Nebraska Hunts First Dual Win against Gophers

After an outstanding home dual against the Iowa Hawkeyes last Sunday, the No. 10 Huskers return to the road this Saturday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. to take on the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers at the Sports Pavilion in <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Minneapolis, Minn.  Nebraska, now 0-1 in dual competition, enters the meet after climbing four spots in the national rankings to tie for its highest rank this season.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>

 

The Gophers are 1-2 in duals in 2006 after losses to Illinois and most recently Michigan on Feb. 11 in Ann Arbor, Mich.  Minnesota’s lone victory was over Illinois-Chicago.

 

Perennially one of Nebraska’s closest competitors, the Gophers have posted scores similar to the Huskers this season as well.  After struggling to top 200 points during its first two meets, the Gophers, like Nebraska emerged this past weekend against the Wolverines and notched a season-high team mark of 209.15.

 

Although Minnesota has posted slightly higher scores in four of six events this season, Nebraska’s continuing dominance on the vault and newfound success on the parallel bars will undoubtedly be important forces in this weekend’s competition.  Additionally, Husker all-arounders junior Jason Wassung and Stephen T?trault have consistently bettered their scores across the board, which provides a solid front behind which the oncoming talent of senior Derric Wood and freshman T.J. Schmidt can continue to blossom.

 

Nebraska’s meet with the Gophers will be the last competition for the Huskers for several weeks before they begin a two-week battle against Oklahoma beginning with a home dual against the Sooners on March 5, followed by a meet in Norman, Okla., the next Sunday.       

 

Husker History: Back, Back...Way Back.

When it comes to Husker history, the annual meet with the Gophers is as much a tradition as national titles or Head Coach Francis Allen’s career.  Actually, NU’s rivalry with Minnesota dates back to before Allen’s coaching reign when the NU legend competed for the Huskers in their first meeting with Minnesota in 1964.  Although the meet ended with a 63.5 to 48.5 Nebraska victory, the Gophers would go on to amass 11 wins of their own over the next 30 years despite a five-year gap between 1971 and 1976 when the two programs did not compete. 

 

With the all-time dual record currently at 16-11-1, NU heads to Minneapolis this weekend looking for win No. 17.  However, Nebraska’s history at Minnesota does not bode well for a win as the Huskers are just 4-8 all-time in Minneapolis.  What NU can rely on is its most recent results against the Gophers including a major dual win last season, 217.425-214.925, that gave the Huskers their highest team score of the year.

 

Individually, Nebraska earned event titles on the still rings, parallel bars and high bar at the meet and following its performance, the Huskers jumped to their highest national ranking of the season and moved into first place nationally in the team vaulting standings.

  

Scouting the Gophers: Lee Fills the Void

 With the graduation of 2005 Nissen-Emery award-winner Guillermo Alvarez, the 2006 Minnesota Golden Gophers had a major void to fill in their roster.  Alvarez was a major contributor on the floor exercise and vault especially, but his all-around score was also a central force for the Gophers.  Now that Alvarez has gone on and become a member of the U.S. National team, third-year Minnesota head coach Mike Burns has faced the challenge of compensating for the loss and has done so with impressive success.

 

For the most part, Burns’ plan has rested on the very capable shoulders of junior Jake Lee.  After finishing sixth in the all-around at the 2005 NCAA Championships, Lee has come into this season on a rampage, earning the all-around title in all three of Minnesota’s duals in 2006 including one against Michigan where he scored a 54.60.  Against the Wolverines, he also earned event titles on the pommel horse (9.00) and parallel bars (9.50) and notched team-high marks in five of the six events.  Overall, Lee has earned seven event titles this season.

  

 

Point Production Skyrockets in Home-opener

After struggling to put up points at the beginning of the season, the Huskers made an outstanding recovery during their first home meet of the season on Feb. 12.  Nebraska shattered its team marks on all six events en route to a season-high team score of 209.45, which was 10.975 points higher than its previous best of 198.475. 

 

NU’s biggest boost was on the high bar where the Huskers went from a combined 31.95 to a 35.15 behind the efforts of senior Derric Wood, who landed a career-high score of 9.45 for the event title.  Senior Tony Burtle and junior Jason Wassung also contributed to the cause with season-high scores of 8.90 and 8.75, respectively.

 

In addition to its team success, the Huskers also marked a bevy of individual bests including seven career-highs and 27 season-highs from eleven competitors.  The success brought national attention as two Huskers emerged on the NCAA rankings for the first time this season on the parallel bars.  Wood holds Nebraska’s highest spot in the event at 14th and freshman T.J. Schmidt is tied for 20th with junior Jason Wassung.             

 

 

Hometown Gymnasts a Central Cog for NU

Nebraska’s recent success is due in large part to the efforts of a trio of Lincoln natives, senior Derric Wood, junior Jason Wassung and sophomore Stephen T?trault.  Together, the trio accounts for four event-high scores, three event titles and seven of eight top-20 national rankings for the Huskers.

 

This past weekend, Wood employed his experience at Nebraska to lead NU to a near-win over Iowa.  The Lincoln Southeast graduate posted career-high marks on both the parallel bars (8.90) and high bar (9.45) for a pair of event titles and made his season-debut on the floor exercise (8.35) all after sustaining a bruised knee during warm-ups.

 

Wassung, a graduate of Lincoln East, finished second overall in the all-around (52.45) against the Hawkeyes and posted season-high scores in three events and the all-around.  He also currently holds Nebraska’s highest national ranking as the country’s eighth-ranked all-around competitor.

 

After competing as one of two Huskers at the 2006 Winter Cup, T?trault returned to Lincoln this past weekend and posted season-high marks on four events and earned a third-place finish on the pommel horse (8.60).  Although the Lincoln East graduate has yet to garner an event title this season, he has consistently placed himself on the podium and it is undoubtedly just a matter of time before he reaches the top spot.