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The No. 11 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team meets up with Mountain Pacific Sports Federation rivals No. 7 Stanford and No. 13 California this Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Stanford Open in <?xml:namespace prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"?>Palo Alto, Calif. beginning at 9 p.m. central.<?xml:namespace prefix="o" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"?>
This is the third consecutive weekend on the road for NU, which enters the meet following an outstanding performance against Oklahoma and Air Force on Jan. 20. Last week’s contest was the second straight between the three programs after opening the season at the Rocky Mountain Open at Air Force and featured a huge improvement in Nebraska’s team score. The Huskers jumped from a 189.70 at the RMO to a 203.30 in Oklahoma.
Following this weekend’s competition, Nebraska will have competed against all four of its conference opponents, giving it a sneak preview at what it can expect from the MPSF Championships on March 31.
The Cardinal enter the Stanford Open following a 205.10-196.00 win over Cal on Jan. 20 at the Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif. The Stanford Open is the second of three meets between the two California teams, the final taking place on Feb. 16 in Stanford.
Joining the three MPSF programs in Stanford will be the Washington club team, while the meet will also feature level 10 junior competition on Friday, Jan. 26 at 9 p.m.
Scouting the Stanford Open Competitors
No. 7 Stanford Cardinal
2007 Record: 1-0-0
Head Coach: Thom Glielmi, 5th Year
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/2
All-Americans Returning/Lost: 5/1
Top Returner: David Sender
2006 NCAA Finish: Second
?? A Quick Look at the Cardinal:
? Stanford opened its season a week later than the Huskers, with its first meet taking place on Jan. 20 at MPSF rival Cal. The Cardinal topped the Golden Bears, 205.10 to 196.00, with Stanford junior David Sender claiming the all-around title (50.45).
? The Cardinal are looking to repeat on their Cinderella 2006 season, which saw them finish second at the NCAA Championships after failing to even qualify for the team finals in 2005. Stanford is off to a good start in 2007, as it entered the season ranked second in the GymInfo preseason poll. However, the Cardinal fell to seventh this week after posting a score of 205.10 in their season-opener against Cal.
? Former Husker gymnast and undergraduate assistant coach J.D. Reive begins his third season as an assistant coach at Stanford in 2007. Reive was named the 2006 NCAA West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
?? Last Meeting
Nebraska and Stanford met three times in 2006, including two postseason battles at the MPSF and NCAA Championships, with Stanford finishing higher than the Huskers at both events.
The last regular-season action between the two programs was almost exactly one year ago at the Stanford Open on Jan. 21, 2006. Stanford earned the team crown with a score of 208.625, followed by Cal in second (206.425) and Nebraska in third with a 198.475. Individually, Nebraska’s only top three finish came from T.J. Schmidt with a score of 8.90 for third place on the parallel bars.
?? Husker History
The relationship between Nebraska and Stanford is a relatively new one, especially when compared to the long history of the Husker gymnastics program. In fact, NU and Stanford did not compete for the first time until NU’s first march to Palo Alto in 1994 for a five-team competition hosted by the Cardinal. Since that time, the two programs have faced off in regular-season action just three more times, including twice last season. Unfortunately for Nebraska, in four regular-season meets against Stanford, the Huskers have yet to notch a win, making the Cardinal one of just three teams to boast an undefeated record over NU.
Although Nebraska and Stanford have been part of the same conference since 1994, competing four times during the regular season and meeting on many more occasions in postseason action, the two programs have never competed in a strict dual against one another. All that will changes this season however, as Nebraska welcomes the Cardinal to the DevaneySportsCenter for the first time on Sunday, March 4 at 2 p.m.
No. 13 California Golden Bears
2007 Record: 0-1-0
Head Coach: Barry Weiner, 17th Season
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 7/2
All-Americans Returning/Lost: 6/0
Top Returner: Tim McNeill
2006 NCAA Finish: Fifth
?? A Quick Look at the Golden Bears:
? California returns one of the most experienced squads in the nation this season, welcoming back all six of its 2006 All-Americans, while losing only two letterwinners to graduation. Of these returners, the Bears are led by junior all-arounder Tim McNeill, who won the NCAA pommel horse title last season.
? The 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships are hosted by the Golden Bears in Berkeley, Calif., on March 31 beginning at 9 p.m. CST. Cal and Nebraska are tied in MPSF team titles with two each, while two-time defending national champion Oklahoma owns seven of 12 team crowns.
? Cal suffered the week’s biggest drop in the team rankings, following a score of 196.00 in its season-opener against Stanford. The Golden Bears went from a fourth-place preseason ranking to 13th this week, a loss of nine spots.
?? Last Meeting
Nebraska and Cal last met in regular-season competition at the 2006 Stanford Open with the Golden Bears topping Nebraska, 206.425 to 198.475. Since then, the two squads have met at both the 2006 MPSF and NCAA Championships, with Cal finishing higher at both meets.
?? Husker History
Cal, like Stanford, has a limited history with the Huskers that includes just three regular-season meets, with the Golden Bears leading the series history, 2-1, following last season’s Stanford Open. Nebraska and Cal have never met in a regular-season dual and are not scheduled to do so this season, making the Golden Bears the only MPSF program the Huskers will not meet face to face this season.
