Robinson Advances to Winter Cup Finals

Las Vegas, Nev. - Nebraska senior John Robinson will advance to the final round of the 2010 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev. After an outstanding showing in the qualifying rounds of the Winter Cup on Thursday, Feb. 4, Robinson became only one of 43 athletes to advance to the finals on Saturday, Feb. 6, at 8:15 p.m. CST.

In the preliminaries, Robinson earned a 17th-place finish in the all-around with a score of 83.75. His best finish came on vault, where he tied for fifth place with a season-high score of 16.00. Robinson also earned top-20 finishes on still rings (18th-13.95) and parallel bars (17-13.95).

Senior Kyle Shanahan also competed in the preliminary round, where he earned an all-around score of 82.75, just one point shy of advancing him to the final round. Shanahan placed 14th on pommel horse (13.95) and tied for 16th on high bar (13.80).

Robinson is just the second gymnast in Nebraska history to clinch a spot in the Winter Cup's final rounds, as 2009 graduate T.J. Schmidt became the first-ever Husker Gymnast to advance to the final rounds in 2008 and 2009. 

The Winter Cup Challenge features two days of competition. Scores from both days of competition count toward the final rankings for the all-around and individual event results. Each season, the Winter Cup serves as an individual re-ranking event for USA Gymnastics, while also helping to determine spots on the U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams.

The 10 highest ranked gymnasts at the Winter Cup, as determined by the National Team Points Program, will automatically secure a spot on the senior National Team. The Men's Program Committee will select five additional team members from the participants at the 2010 Winter Cup or from petitioned athletes. The 15 gymnasts named to the national team will make up the U.S. Men's Senior National Team until the 2010 Visa Championships in August.