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The ninth-ranked Nebraska men’s gymnastics team heads to Provo, Utah, for a triangular meet against No. 7 Michigan State and No. 8 BYU this Saturday, March 6, at 8 p.m. (central). The meet will also feature the seventh-ranked Husker women against No. 24 BYU.
Nebraska, which will return to Provo on April 10 as BYU plays host to the NCAA West Regional, will look to rebound after its first loss of the season, a 224.175-221.45 setback at Oklahoma on Feb. 26. The Huskers, 7-1 on the season, have been battling injuries as senior All-American Jim Koziol (left bicep) and freshman Dustin Jakub (left ankle) suffered injuries during the Oklahoma meet. Nebraska Coach Francis Allen said Tuesday that Jakub will be out for an extended period of time, while Koziol is day to day. In addition, junior All-American Derek Leiter competed on only four events at Oklahoma because of a back injury. It was the first meet in his Husker career that Leiter has not competed in the all-around, a span of 26 meets,
The Cougars, 9-2 on the season, will look to avenge one of their two losses this season, as Nebraska defeated BYU, 221.15-220.25 at the Rocky Mountain Open. Michigan State, 4-7 on the season, is one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the top 10 nationally, but is coming off a 224.55-224.20 loss to Illinois-Chicago on Feb. 27.
About the Opponents
BYU, 9-2 on the season and coached by Mako Sakamoto, is coming off a first-place finish at the Peter Vidmar Invitational in Los Angeles last weekend, scoring a season high of 224.85 to defeat Stanford (219.80), California (219.70) and Cal-Santa Barbara (209.85). Junior Guard Young scored 56.05 in the all-around to place second, while junior Courtney Bramwell won still rings (9.90) and tied senior Dmitry Kolodyazhny for first on parallel bars (9.65).
Nebraska handed BYU one of its two losses as the Cougars finished third to Nebraska and Oklahoma at the Rocky Mountain Open earlier this season with a team score of 220.25.
This is Nebraska’s first trip to Provo as the Huskers and Cougars have met only one other time during a regular-season meet, a 227.6-223.70 Nebraska victory during the 1997 season.
Head Coach Rick Atkinson’s (86-70 in 11 seasons) Michigan State Spartans come into this week’s meet with a 4-7 record after losing to Illinois-Chicago, 224.55-224.20, in Chicago Feb. 27. The Spartans scored a pair of individual titles as sophomore Tommy Housely finished first on vault with a 9.60, while senior Kenny Baker won on high bar with a 9.60 and was second on parallel bars with a 9.50. This is Nebraska’s first regular-season dual meet against the Spartans.
Last Week: Sooners Hand NU First Loss of the Year
The eighth-ranked Nebraska men’s gymnastics team suffered its first loss of the season, falling to sixth-ranked Oklahoma, 224.175-221.45, in Norman at the OU Field House on Feb. 26.
The bright spot for the Huskers was sophomore all-arounder Jason Hardabura, who won the all-around with a score of 56.60, the fourth straight meet he has won the all-around. Hardabura placed first on floor exercise with a 9.525 and was second on pommel horse (9.70) and horizontal bar (9.625). The Huskers also received a solid performance from junior Derek Leiter, who placed first on vault (9.55) and was second on parallel bars (9.55). Leiter, who was limited to just four events because of a bad back, also tied for third on high bar with a score of 9.60.
Leiter was one of several Huskers not at 100 percent against OU. Freshman Dustin Jakub suffered a sublexed left ankle during his vault, while senior Jim Koziol strained his left bicep during his still ring routine. Both did not return to competition.
The Sooners were sparked by senior Todd Bishop, who placed first in three events, highlighted by a perfect 10 on horizontal bar. Bishop also finished first on pommel horse (9.75) and parallel bars (9.675). Sophomore Charley Goiccochea was the Sooners’ other event winner, taking first on still rings with a score of 9.55. It was Oklahoma first victory in three tries over the Huskers this season.
Huskers in the Rankings
Three Nebraska gymnasts are listed in this week’s NCAA rankings, released March 2. Sophomore Jason Hardabura is ranked ninth in the all-around with an NCAA two-score average of 56.15, and is sixth on high bar (9.688), 11th on pommel horse (9.60) and 16th on still rings (9.575). Junior All-American Derek Leiter is first in the nation on vault (9.75), 12th on floor exercise (9.55) and 19th on parallel bars (9.45). Freshman Martin Fournier rounds out the Huskers as he is 12th on parallel bars.
As a team, NU is ranked in the top 10 nationally in four events, pommel horse (37.375, eighth), parallel bars (37.00, eighth), horizontal bar (37.162, eighth) and vault (37.275, 10th).
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 165-70-3 (.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.
Injuries Continue to Mount
On top of the current injury situation, the Huskers have also been without the services of senior Marshall Nelson, who suffered a torn ACL in his left knee on Nov. 10, all season. A three-time NCAA Champion and six-time All-American, Nelson, who returned to limited practices recently, has a redshirt season available. Nelson is a two-time NCAA champion on parallel bars (1997-98) and won the NCAA title on horizontal bar in 1997.
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.
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
Up Next
The Huskers next meet will be a double dual with top-ranked Penn State on Sunday, March 14, at 1 p.m. The meet with the Nittany Lions will be televised by NETV and is last regular-season home meet this season.