Huskers Begin Season at Rocky Mountain Open This Weekend

The University of Nebraska men’s gymnastics team opens the 1999 season this Friday, as the Huskers travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., for the Rocky Mountain Open. Team and all-around competition begins on Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. (central), while individual finals will take place at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 24.

The Huskers, ranked fourth in the NACGC preseason coaches poll, return five letterwinners, including All-Americans Jim Koziol, Marshall Nelson and Derek Leiter. Nelson, who suffered a torn ACL in November, may return in late March, but could take a medical redshirt this season.

“We are looking to get off to a good start this weekend,” said Nebraska coach Francis Allen, who begins his 30th season in 1999. “We would like to use this week to set a base for the rest of the season.”

At last season’s Rocky Mountain Open, Nebraska finished second to Brigham Young and Husker All-Americans Derek Leiter (all-around, vault) and Jim Koziol (still rings) captured individual titles.

1999 Outlook
For the Nebraska men’s gymnastics team, it is not about where the journey begins, but where it ends.

This season, the Huskers hope it ends in the Bob Devaney Sports Center -- home of the 1999 NCAA Championships, April 22-24. It is the first time since 1994, and the 10th time overall that the national championships will travel to Lincoln.

NU returns five letterwinners, including three All-Americans and two other NCAA qualifiers, in its quest for a ninth national title for Coach Francis Allen.

“I think we have one of our most experienced teams in a long time,” Allen said. “They know how to compete, and our lineup is as talented as anyone’s in the country.”

One concern is the status of senior all-arounder Marshall Nelson (Greeley, Colo.). A three-time NCAA champion and six-time All-American, Nelson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in early November. A favorite for the Nissen Award, given to the top senior men’s gymnast, Nelson has won back-to-back NCAA titles on parallel bars and was the runner-up on the pommel horse at last season’s national championships. He may return to action later this season, but he could take a medical redshirt and return next year.

Although Nelson’s injury is a serious blow, Allen said the lofty goals remain the same and are very much attainable.

“There is no reason we can’t finish in the top three with or without Marshall,” Allen said. “Anytime you take away a gymnast who is capable of scoring a 9.8 or a 9.9 on five events, it is going to be more difficult, but we have five all-arounders who are as good as anyone in the country.”

NU will be led by senior Jim Koziol (Omaha, Neb.), who will look to continue NU’s outstanding tradition of all-arounders. After missing the 1997 season because of shoulder surgery, Koziol competed in the all-around on four occasions and finished fourth on still rings at the NCAA Championships to earn his first All-America honor. The Millard South graduate also qualified for the NCAAs on floor exercise in 1998. NU’s best all-arounder before his shoulder injury, Koziol is the only member of the squad who has competed in the NCAA team finals, helping the Huskers to a runner-up finish in 1995.

Junior Derek Leiter (Lincoln, Neb.) earned All-America honors in the all-around last season and is a serious contender to win the all-around crown this spring. In 1998, Leiter ranked in the top 20 nationally in five of the six events, including second on vault and ninth on parallel bars. One of the Huskers’ most consistent performers, Leiter has scored a 56 or better in each of the last 20 meets, including last season’s NCAAs, where he finished fourth in the all-around with a score of 57.075. Leiter qualified for the U.S. Championships last summer and gained valuable experience, which should help him this spring.

A pair of NCAA qualifiers, Blake Bukacek (Lincoln, Neb.) and Jason Hardabura (Oakville, Ontario), give Allen a stable of talented gymnasts. A two-time NCAA qualifier on horizontal bar, Bukacek is a regular in the NU lineup in five events and is one of the unsung members of the Husker lineup. Last season, Bukacek had the team’s second-best average on high bar (9.625) and was one of the top vaulters, tying his career high against Penn State and at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships.

The top freshman in the collegiate ranks last season, Hardabura finished ninth in the all-around at the NCAAs, and was nationally ranked on horizontal bars and still rings. The first foreign athlete in the program’s history, Hardabura’s score of 57.975 against Oklahoma and New Mexico was the highest score ever by a Husker freshman. A member of the Canadian National Team since 1993, Hardabura also won the MPSF title on floor exercise last season.

A teammate of Hardabura on the Canadian National team, freshman Martin Fournier (St. Hubert, Quebec) is a two-year member of the Canadian squad. In December, Fournier finished ninth in the all-around at the Elite Canada Meet, while placing second on parallel bars and sixth on rings. A veteran of international competition, Allen believes that Fournier could be an All-American as a freshman.

A second-semester transfer, sophomore Grant Clinton (Katy, Texas) will also compete in the all-around. Allen said Clinton will be a solid performer on five events, and he will be one of the Huskers’ top ring performers.

Allen also welcomes a pair of freshmen walk-ons who have the potential to contribute immediately. Jeff Kelly (Grand Island, Neb.) will be a mainstay on rings and could possibly earn a spot on the vault lineup, while Dustin Jakub (Lincoln, Neb.) will compete on vault, parallel bars and pommel horse this season.

Traditionally, Nebraska has had great success when the NCAAs have come to Lincoln. In the previous nine appearances, the Huskers have finished either first or second all nine times, including five national titles. NU’s eighth title came in Lincoln in 1994.

Nebraska Coach Francis Allen
One of the most successful men’s gymnastics coaches in college gymnastics history, Nebraska men’s gymnastics Coach Francis Allen begins his 30th season at the helm of the Husker program. During his illustrious career, Allen, a two-time United States Olympic Head Coach, has compiled a 163-69-3 (.700) dual meet record and has guided Nebraska to eight NCAA titles. He has coached 38 NCAA individual champions, nine U.S. Olympic gymnasts (earning 11 positions), nine GTE/CoSIDA academic All-Americans and three Nissen Award winners. The longtime Husker coach has led NU to 13 conference titles, including the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation crown in 1997, and was selected as one of two recipients of the College Gymnastics Association Honor Coach Award in 1998. Allen, a three-time NCAA Coach of the Year, was a former co-caption, along with current NU assistant coach Jim Howard, at Nebraska in 1965 after winning the Big Eight Conference title on parallel bars in 1964.

NU Plays Host to NCAA Championships In April
This April, the college gymnastics world will ascend on Lincoln as the University of Nebraska will play host to the 1999 NCAA Championships, April 22-24. It is the 10th time that the Bob Devaney Sports Center has hosted the NCAA Championships, the most of any facility in the nation. Tickets for all three evenings can be purchased by calling 1-800-8BIGRED or (402) 472-3111. Sessions each evening will begin at 7 p.m.