No. 10 Huskers Ready for 2015 Season Opener

The No. 10 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team will open the 2015 season this Saturday at the Rocky Mountain Open in Colorado Springs, Colo., hosted by No. 11 Air Force. The event will feature five teams, including No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 15 Arizona State and Southern California United. The meet will take place at the newly renovated Cadet West Gym at 7 p.m. CST. Fans will be able to view a live video stream at GoAirForceFalcons.com or follow the team on Twitter (@NebraskaMGym).

Scouting the No. 11 Air Force Falcons (Host)
Head Coach: Kip Simons
2014 Record: 8-6
2014 NCAA Finish: N/A
2015 High Score: N/A 439.70
No. 11 Air Force will look to its large senior class and sophomore All-American Tim Yang to lead the Falcons in 2015. Yang finished fourth at the 2014 NCAA Individual Finals on pommel horse, earning the school’s first All-America award on the event in school history. It was also Air Force’s first All-America honor earned since 2008.

Scouting the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners
Head Coach: Mark Williams
2014 Record: 9-3
2014 NCAA Finish: 2nd
2015 High Score: N/A
No. 1 Oklahoma placed second at the 2014 NCAA Championships and are hungry to bring home the title in 2015. The Sooners return six All-Americans to the lineups, including Michael Squires and Alec Robin, who together brought home three of the six event titles in 2014. Oklahoma will host the 2015 NCAA Championships April 9-11.

Scouting the No. 15 Arizona State Sun Devils
Head Coaches: Evan Shaw & Rob Survick
2014 NCAA Finish: N/A
2015 High Score: 389.05
No. 15 Arizona State is led by coaches Evan Shaw and Rob Survick. The team hopes to continue building on skills and routines with help from a large freshmen class. The Huskers hold a 5-1 record over the Sun Devils, with their last meeting occurring in the 2014 season.

Scouting Southern California United
2015 High Score: 377.10
Southern Caliornia United is looking to make a big impact in its first season in the NCAA. The team was formed in June 2014 under the Southern California Men’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association and offers club gymnastics opportunities to gymnasts in Southern California while operating under NCAA rules. This will be the Huskers’ first meeting with SCU.

Nebraska Ranked No. 10 in Preseason Poll
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.”

Kocks, Perdue Named Gymnasts to Watch
The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team is ranked at No. 7 in the Big Ten preseason Coaches’ Poll, the conference released Thursday. Ohio State, which finished second at the 2014 Big Ten Championships, claims the No. 1 spot.

Big Ten and defending national champion Michigan is ranked at No. 2 in the poll. Illinois and Penn State come in at No. 3 and No. 4, respectively. The Huskers will face Minnesota (No. 5) twice during the regular season, including a quadrangular with Penn State and Iowa (No. 6) on Senior Night at the Bob Devaney Sports Center March 15.
In addition to NU’s preseason conference ranking, seniors Robbie Kocks and Grant Perdue were named to the Gymnasts to Watch list for 2015.

Once a walk-on, Kocks enters in his final season looking to earn his first All-America honors. He was the Big Ten bronze medalist on rings at the 2014 Big Ten Championships, setting the school record with a 15.60. At the 2014 NCAA Championships, Kocks led the rings lineup on the first night of competition and earned a berth into the Individual Finals.

Joining Kocks on the Gymnasts to Watch list is All-American Grant Perdue, who is expected to return as NU’s leader on vault and floor for his senior season in 2015. Over the course of his career, Perdue has claimed 11 vault and seven floor titles, including one on each event in the 2014 season. Perdue competed in the Individual Finals on both events at the 2014 NCAA Championships, coming up just shy of All-America honors.

2014 Preview
With the loss of six key gymnasts, the Nebraska men’s gymnastics team looks to build on its eighth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in 2014, NU’s highest placing finish since 1999. Head Coach Chuck Chmelka expects this year’s five seniors to guide the new members of the team through the 2015 season.

In 2015, Nebraska hopes to continue improving on its performance within the Big Ten. The conference’s excellence in men’s gymnastics will continue to provide challenging matchups for NU. Chmelka said the team is prepared for the challenge, as the Huskers enter into their fourth season in the conference.

“We really have some great talent on our team this year,” Chmelka said. “There’s really a great mix of older, middle and younger guys that are all ready to see what this season brings. This year, making the top six at the NCAA Championships is totally seeable and doable. And we are going to fight hard to get there.”

Senior Leadership
Nebraska will look to its five seniors to help lead the team in the gym and the classroom this year. Andrew House and Louis Klein anticipate leading the team on several events for the Huskers this season. The duo also plans to provide strong leadership and support to the newcomers looking to make an impact.

Two-time returning All-American Grant Perdue looks to continue in his roles as leader on floor and vault, seeking All-America honors in his final competitive season at Nebraska.

Teammate Josh Ungar should also add key scores on floor and vault while adding help on parallel bars and high bar.

