Huskers Break School Record on Floor in Minnesota

Minneapolis, Minn. --- The No. 7 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team broke another school record and posted the third highest total score in school history (428.100) in its second-place finish on Saturday night. The Huskers came behind the fifth-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers, but defeated the University of Minnesota Club Team in its first Big-Ten matchup of the season.  

Nebraska started the night on still rings. Senior, Ryan Irick kicked it off for the Huskers with a 13.90. Freshman, Jordan King, made his first appearance on rings and posted a 13.50, along with Alex Magsam and Daniel Leal. Anton Stephenson pitched in a 13.45, while Austin Epperson led the team on the event with a 14.55. The Huskers finished with a team score of 68.95.

NU moved to floor, where the team has had a history of success this season. The trend continued on Saturday night when the team broke the school record with a score of 75.45. Kyle King and Epperson led the team on the event with a 15.75 and a 15.20, respectively. Three Huskers finished with new personal-best scores, including Coleman Tokar who scored a 14.80 in his hometown.

“It’s nice to show my home state that I can have a lot of fun and still do really well,” Tokar said. “I wasn’t thinking too much about my score at the time, I just wanted the team to do well. Although we had some rough spots, we had a lot of good stuff that really stood out and the Gophers won’t forget it.”

Andrew Zymball (14.95) and Anton Stephenson (14.75) also posted career-best scores, while Connor Adamsick pitched in a 14.70.

The Huskers built off the momentum from floor on pommel horse. J. King broke his personal-best score with a 14.50. Ethan Lottman bounced back from a fall to earn a 14.45, while Kyle King scored a 14.00. A. Stephenson chipped in a 13.95 and Travis Gollott and Antonio Castro finished with a 13.30 and 13.40, respectively. The team earned 70.30 on the event. After three events, the Huskers trailed the Golden Gophers 214.700 – 217.150.

On high bar, Chris Stephenson got the Huskers off to a good start. After sticking the landing, the junior from Fishers, Ind., earned a 13.95. Lottman and Castro finished with 13.25 and 13.80, respectively and Anton Stephenson claimed a 14.00. Epperson and Leal posted scores of 11.80 and 12.85, despite falling.

After struggling on high bar, the Huskers showed resilience, posting a 73.35 on vault. Alex Magsam and Castro broke personal-best with scores of 14.90 and 14.55. A. Stephenson earned a 14.80 and Adamsick scored a 14.60. Chamberlain and K. King added scores of 14.50.

The Big Red ended the night on parallel bars with a team score of 72.200.  Epperson started the event for the Huskers with a 14.20. K. King posted a 13.90 and A. Stephenson and Leal broke their personal best with scores of 14.95 and 14.85 respectively. C. Stephenson fired a 13.95 and Chamberlain earned 14.25 for his routine.

Stephenson, Nebraska’s only all-around competitor for the night, claimed the all-around title with a score of 85.90. He also finished in first place on parallel bars.

Minnesota finished with a team score of 435.100, while the club team scored 228.450.

Nebraska will have another chance against Minnesota on March 20, when the Gophers come to Lincoln.

Tokar is excited for another shot.

“The best part about bringing another rival team to your home, is you get to show them your home floor and we can show them what kind of home scores we can get,” Tokar said.

The Huskers continue a string of away meets next weekend, when the team travels to Norman, Okla., to take on the top-ranked Sooners on Feb. 6. The meet is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.