Schmidt Advances to Winter Cup Finals

Las Vegas, Nev. - Nebraska senior T.J. Schmidt will advance to the finals of the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge at Las Vegas, Nev. After a stellar showing in the qualifying rounds of the Winter Cup on Thursday, Feb. 5, Schmidt became one of only 42 athletes around the nation to advance to the finals on Saturday, Feb. 7, at 4:30 p.m. CST.

In the first session, Schmidt earned a 10th-place finish on floor exercise (14.15) and ninth-place finishes on pommel horse (13.70) and parallel bars (13.75). The Blair, Neb., native also tied for 21st-place on still rings with a score of 13.25. Schmidt's scores were good for 35th place in the Winter Cup Challenge, which advanced him to Saturday's finals.

The Winter Cup Challenge features two days of competition. Scores from both days of competition count toward the final rankings for the all-around and individual event results. Each season, the Winter Cup serves as an individual re-ranking event for USA Gymnastics, while also helping to determine spots on the U.S. Junior and Senior National Teams.

Seven gymnasts will be named to the Senior National Team based on the national team points ranking system from the Winter Cup, while one each will be selected by the Men's Program Committee and men's national team coordinator. The 15 gymnasts named to the national team will make up the U.S. Men's Senior National Team until the 2009 Visa Championships in August.