Huskers Qualify to NCAA Championship Finals

Columbus, Ohio- The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team advanced to the NCAA Finals after finishing second with a score of 413.123 behind Stanford in first (417.389) during Session I of the qualifying round on Friday afternoon. Stanford and Illinois will join Nebraska from Session I to compete in championship finals tomorrow evening, alongside the top-three teams from Session II.

The Huskers performance was highlighted by four Huskers in the top-three on three events including Luke James in second (14.366) and Chase Mondi in third on floor (14.30), Taylor Christopulos in second on vault (14.70), and Max Odden in second on high bar (13.833).

Floor
The Huskers began on floor for the qualifying round, where they scored a 69.965, as a team. Toby Liang led the lineup where he put up a 13.533. Luke James scored a huge 14.366 for the Big Red, good for second overall. Chase Mondi matched the energy with a solid 14.30, landing in third. Sam Phillips registered a 13.80, while Taylor Christopulos anchored with a 13.966 in seventh, respectively. 

Pommel Horse
Nebraska earned a team score of 68.032 on pommel horse. York collected a 13.30 as lead off for the squad. Travis Wong followed where he earned an impressive 14.266 for NU and landed in seventh. Yanni Chronopoulos scored a 12.133 following a fall. Cooper Giles showed out with a big 14.533, good for fourth overall. Christopulos anchored with a 13.80 for Nebraska.

Rings
On the third rotation, NU collected a 67.699 team score on still rings. James Friedman opened the rotation with a score of 13.433. Wong put up a 13.00, while Asher Cohen collected a 13.966 and fourth place finish, respectively. Chris Hiser earned a 13.60. Phillips capped the rotation with a score of 13.70 in eighth position.

Vault
Nebraska launched into the vault rotation where they notched a team score of 72.231. The Cornhuskers were led by Mondi who earned a strong 14.433 and 10th place finish for Nebraska. James posted a 14.366, while Nathan York collected a 14.066, respectively. Zac Tiderman impressed with strength after scoring a 14.166 and tying in fourth. Christopulos rounded off the rotation with a huge 14.70 for NU, tying for second place.

Parallel Bars
The Huskers combined for a team score of 67.832 on parallel bars. Friedman made way for the squad, notching a 13.50. Cole Partridge registered a 13.766 for Nebraska. Cohen put up a 13.40, while Phillips posted a 13.766, respectively. Christopulos anchored the event with a score of 13.40.

High Bar
NU closed the meet on high bar where they rallied to earn a 67.364 team score. Led by Max Odden with the stick, the freshman tallied a personal-best 13.833 and took second place on the event. Partridge collected a 13.533, good for seventh. Tiderman took 10th after registering a 13.366 for Nebraska, while Phillips earned a 12.966, respectively. Christopulos closed out the final event of the afternoon in fifth with a score of 13.666.

Up Next
The Huskers are set to compete in the NCAA Finals Saturday, April 20, at 5:00 p.m. (CT) at the Covelli Center. The meet will be streamed on https://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule. The Huskers will face No. 1 Stanford, No. 4 Illinois and the top three teams from Session II. Fans can follow @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet.