Nebraska Ranked No. 10 in Preseason Poll

Lincoln, Neb.-The Nebraska men's gymnastics team was picked 10th in the Preseason Coaches' Poll, released on Nov. 30 by the College Gymnastics Association (CGA).

The top five spots of the preseason poll are occupied by five of the six teams that competed in the Team Finals at the 2014 NCAA Championships in Norman, Okla. Oklahoma is ranked No. 1 after finishing second behind national-title winner Michigan, who comes in at No. 2.  Big Ten opponent Ohio State ranks No. 3, followed by No. 4 Stanford and Illinois at No .5.

"We are excited to be ranked in the top 10 in the Coaches' Poll," head coach Chuck Chmelka said. "However, our team feels that we can finish better than 10th by the end of the season."

All seven Big Ten teams are ranked in the preseason top 10. Penn State and Minnesota rank No. 6 and No. 7 respectively, while Iowa occupies the No. 9 spot.

The Huskers return two All-Americans to the 2015 lineups. Senior Grant Perdue captured All-America honors on floor in 2012 and vault in 2013 and barely missed the honors in the 2014 season. Junior Sam Chamberlain looks to regain his prominence on parallel bars after capturing All-America honors on the event in 2013.

"I really like the kind of attitude our guys have and I feel we will do even better than last year," Chmelka said. "We have a nice mix of young and old guys who will lead our team this season."

NU will face seven of the nine preseason top 10 opponents in the 2015 regular season. Nebraska will open competition on Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo.