No. 11 Husker Gymnasts Take Aim at Nation's Top Three Teams

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Coming off their best performance of the season two weeks ago, the No. 11 Nebraska Men’s Gymnastics team is back in action for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Championships.  Last time out, the Huskers downed the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers (348.600) and the No. 10 Iowa Hawkeyes (351.800) with their highest team score of the year, 354.500.

 

After an outstanding performance, freshman Wyatt Aycock was recognized as the College Gymnastics Association’s co-Gymnast of the week, earning six career highs, including tallying the highest all-around score of any current husker of an 88.50.

 

In the MPSF Championships, the No. 11 Huskers will face the No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners, No. 2 Stanford Cardinal, No.3 California Golden Bears, and the No. 8 Air Force Falcons.

 

As Nebraska takes aim at the nations top three teams in the MSPF conference Championship, the Huskers will need to rely on veteran leadership from their captains, 2010 still rings All-American, Anthony Ingrelli, and sophomore All-Arounder, Andreas Hofer. But with eight team members competing in their first Colligate conference championships NU will also need their new faces to continue to contribute as they have all season long. Youngster such as freshman Wyatt Aycock, Eric Schryver and redshirt freshman, Mark Ringle will be keys for NU to succeed Saturday.

 

After another outstanding performance two weeks ago on pommel horse, Schryver currently sits fourth in the country on pommel horse and has a very legitimate chance to place in the top three on horse Saturday.  Other Huskers looking to place individually on Saturday are, Ingrelli on rings, Hofer on high bar and the all-around, Aycock on parallel bars, and Wyatt Baier on vault.

 

The No.11 Huskers have faced the top ranked Oklahoma Sooners twice this season. Their first meeting came in the season opener at the Rocky Mountain Open, in Colorado Springs, where the Huskers fell to the Sooners 346.500- 334.500. NU and OU met again a month later at the Devaney Center, where Oklahoma topped Nebraska for the second time this season 360.600 – 349.700. The defending MSPF Conference Champs, are led by three Senior National team members, including four time All-American Jacob Dalton, three time National Champion, Steven Legendre, and pommel horse All-American and National Champion, Alexander Naddour. Last season at the MPSF Championships, Oklahoma took home two event titles, Steven Legendre on floor (16.00) and Ian Jackson on vault (16.20).

 

Nebraska and Stanford met in Lincoln in early March for their only regular season meeting on the year. In the NU home meet, the Cardinal edged the Huskers 359.000 - 347.600. Stanford enters the MPSF Conference Championships as the No. 2 team in the nation. Stanford is led by a Senior National team member of their own and five-time All-American, Joshua Dixon. Another key contributer for Stanford is senior four-time All-American, Tim Gentry, who is currently ranked as the No.1 gymnast on still rings this season. Gentry is the defending MPSF still rings champion.

 

This is the first meeting of the season between Nebraska and the No.3 California Golden Bears. Cal comes into Saturday’s meet with the country’s top ranked parallel bars team. The Bears are led by Senior National team member and two-time All- American Glen Ishino and sophomore all-arounder, Donothan Bailey. Bailey is currently ranked as the country’s third best collegiate all-arounder. In the 2010 MPSF Championships, Cal took home four event titles, Kyle Bunthuwong on parallel bars (15.10) and high bar (14.95), and Glen Ishino on pommel horse (15.15) and the all-around (91.00). Ishino is also the defending MPSF gymnast of the year.

 

NU will go up against the No. 8 Air Force Flacons for the third time this season on Saturday. In both prior meetings, the Huskers edged the Falcons, and NU currently leads the all-time series record against the Air Force Academy, 23-2. Their first meeting this season came at the Rocky Mountain Open, where the Husker’s tallied a 334.500 which topped the Falcons 327.300. The second meeting came in late January in Lincoln where Nebraska’s 343.000 was enough to give them the victory over Air Force’s 334.400. The Falcons are led by the 2010 USGA’s Most Valuable Gymnast and two-time 2011 MPSF gymnast of the week winner, Nash Mills. Mills, the team captain for Air Force, is ranked nationally on vault.