Eighth-ranked Huskers Host No. 1 Penn State on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The eighth-ranked Nebraska men’s gymnastics team will look to knock off its third top-five opponent this season, as the Huskers play host to top-ranked Penn State this Sunday at 1 p.m. The meet will be televised by Nebraska Educational Television (NETV) on a tape-delayed basis with Bill Doleman calling the play-by-play and Neil Palmer providing analysis. The meet will be shown on Sunday, March 21, at 10 p.m.

Sunday’s matchup features two of the long-time powerhouses in the sport. The programs have combined for 17 NCAA team titles (9-PSU; 8-NU), 80 NCAA Individual Champions (42-PSU; 38-NU) and six Nissen Awards (3-NU; 3-PSU). It is also a potential preview of next month’s NCAA Championships in Lincoln, as both the Huskers and Nittany Lions are among the top teams in their respective region. It is also the Huskers’ final regular-season home meet and seniors Marshall Nelson and Jim Koziol will be honored before the meet.

The Huskers are 8-2 on the season after finishing second at a triangular meet with eighth-ranked BYU and seventh-ranked Michigan State over the weekend. The Huskers’ score of 225.95 was just 0.05 behind BYU’s score of 226 and ahead of MSU’s score of 225.45.

Penn State, 9-2 on the season, enters the week coming off of a second-place finish at the UCSB Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif. Third-ranked Michigan upset Penn State, outscoring the Nittany Lions, 226.4-223.95, to win the four-team invitational. Last season, Penn State used a school-record score to defeat Nebraska, 231.15-230.05, in State College as former Nittany Lion and current U.S. National Team member Mike Dutka won the all-around with a 58.50 and won four individual event titles.

About Penn State
The No. 1 ranked Penn State men are 9-2 on the season after finishing second to third-ranked Michigan at the UCSB Invitational in Santa Barbara, Calif., on March 7. Michigan scored a 226.40 to top Penn State (223.95) and California (223.40). The Nittany Lions were paced by Ron Roeder, who finished first on floor exercise (9.75), still rings (9.70) and parallel bars (9.60), for the Lions’ only top-three individual finisher. As a team, Penn State ranks in the top seven nationally in all six events, including first on pommel horse and still rings. Nebraska leads the regular-season series, 4-3, but lost the last meeting in State College, 231.15-230.05, last season. This is a series dominated by the home team, as Nebraska has won all three meetings in Lincoln, including a 230.90-228.45 victory in 1997. The only time the road team has prevailed was in NU’s 1983 national championships season, when the Huskers defeated PSU, 282.45-280.05.

Comparing the Teams
Event Penn State Nebraska
FX 37.812 (Fifth) 37.025 (13th)
PH 38.70 (First) 37.625 (Seventh)
SR 38.875 (First) 37.50 (10th)
V 37.90 (Fourth) 37.425 (10th)
PB 37.80 (Fifth) 37.225 (Eighth)
HB 37.35 (Seventh) 38.012 (Fifth)

Last Week: Huskers Finish Second at BYU
The ninth-ranked Huskers moved to 8-2 on the season, finishing second at BYU on March 6. The eighth-ranked Cougars finished first with a 226, just .05 better than Nebraska's total of 225.95 and ahead of seventh-ranked Michigan State's total of 225.675. The Huskers took three of the top four spots in the all-around, paced by All-American Derek Leiter’s second-place score of 56.65, including runner-up finishes on floor exercise (9.70), vault (9.55) and horizontal bar (9.65). Sophomore Jason Hardabura earned the Huskers’ only individual title, taking first on high bar (9.675) and also placing second on still rings (9.675) en route to a third-place finish in the all-around (56.40). Freshman Martin Fournier placed fourth in the all-around with a career-high score of 56.10, highlighted by a third-place finish on parallel bars (9.60). Other top-three finishers included sophomore Grant Clinton, who finished third on still rings with a career-high score of 9.70, and junior Blake Bukacek, who finished third on high bar (9.60).

A Study In Contrasts
Although both teams have enjoyed success this season, recording a combined 16-4 record, Nebraska and Penn State have traveled different roads to get there. While the Huskers typically have three or four all-arounders in their lineup each meet, Penn State has used just one or two all-arounders and numerous event specialists. In all, the Lions have used eight or more gymnasts on each event this season. Although Penn State is ranked higher, Nebraska’s score of 229 is better than Penn State’s season-high score of 228.75 at Temple.

Huskers in the Rankings
Three Nebraska gymnasts are listed in this week’s NCAA rankings, released March 9. Sophomore Jason Hardabura is ranked fifth in the all-around with an NCAA three-score average of 56.50, and is seventh on high bar (9.712), ninth on still rings (9.662) and 14th on pommel horse (9.625). Junior All-American Derek Leiter is first in the nation on vault (9.75), fourth on floor exercise (9.70) and 13th on high bar (9.625). Freshman Martin Fournier rounds out the Huskers as he is 12th on parallel bars (9.60).

NU 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 166-71-3 (.698) 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.

Husker Health Watch
In addition to senior Marshall Nelson being sidelined by a torn left ACL, the Huskers have battled the injury bug in recent weeks as senior All-American Jim Koziol (left bicep) and freshman Dusty Jakub (left ankle) suffered injuries at Oklahoma. Koziol competed on three events (floor exercise, pommel horse and vault) at BYU, while Jakub remains sidelined.

Up Next
The Huskers travel to New Mexico next Sunday, March 21, for a dual meet with the Lobos, beginning at 3 p.m. It is NU’s final meet before the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships, March 26-27

Huskers In the Rankings: March 2, 1999
Team Events NCAA Avg. Rank
Floor Exercise 37.025 13th
Pommel Horse 37.625 Seventh
Still Rings 37.50 10th
Vault 37.425 10th
Parallel Bars 37.225 Eighth
Horizontal Bar 38.012 Fifth

Ind. Events Name Avg. Rank All-Around Hardabura 56.50 Fifth Floor Exercise Leiter 9.70 Fourth Pommel Horse Hardabura 9.625 14th Still Rings Hardabura 9.662 Ninth Vault Leiter 9.75 First Parallel Bars Fournier 9.60 12th Horizontal Bar Hardabura 9.712 Seventh Leiter 9.625 13th

How the Rankings are Determined
3/2 to 3/23 - Ranking by Three-Score Average (select highest home and two highest away scores. Eliminate the best of the three and average the remaining two).

NU Plays Host to NCAAs Next Month
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.

Competition Schedule
Day Events
Thursday All-Around/Team Preliminaries
Friday Team Finals
Saturday Individual Event Finals

For more information, visit Nebraska’s NCAA Championship website at http://huskerwebcast.com/sports/gymnastics/index.html

 

NACGC March 2 Poll

Rank Team Team
1 Penn State 228.250
2 Ohio State 228.037
3 Iowa 227.887
4 Michigan 227.175
5 Illinois 226.237
6 Oklahoma 225.050
7 Michigan State 223.900
8 Nebraska 223.700
9 Brigham Young 223.500
10 Massachusetts 222.762
11 Stanford 221.900
12 Illinois-Chicago 220.900
13 California 218.600
14 New Mexico 217.635
15 Air Force 216.575
16 Army 214.650
- Temple 214.650
18 William & Mary 214.300
19 Minnesota 213.712
20 Navy 212.650
underlined - Nebraska regular-season opponent