Despite sparse regular-season competition, Nebraska and Cal have faced off during the MPSF Championships each season since 1995, with each squad earning two team titles. NU and Cal are also frequent foes at the NCAA Championships, where they have competed as part of the same qualifying session for each of the past three seasons.
Huskers Drop to 11th in GymInfo Polls
After debuting as the 10th-place team in the GymInfo Preseason Coaches Poll, Nebraska fell to 11th in the first regular-season rankings released on Tuesday, Jan. 23. The Huskers were among six teams to drop at least one spot in the poll, including Oklahoma, OhioState, Stanford, Iowa, Cal and William and Mary. Of those, Cal saw the biggest drop, falling from No. 4 to No. 13, while Michigan claimed the biggest leap of the week, improving from No. 8 to the No. 1 spot.
One explanation for NU’s drop is that the rankings are based on average team scores, which means the Huskers were ranked based on the average of its season-opening 189.70 and its much improved score of 203.3 the following week. That low season-opening score pulled NU’s higher mark down, putting Nebraska at an average of just 196.50.
Reviewing the Rankings: Nebraska vs. Stanford, Cal
Event Nebraska (Avg.) Stanford (Avg.) California (Avg.)
Team 11th (196.50) 7th (205.10) 13th (196.00)
Floor Exercise 15th (32.55) 9th (34.60) 8th (34.65)
Pommel Horse 14th (30.875) 3rd (34.75) 9th (31.65)
Still Rings 11th (34.125) 3rd (35.90) 8th (35.05)
Vault 10th (33.20) 8th (33.65) 18th (29.25)
Parallel Bars 13th (33.175) 9th (34.50) 5th (35.20)
High Bar 9th (32.575) 12th (31.70) 15th (30.20)
Stanford Open Rotation Order
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Nebraska
California
Wash.
Stanford
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California
Wash.
Stanford
3
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California
Wash.
Stanford
4
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Nebraska
California
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5
Wash.
Stanford
Nebraska
California
6
California
Wash.
Stanford
Nebraska
Last Meet Repeat: Nebraska at Oklahoma, Air Force
In the midst of an unusually wintry afternoon in Norman, Okla., on Jan. 20, the Nebraska men’s gymnastics team warmed up nicely, as it scored a 203.30, demolishing its season-opening mark of 189.70 from the 2007 opening weekend.
The Huskers were led by outstanding performances from senior Jason Wassung, sophomore T.J. Schmidt and freshman Josh Rusler, with Wassung earning the third all-around title of his career with a score of 50.35.
Despite notching season-high scores in all six events, the Huskers fell to No. 1 Oklahoma, which finished with a team score of 213.20. Air Force finished third behind a score of 180.95.
Schmidt was perhaps the biggest momentum builder for Nebraska, setting career-high marks and leading the Huskers on the pommel horse (9.00), still rings (8.95) and parallel bars (9.35). Just one week after earning the first event title of his career on the pommel horse at the Rocky Mountain Open, Schmidt tripled his hardware collection with a pair of titles against Oklahoma and Air Force, including another crown on the pommel horse and his first title on the parallel bars. Schmidt also tied for second on the rings.
Freshman Josh Rusler also continued the success he found in Nebraska’s season opener, setting career-high marks on the floor exercise (8.40), vault (9.00) and high bar (8.50). The Norman, Okla., native’s score of 9.00 on vault was good to tie for third place.
Schmidt found his opportunity to shine early, as Nebraska started on the still rings, beginning the meet on a high note with a 34.60 team score. The mark shatters both NU’s 2006 (34.025) and 2007 (33.65) season highs in the event, which went through a scoring change following the 2005 season that put more emphasis on swing to strength skills.
Freshman Tony Maras lived up to his preseason billing as one of NU’s top ringmen with a phenomenal debut routine for a score of 8.65. Maras tipped off a series of solid performances from the Huskers with junior Stephen T?trault following with a score of 8.30 before Wassung set a season high of 8.70 and Schmidt added his career high of 8.95.
Nebraska added to its vault score, going from a 32.70 to a 33.70, despite competing just five gymnasts. NU’s sixth competitor, 2005 vaulting All-American T?trault, was removed from the event to prevent further aggravating a knee injury he suffered on vault during warm-ups. The Husker freshmen stepped up to fill the hole left by T?trault, with Rusler leading the event with his score of 9.00, followed by Daniel Br?l?, who stuck a career-high of 8.65.
The Huskers saved the best for last, as they capped an impressive afternoon with a team-high event score of 35.15 on the parallel bars, just one-tenth away from Nebraska’s 2006 season-high score of 35.25.
Schmidt Hits
If the first two weeks of the season are any indication of what is yet to come, sophomore T.J. Schmidt is about to have one heck of a season.
In the last two weeks, Schmidt has either tied or set career high scores six times, besting his own high scores on pommel horse and still rings each week. Schmidt’s success is not simply a case of making the leap from an often times limited freshman campaign to that of a more experienced sophomore. In fact, the Blair, Neb., native earned his share of the spotlight even in 2006 as NU’s top parallel bars specialist, earning a team-high score of 9.10 and advancing to the event preliminaries at the NCAA Championships. Instead, Schmidt’s outstanding start could more accurately be attributed to hard work and determination.
At the Rocky Mountain Open on Jan. 12-13, Schmidt tied his career high of 8.20 on the floor exercise and set new bests on the pommel horse (8.55) and still rings (8.65). Additionally, Schmidt’s performance earned him the first event title of his collegiate career with a first-place finish on the pommel horse. He also finished third on the floor exercise and second on the parallel bars.
Last weekend against Oklahoma and Air Force, Schmidt again hit routine after routine, besting his scores on the pommel horse (9.00) and still rings (8.95) and setting a new career high on the parallel bars (9.35), while adding two more event titles to his collection with crowns on the pommel horse and parallel bars.
Schmidt’s consistent performance on the pommel horse paid dividends this week, as he debuted at 13th in the season’s first GymInfo rankings.
Making a Point
In just one week’s time, Nebraska improved its team score from a season-opening 189.70 to a 203.30 last Saturday against Oklahoma and Air Force, an increase of 13.6 points. The difference is the single largest points increase in a two-meet span since 1986 when the Huskers improved from a score of 263.80 at the Windy City Invitational to 278.60 in a triangular with Oklahoma and IowaState the following weekend. NU finished that season with a high score of 283.75, the Big Eight team crown and a runner-up finish at the NCAA Championships.
Nebraska’s improved performance came across all six events, as the Huskers increased their team scores on each apparatus by at least a point. NU’s biggest jump was on the pommel horse where it went from a score of 28.75 to an even 33.00, a difference of 4.25 points.
Individually, just four of 36 routines scored lower in week two than week one, with sophomore T.J. Schmidt making the biggest leap for Nebraska, improving from an 8.55 to 9.00 on pommel horse, from an 8.65 to an 8.95 on still rings and from an 8.30 to an 9.35 on parallel bars.
Raving about Rusler
For many freshman gymnasts, making the transition between club and college gymnastics can be a long and often difficult process. Add to that the fact that Nebraska’s freshmen are competing as part of the single largest contingent of newcomers in the nation, and making an impact on the team can seem like a daunting task. But for Husker freshman Josh Rusler, where there is a will, there is a way.
Rusler came to Nebraska still recovering from a hand surgery that the Husker coaches anticipated would limit his ability to compete this season. Two meets into the season, Rusler has proven that is certainly not the case.
In Nebraska’s season-opener at the Rocky Mountain Open, Rusler led the Huskers on both the vault (8.65) and the high bar (8.45), advancing to the event finals in both events. Last weekend against Oklahoma and Air Force, the Norman, Okla., native did that performance one better, again notching NU’s top scores on vault (9.00) and high bar (8.50), while adding Nebraska’s second best score on floor exercise (8.40). Rusler’s vault also earned him his first trip to the podium as a Husker with a third-place finish in the event.
But Wait...There’s More
Rusler isn’t the only Husker newcomer making an impact for Nebraska. In fact, in last Saturday’s meet alone, the eight NU newcomers who competed accounted for 41 percent of Nebraska’s total team score, up 10 percent from the previous week, despite the fact that the Huskers did not add a single freshman routine to its original lineup.
That 41 percent was contributed by five true freshmen including Rusler, Tony Maras, John Robinson, Daniel Br?l? and Kyle Shanahan. The remainder of Nebraska’s point production resulted from just three upperclassmen, senior Jason Wassung, junior Stephen T?trault and sophomore T.J. Schmidt.
Huskers Face Conference Foes Early
While most athletic programs like to start the season with a string of non-conference opponents before taking on conference foes, men’s gymnastics is a little different. In fact, typically, men’s gymnastics programs compete within their own conferences before branching out toward the middle of the season.
This holds true for Nebraska, which has already taken on two of four of its Mountain Pacific Sports Federation foes in Air Force and Oklahoma and will face the other two this weekend in Stanford and California.
And the MPSF schools aren’t alone. The Big Ten, which supports the most NCAA men’s gymnastics programs of any conference, started their seasons with plenty of league opponents at the Windy City Invitational. The competition, which was hosted by non-conference school Illinois-Chicago, featured such Big Ten programs as Michigan, Ohio State, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa.
No Place Like Home
After three weeks on the road, Nebraska will finally return to Lincoln on Friday, Feb. 2 for its first home dual of the season. The Huskers are the one of just four teams in the country not to have a home competition before that date, including James Madison, Ohio State and William and Mary, with William and Mary owning the latest home opener on Feb. 17.
Cal to Host 2007 MPSF Championships
The 2007 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships for men’s gymnastics will be hosted by California on Saturday, March 31 at Haas Pavilion. The MPSF meet will feature five teams ? Air Force, California, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Stanford. At last year’s national meet, three of the top five teams came from the MPSF. Oklahoma won the NCAA title, Stanford finished third and Cal was fifth.