%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
In his last home meet of his collegiate career, senior Jason Hardabura produced his most consistent performance of the year, finishing in the top five in every event and posting a season-high score of 52.65 to capture his third all-around title of the season, but it wasn't enough to lift No 13 Nebraska over 10th-ranked Minnesota on Sunday. The Gophers, who took the lead after the second event, posted a 207.550 to the Huskers' 205.650. With the win, Minnesota improved to 7-7, while the Huskers fall to 4-4.
Led by senior Grant Clinton, Nebraska opened well on floor scoring a season-high 35.30. In front of a crowd of 338, that included his parents George and Kay, Clinton posted a season-high 8.90 to finish second in the event. Junior Martin Fournier followed suit, posting his highest mark of the season with an 8.70.
However the Huskers faltered on pommel horse, recording a season-low 31.50, and giving Minnesota the window it needed.
"We had a lot of problems on pommel horse," Head Coach Francis Allen said. "If we could have had a good team performance on pommel horse, that would have given us a little more momentum going into the last four events, and we probably would gone close to 210. We have the potential of scoring it, we just have to get going."
The Gophers took the lead after scoring a 35.75 on floor, and increased it to 106.65-102.05 after three events. Minnesota did suffer a blow when Clay Strother, a member of the U.S. National Team and the Gophers' top all-arounder, went down during his floor routine. Strother injured his ankle on a tumbling pass and was scratched from the Gophers' lineup for the final four events.
Meanwhile Clinton, who hails from Katy, Texas, won his third rings title of the season with a 9.15. In addition, Nebraska claimed the top three spots on the event, with freshman Steven Friedman and Hardabura tying for second with an 8.80.
Nebraska fought back on vault, tying its season high with a 35.85 and cutting the Gophers' lead in half. Hardabura posted his fifth 9.0 of the season, finishing fourth with a 9.05.
On the parallel bars, Nebraska had four athletes finish in the top five, including three who tied for first. Sophomore Ryan Sneed, Friedman and Fournier all scored an 8.65 to share the title, while Hardabura finished fifth with a season-high 8.60. For the second straight meet, the Huskers' scored better than 34.0, recording a season-high 34.55.
In all, Nebraska recorded season-highs on four events and had five Huskers post their best scores of the season, including Hardabura, who after struggling in the Huskers' last meet, has returned to form thanks to adjustments to his parallel and horizontal bar routines.
"We found what works best for him routine-wise," Allen said. "We didn't change the value of his routines, we just changed how (the elements) fit in, and it really worked for him. He had a great meet. He feels good about himself and that's going to have an affect on our team's performance down the road."
Friedman also turned in his best performance of the season, scoring a career-high 51.45 in the all-around to finish second. His career-high 8.65 on the parallel bars was the first event title of his career, while his 8.20 on the pommel horse was also a season high.
The Huskers will rest for a week before heading to Berkeley, Calif., for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship March 23 and 24.
|
Floor |
Pommel Horse | |||
|
1. Eric Steele, (MU) |
9.30 |
1. Clay Strother, (MU) |
9.55 | |
|
2. Grant Clinton, (NU) |
8.90 |
2. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
8.65 | |
|
2. Bill Callahan, (MU) |
8.90 |
3. Allen Sopko, (MU) |
8.25 | |
|
4. Josh Rasile, (NU) |
8.85 |
4. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
8.20 | |
|
4. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
8.85 |
9. David Hansen, (NU) |
7.50 | |
|
7. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
8.70 |
10. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
7.15 | |
|
9. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
8.65 |
11. Ryan Sneed, (NU) |
7.05 | |
|
12. David Hansen, (NU) |
7.70 |
|||
|
Rings |
Vault | |||
|
1. Grant Clinton, (NU) |
9.15 |
1. Eric Steele, (MU) |
9.55 | |
|
2. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
8.80 |
2. Tim Koehler, (MU) |
9.25 | |
|
2. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
8.80 |
3. Bill Callahan, (MU) |
9.10 | |
|
7. Jeff Kelly, (NU) |
8.50 |
4. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
9.05 | |
|
8. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
8.10 |
5. Ryan Sneed, (NU) |
8.95 | |
|
5. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
8.95 | |||
|
7. Josh Rasile, (NU) |
8.90 | |||
|
8. Grant Clinton, (NU) |
8.85 | |||
|
10. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
8.80 | |||
|
Parallel Bars |
Horizontal Bar | |||
|
1. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
8.65 |
1. Bill Callahan, (MU) |
8.90 | |
|
1. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
8.65 |
2. Todd Guilbeau, (MU) |
8.75 | |
|
1. Ryan Sneed, (NU) |
8.65 |
3. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
8.70 | |
|
1. Mitch Griffin, (MU) |
8.65 |
5. Ryan Sneed, (NU) |
8.25 | |
|
5. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
8.60 |
6. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
8.20 | |
|
7. Grant Clinton, (NU) |
7.95 |
7. Grant Clinton, (NU) |
8.05 | |
|
8. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
8.00 | |||
|
All-Around | |
|
1. Jason Hardabura, (NU) |
52.65 |
|
2. Steven Friedman, (NU) |
51.45 |
|
3. Eric Steele, (MU) |
51.20 |
|
4. Todd Guilbeau, (MU) |
49.95 |
|
5. Martin Fournier, (NU) |
49.40 |