Huskers Mark Season-High Score in Second Straight Victory

Lincoln - The No. 9 Nebraska gymnastics team used a season-high score to earn its second consecutive dual victory of the season, 217.425-214.925, over No. 8 Minnesota Sunday, March 6 at the DevaneyCenter.  The Huskers led the meet from beginning to end and tallied a pair of team-high marks on the still rings (37.45) and parallel bars (36.15) en route to the win.

 

“We were pretty consistent throughout,” Head Coach Francis Allen said.  “The guys were doing the right things all day long and our score is a result of that.”

 

Sophomore Paul Chumreonlert led both the still rings and the parallel bars with career-high marks on each, 9.70 on the rings and 9.15 on the parallel bars.  Overall, the Huskers swept the parallel bars, an event where they have struggled in the past.  Sophomore Jason Wassung finished second behind Chumreonlert with a career-high 9.10 and senior Steven Friedman rounded out the top three with a season-best 9.05.  Friedman also finished second on the still rings with a career-high 9.60.

 

“Having Steven (Friedman) back in the lineup has done exactly what we expected,” Allen said.  “It’s given us that boost on the rings and a few other events that push us into those higher team scores.  We couldn’t be happier to have him healthy again.”

 

Nebraska’s top all-arounders, senior Mace Patterson, freshman Stephen T?trault and Wassung, also presented a united front, finishing second (53.35), third (52.70) and fifth (51.25), respectively in the event.

 

“Our all-arounders are really the backbone of this team,” Allen said.  “If they don’t perform, then it brings down morale.  But if they are hitting, then we know we’ll be OK and that was the case today.”

 

Enjoying the energy of the hometown crowd, Nebraska began the competition with a solid performance on the floor exercise, led by Wassung with an 8.95.  While, the Huskers sprang to a strong start on the floor, Minnesota struggled to handle the pommel horse, where it saw five competitors fall off of the apparatus before senior Guillermo Alvarez was able to hold on for a 9.60 and the title in the event.

 

But Alvarez’s showing wasn’t enough to curtail Nebraska, as junior Ray Hacker nailed a season-high 8.70 on the pommel horse to begin the lineup for the Huskers, while Patterson tacked on his own season-best mark of 9.10.  Chumreonlert capped the event with a 9.475 for the Huskers to finish second, but it was again Alvarez from Minnesota who stole the rotation with a 9.80 on the floor exercise for his second title of the afternoon.  Alvarez is the top-ranked gymnast in the nation on the floor. 

 

The second set of events played host to the focus of the meet, the vault, consistently the best event for both squads with the Gophers ranked third and the Huskers fifth in the nation.  Minnesota was the first up on the contended apparatus and proved itself quickly, placing four gymnasts above the 9.0 mark for a total team score of 37.25. 

 

However, the Huskers were determined not to let their lead slip away and simultaneously produced the most powerful rings routine of their season (37.45). 

 

Its remarkable execution on the rings paved the way for an outstanding vault performance throughout the Nebraska lineup, beginning with a career-high 9.45 from Friedman for third in the event.  Interestingly, the No. 1 and No. 2 vaulters in the nation finished first and second on the event with the Gophers’ Alvarez gaining the top spot (9.55) and NU’s T?trault following in second (9.50).

 

Moving on to the parallel bars, the Huskers showed the confidence that event has lacked all season and consequently made an easy sweep of the top three spots.  On the high bar, Hacker tied his career-high of 8.90, while Patterson earned his third event title of the season with a 9.35.

 

“We really did an overall good job today,” Allen said.  “We carried over our momentum from Iowa last weekend and let all of our potential show through in front of a home crowd.” 

 

The Huskers, now 12-6 on the season, are back at the DevaneyCenter next Sunday, March 13 at 2 p.m., when they take on conference opponents, Air Force in their last regular-season dual of 2005.  Nebraska will then take a week to prepare for the MPSF Conference Championships in Norman, Okla., beginning on Friday, March 25 at 7 p.m.

 

          

Team Scoring

1. Nebraska ? 217.425

2. Minnesota ? 214.925

 

Individual Event Results (Top Three Finishers and Highest Husker)

 

Floor Exercise                                       Score

1.  Guillermo Alvarez ? Minnesota           9.80

2.  Scott Garner ? Minnesota                  9.20

3.  Jason Wassung ? Nebraska               8.95

 

Pommel Horse                                       Score

1.  Guillermo Alvarez ? Minnesota           9.60

2.  Paul Chumreonlert ? Nebraska           9.475

3.  Mace Patterson ? Nebraska               9.10 (Season-High)

 

Still Rings                                             Score

1.  Paul Chumreonlert ? Nebraska           9.70 (Career-High)

1T. Clinton Mays ? Minnesota    

2.  Steven Friedman ?Nebraska               9.60 (Career-High Tie)

3. Jason Wassung ? Nebraska                9.35 (Career-High)

3T. Joe Moore ? Minnesota                    

 

Vault                                                     Score

1.  Guillermo Alvarez ? Minnesota           9.55

2.  Stephen T?trault ? Nebraska              9.50

3.  Steven Friedman ? Nebraska              9.45 (Career-High)

 

 

Parallel Bars                                          Score

1.  Paul Chumreonlert ? Nebraska           9.15 (Career-High Tie)

2.  Jason Wassung ? Nebraska               9.10 (Career-High)

3.  Steven Friedman ? Nebraska              9.05 (Season-High)

 

High Bar                                                Score

1.       Mace Patterson ? Nebraska              9.35 (Season-High)

2.   Jake Lee ? Minnesota                       9.225

3.  Sergei Dmitriev ? Minnesota               9.00

 

All-Around                                             Score

1. Guillermo Alvarez ? Minnesota            54.400

2. Mace Patterson ? Nebraska                53.35 (Season-High Tie)

   3. Stephen T?trault ? Nebraska               52.70 (Season-High)