Four Huskers Earn All-America Honors

Nebraska's Jason Hardabura, Blake Bukacek and Jim Koziol added four All-America awards and one individual title Saturday night as the 1999 NCAA Gymnastics meet concluded before a crowd of 1,422 at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

Hardabura, a 23-year-old sophomore from Oakville, Ontario, captured first place on the floor exercise two days after winning the all-around title. His score of 9.8 tied a career high set Thursday in the team-preliminary competition and provided NU with its 40th individual national championship. Hardabura's victory was the Huskers' sixth national title on the floor exercise and the first since Richard Grace in 1993. Hardabura also finished eighth on still rings with a 9.575

Bukacek, a junior from Lincoln, placed second on the horizontal bar with a 9.825. Hardabura was fourth on the same event at 9.6875, and senior Jim Koziol, from Millard South, earned his second All-America honor on the still rings with a sixth-place finish and a score of 9.7.Koziol, who placed fourth in 1998, became just the fourth Husker to win two or more All-America honors on still rings.

Bukacek, the second of eight competitors on the horizontal bar, led until Todd Bishop's routine as the seventh performer. The Oklahoma senior scored a 9.9 to repeat as horizontal bar champion, while Bukacek earned his first All-America award. Junior Derek Leiter placed eighth on floor exercise with a score of 9.30.

Other individual championships went to Brigham Young's Guard Young (9.8125 on the vault) and Cortney Bramwell (9.925 on the still rings); Penn State's Brandon Stefanik with a 9.775 on the pommel horse; and Justin Toman of Michigan, who scored a 9.8375 on the parallel bars.