NU Hosts Air Force in Final Regular-Season Dual

The No. 8 Nebraska gymnastics team looks to extend its two-meet winning streak this Sunday, March 13, as they take on No. 17 Air Force at the DevaneyCenter at 2 p.m.  This is the second time this season that the two programs have met, with the first matchup taking place in Nebraska’s season opener at the Rocky Mountain Open.  That meet, hosted by Air Force, saw the Huskers claim second (206.625) of five teams, while the Falcons finished fourth (184.70).

 

Enjoying their highest national ranking of the year (8th), the Huskers enter this Sunday’s meet undeniably confident.  Nebraska has toppled two top-10 teams in the last two weeks and expects the same success against the winless Falcons.

 

As the last regular-season dual, the meet with Air Force will give NU a chance to work out any final kinks in its routines before heading into the upcoming conference and national championships.  The Huskers are currently ranked ahead of two of their four conference opponents, Stanford and Air Force, and a solid performance against the Falcons this weekend could boost Nebraska past California as well.

 

Individually, several Huskers will be looking to polish off routines against the Falcons before taking them into postseason play.  Sophomores Paul Chumreonlert and Jason Wassung, along with freshman Stephen T?trault and seniors Mace Patterson and Steven Friedman, will work to once again dominate the podium while NU aims to improve its team score into the 218 point range.

 

As this is the last home meet of 2005, four Nebraska seniors will have their final opportunity to compete in front of a home-town crowd at the DevaneyCenter.  Patterson and Friedman, along with Adam Tietze and Josh Koopman have contributed to Nebraska gymnastics over the last four years and will all be honored in a special Senior Day ceremony following the completion of the meet.

 

Sunday’s events also showcase the No. 2 Nebraska women taking on IowaState at the DevaneyCenter at 2 p.m.

 

Scouting the Falcons

In its last season under 25-year head coach Lou Burkel, Air Force has gone winless in 12 regular season matches.  Now 0-12 overall, 0-8 in the MPSF, the Falcons enter this Sunday’s competition hoping to break the 200-point team mark, a feat they have yet to accomplish this season.

 

Individually, Air Force has seen succesful performances from sophomore Ryan Stromstad and freshman Tyler Sickles.  Stromstad has set himself on the podium in the floor exercise numerous times this season, while Sickles boasts Air Force’s only event title of the season, which he earned on the high bar (8.80) last weekend in the Falcons’ final home meet of the season against Army.

 

Missing from Air Force’s roster this season is 2004 standout Gregory Stine who led the Falcons in event titles last season.  Stine, an all-arounder, was unable to compete during what would have been his junior season as he is currently serving on a mission.    

 

Husker History vs. Air Force: A One-Sided Battle

The competition between Nebraska and Air Force has always favored the Huskers, who currently enjoy a 10-2 series over the Falcons.  The two programs first met in 1965 and frequented each other for several years after before losing touch during Nebraska’s heydey in the 1970’s and 1980’s. 

 

The squads resumed competition in 1992 with the birth of the Rocky Mountain Open, a five-school event hosted by Air Force that usually marks the beginning of a new season.  Over the last 14 years, Nebraska has remained undefeated against the Falcons in nine regular-season matchups and ten MPSF Conference Championships.

 

In their last meeting at the Rocky Mountain Open in January, Nebraska topped Air Force with a second-place finish (206.625) of five teams while the Falcons placed fourth (184.40).

    

Nebraska Vaulters Nail Top National Ranking

The Nebraska gymnastics team bounded into the top spot in the team vaulting ranks this week, following an outstanding performance against Minnesota on March 6.  The Huskers hold a three-score average of 37.475 in the event, the best in the nation, and boast a season-high team vaulting mark of 37.775.

 

Nebraska is led in the vault by freshman Stephen T?trault, who is currently third (9.567) individually in the national ranks.  T?trault has claimed three vaulting titles this season and holds a team-high mark of 9.65 on the apparatus.

 

Three other Huskers also claim spots in the national ranks.  Sophomore Jason Wassung sits in eighth (9.475), while seniors Tony Burtle and Mace Patterson come in 18th (9.392) and 20th (9.383), respectively.  Ironically, Burtle only competed in Nebraska’s first three meets of the season before choosing to redshirt for the remainder of 2005 following shoulder surgery.  However, his outstanding performances in those early competitions were enough to land him a lasting spot in the national ranks and his return to the vaulting roster next season will undoubtedly secure NU’s continued success in the event.

   

Seniors Honored At Final Home Dual      

Four Nebraska seniors will march into the DevaneyCenter for the last time in their careers this Sunday against Air Force.  Mace Patterson, Steven Friedman, Adam Tietze and Joshua Koopman are all competing in their final season with the Huskers this year and will have the opportunity to perform in front of a hometown crowd for the last time.

 

Patterson, a native of Beggs, Okla., came to NU in 2002 after training at the prestigious Bart Connor School of Gymnastics.  In his time with the Huskers, Patterson has amassed 20 individual event titles, two MPSF Gymnast-of-the-Week awards, a career-high all-around score of 54.975 and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA qualifying round.  This season, Patterson was named co-captain of the 2005 squad.

 

Sharing that captainship with Patterson is Friedman, a fifth year competitor out of Johannesburg, South Africa.  Friedman joined the Huskers in 2001 and was the first Husker to reach All-American status in three years when he finished fifth on the parallel bars (8.837) in 2003.  Friedman redshirted in 2004 following shoulder and knee surgery and has since returned for the majority of his senior season, earning career-high marks on 9.60 on the rings and 9.45 on the vault last weekend against Minnesota.

 

A product of the famed CypressAcademy in Texas, Adam Tietze was one of two walk-ons to join the Nebraska squad in 2002.  Since then, Tietze has competed provided depth on a number of events for the Huskers, including the floor exercise, still rings, vault and parallel bars.  Last weekend against Minnesota, Tietze banked a career-high score of 8.60 on the rings.

 

Rounding out the senior class, Iowa native Joshua Koopman came to Nebraska out of the Triad Gymnastics Club in 2002.  In his time as a Husker, he has logged time on the floor exercise, vault, parallel bars and high bar, and has competed for Nebraska in three NCAA Championships.  This season, Koopman has garnered a career-high marks on the floor exercise (9.15), a score that falls just short of Nebraska’s team-high floor score of 9.20 by sophomore Jason Wassung.

 

All four seniors will be honored in a special Senior Day ceremony on Sunday, March 13, following the completion of their dual with Air Force.

 

Huskers Sweep Up the Competition

In their last three meets, the Huskers have banked four event sweeps on four different events.  The streak started against Oklahoma in Nebraska’s first home dual of the season on Feb. 20 when senior Mace Patterson, sophomore Jason Wassung and freshman Stephen T?trault combined to sweep both the vault and the all-around. 

 

The following week at Iowa, Wassung and T?trault teamed up with sophomore Paul Chumreonlert for a sweep of the pommel horse.

 

Finally, against Minnesota on March 6, Chumreonlert and Wassung grabbed the No 1 and No. 2 spots on the parallel bars, while senior Steven Friedman finished up in third for a sweep of that event as well. 

 

Nebraska Tidbits

Did you know...

 ?Air Force has never beaten the Huskers at the DevaneyCenter.  The facility was not constructed until 1976, while the Falcons’s two wins over Nebraska occurred in 1966 and 1967.

?Air Force head coach Lou Burkel is a Nebraska alumnus.  He graduated from NU in 1964 after having competed with current Nebraska coaches, Francis Allen and Jim Howard, during the 1963-64 season.

?Head Coach Francis Allen earned his 200th career win in 2005 during the West Point Open in January.  His record now stands at 204-112-3.