Colorado Springs, Colo.- The Huskers traveled to Air Force to compete in the Rocky Mountain Open for their season opener in Colorado Springs, Colo. on Saturday evening. NU took on Oklahoma and Air Force, along with GymACT teams where they finished second with a score of 409.600, behind Oklahoma (420.350) in first place, and Air Force in third place (392.750).
In the all-around, Toby Liang claimed second with a career-best 81.450. Sam Phillips (78.350) took fifth and Joey Pepe (74.950) also competed.
Parallel Bars
NU’s first event of the evening totaled 67.900 to begin the competition. In his collegiate debut, freshman Cole Partridge jumpstarted the event with a score of 14.20 for Nebraska, good for a third-place finish. Captain Taylor Christopulos impressed with a career-best on the event (14.15), taking fifth. Teammates James Friedman (12.50), Asher Cohen (13.25), and Sam Phillips (13.80) rounded out the lineup for Nebraska.
Competing as individuals, both Toby Liang (14.00) and Joey Pepe (13.50) posted career-bests on parallel bars.
High Bar
The Huskers collected a score of 67.500 as a team on high bar. Partridge highlighted the event with a solid 14.10, taking third position overall. Freshman Max Odden notched a 13.40 in his Husker debut, while Captain Zac Tiderman collected a 13.75, respectively. Captain Sam Phillips scored a 12.70. Christopulos anchored the lineup with a 13.55.
Liang notched a career-best 13.90. Pepe earned a score of 12.65.
Floor
Nebraska scored 67.550 as a team on floor. Chris Hiser led the lineup (13.20), while Nathan York followed with a solid 14.00. Freshman Chase Mondi scored 12.70. Luke James notched a 13.60, and Phillips put up a 14.05 to land a fifth-place finish as the anchor on the event.
Liang put up another career-best on floor (13.60), as did teammate Pepe (13.25) in the individual competition.
Pommel Horse
The Huskers earned a team-score of 68.650 on pommel horse. James Friedman acted as lead-off on the event, notching a career-best 13.80. Nathan Yorked scored a 13.00. Travis Wong, Cooper Giles, and Christopulos each nailed a 13.95, a career-best for Christopulos. Phillips anchored the rotation with a score of 11.00.
In the individual competition, Liang scored a 13.40 and Pepe scored a 11.70.
Rings
On rings, the Big Red collected a combined score of 66.850 as a team. Yanni Chronopoulos led the rotation with a score of 13.20. Hiser followed with a 13.75, claiming second position overall. Wong took fifth place after landing a score of 13.50. Cohen scored 13.35. Phillips rounded off the lineup with a 13.05.
Competing as individuals, Liang scored a 12.85 while Pepe earned a 11.45 respectively. A.J. Morgan scored a 12.50.
Vault
In the final event of the competition, the Huskers totaled 71.150 on vault. Freshman Alex Nitache (13.95) and Mondi (14.40) showed strength in their first collegiate meet, with Mondi taking fifth position. Tiderman showed a solid 14.50, good for third place, while teammate James notched a 13.95, respectively. Christopulos notched a score of 14.35. Phillips anchored with a 13.75 score.
Liang set a career-record of 13.90 and Pepe scored a 12.40.
Up Next
The Huskers will host Penn State on Saturday, Feb. 3 in their home opener at the Bob Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb. The meet will commence at 6:00 p.m. CT. Fans can follow @HuskerMGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet.