. The Huskers earned a score of 62.10 on vault, blasting last year's Rocky Mountain Open score of 59.50.

Nebraska wrapped up the RMO with a strong finish on parallel bars with a score 56.35, again bettering last season's RMO score of 55.15. Shanahan's score of 14.65 was his best parallel bars score since the 2008 season, while senior Tony Maras earned a career-high score of 13.25.