Robbie Kocks, a 2014 Big Ten still rings medalist, expects to continue as a leader in the rings lineup and push for postseason appearances on the event.

“The seniors are all part of my first and second recruiting classes as the head coach, so that’s really special for me,” Chmelka said. “Every one of those guys are leaders in their own right. They’re not in it for them, they’re in it for the team. I think this will be a great year for them.”

Junior Potential
Nebraska’s junior class may be small in numbers, but is full of potential as the team enters its fourth Big Ten campaign.

Returning All-American Sam Chamberlain expects to hold the reigns on parallel bars, as well as make contributions on floor, vault and high bar.

Ethan Lottman seeks continued success on floor, pommel horse and high bar. Lottman qualified for the individual event semifinals at the 2014 NCAA Championships in pommel horse, posting the highest score by any Husker on the event in 2014. He looks to build on that success in this year.

Ryan Irick, who sat out the 2014 season with injuries, hopes to help fill in the gaps on pommel horse and rings for the Huskers in 2015.

Sophomore Power
Austin Epperson and Travis Gollott will lead NU’s sophomore class after a stellar collegiate gymnastics debut. Epperson plans to improve his performances on floor, rings, parallel bars and high bar. The Allen, Texas, native set personal bests of 14.30 or higher in all four events in 2014. High-profile recruit Gollott delivered in his first competitive season at Nebraska, and hopes to build on the excellence he established as a freshman on floor, pommel horse, vault and parallel bars.

Antonio Castro comes off his first successful season with the Huskers and is hoping to grow on floor, pommel horse, vault and high bar in the 2015 season.

Coleman Tokar contributed in two regular-season meets before suffering a season-ending injury in 2014. This season, Tokar hopes to develop his strength on floor, vault and high bar to become a steady performer for the Huskers in his sophomore campaign.

Christopher Stephenson is a transfer from Air Force seeking success in his first year as a Husker. The Fishers, Ind., native is recovering from an injury suffered in the summer but is expected to be one of NU’s top all-around competitors.

Freshmen Talent
The Huskers’ talented freshman class features a total of eight members. Redshirt freshmen Connor Adamsick and Brenon Sommers anticipate making the lineups in 2015, while guiding the remaining newcomers in their first competitive season at Nebraska.

Fellow Redshirt freshman Sanjaya Roy will also look to adjust to collegiate competition in his first competitive season. A native of Douglassville, Pa., Roy could contribute in some key roles on rings, parallel bars and vault for NU.

The Huskers’ five remaining freshmen consist of high-profile recruits sought after by numerous schools across the country. Kyle King, a native of Mesquite, Texas, comes to Nebraska after an outstanding 2014 competitive club season. At the 2014 P&G Championships, King tied for the floor title in the men’s junior age 17-18 division. He could be a major force on floor, pommel horse and vault in 2015.

Daniel Leal enters his first year at Nebraska after a successful 2014 season at the club level. A native of Cali, Colombia, Leal took home the high bar crown at the 2014 Region 7 Championships and has been an active member of the Colombian National Team since 2009. Leal anticipates competing in the all-around for NU in his first collegiate season.

Josh Everitt from Tucson, Ariz., captured the bronze on rings at the 2013 Junior Olympic National Championships and is expected to add key depth on floor, pommel horse and rings for Nebraska.

Fellow Arizona native Alex Magsam from Scottsdale comes to Nebraska looking to begin a successful career in the all-around. At the 2013 J.O. National Championships, Magsam won the floor and all-around titles. At the 2014 Region I Championships, he took home two first-place medals on rings and vault.

Andrew Zymball, a native of La Vista, Neb., is a local name looking to continue the program’s rich tradition. At the 2014 J.O. National Event Finals, Zymball earned the silver on parallel bars. He hopes to provide added depth on floor, rings, vault and parallel bars for the Huskers in 2015.

Challenging Schedule
The Huskers begin their 2015 season on Jan. 17 at the Rocky Mountain Open before traveling to Palo Alto, Calif., for a quadrangular with Stanford, California and Oklahoma.

NU returns to Lincoln to open its home schedule on Jan. 30. Nebraska will welcome Army to the Bob Devaney Sports Center in the first meeting between the two teams since 2005. 

The Huskers will then hit the road again for four straight away meets. They travel first to Minneapolis, Minnesota to face the Golden Gophers on Feb. 7, before venturing to Iowa City in a Big Ten triangular against Iowa and Minnesota on Feb. 14.

Nebraska will next travel to Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 19 for the 2015 Winter Cup Challenge. The Huskers will have a week off before hitting the road once again to compete in a dual with Illinois on March 8 in Champaign, Ill.

The team returns home for Senior Night against Iowa, Minnesota and Penn State for its last meet of the regular season.

The 2015 Big Ten Championships will be hosted by Penn State on March 27-28 in University Park, Pa. A combination of the team’s regular-season and conference championships performances will determine whether NU qualifies for the NCAA Championships. The national championships will be held at the University of Oklahoma on April 9-11 in Norman.