%20--%3e%3csvg%20version='1.1'%20id='Nebraska_N'%20xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg'%20xmlns:xlink='http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink'%20x='0px'%20y='0px'%20viewBox='0%200%20163%20152'%20style='enable-background:new%200%200%20163%20152;'%20xml:space='preserve'%3e%3cstyle%20type='text/css'%3e%20.st0{fill:%23FFFFFF;}%20%3c/style%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M159.1,144c-2.3,0-4.1,1.8-4.1,4s1.8,4,4,4s4-1.8,4-4S161.2,144,159.1,144z%20M159,151.2c-1.8,0-3.2-1.4-3.2-3.2%20s1.4-3.2,3.2-3.2c1.7,0,3.2,1.5,3.2,3.2C162.2,149.8,160.8,151.2,159,151.2z'/%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M157.4,145.6h1.4c0.6,0,0.8,0,1.1,0.2c0.4,0.2,0.6,0.6,0.6,1.1c0,0.4-0.1,0.7-0.3,1c-0.1,0.2-0.3,0.2-0.6,0.4%20h-0.1l1.1,2.1h-0.8l-1-2h-0.6v2h-0.8L157.4,145.6L157.4,145.6z%20M158.6,147.7c0,0,0.3,0,0.4,0c0.4-0.1,0.6-0.3,0.6-0.8%20c0-0.3-0.1-0.5-0.4-0.6c-0.1,0-0.1,0-0.6,0h-0.4v1.4L158.6,147.7L158.6,147.7z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3c/g%3e%3cg%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M147,0H93h-5v5v35v5h5h5v24.8L55.2,2.3L53.7,0H51H5H0v5v35v5h5h5v62H5H0v5v35v5h5h54h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V82.2%20l42.8,67.5l1.5,2.3h2.7h46h5v-5v-35v-5h-5h-5V45h5h5v-5V5V0H147z%20M150,5v35v3h-3h-7v66h7h3v3v35v3h-3h-46h-1.6l-0.9-1.4L52,75.3%20V109h7h3v3v35v3h-3H5H2v-3v-35v-3h3h7V43H5H2v-3V5V2h3h46h1.7l0.9,1.4L100,76.7V43h-7h-3v-3V5V2h3h54h3V5z'/%3e%3c/g%3e%3cpath%20class='st0'%20d='M103,87L103,87L51,5H5v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0c0,3.3,0,68.7,0,72l0,0c-2.2,0-10,0-10,0v35h54v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0%20c0-2.6,0-47,0-47l52,82h46v-35c0,0-7.8,0-10,0l0,0c0-3.3,0-68.7,0-72c2.2,0,10,0,10,0V5H93v35c0,0,7.8,0,10,0%20C103,42.6,103,87,103,87z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team (5-4, 0-1) continues a series of away meets this weekend when it travels to Iowa City, Iowa, for a triangular meet with conference-opponents Iowa and Penn State on Feb. 27.
The Huskers are ranked No. 6 in the College Gymnastics Association’s Poll and moved up one spot to No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. The team has spent two weeks preparing for the triangular, last competing on Feb. 6 against Oklahoma. NU posted the second-highest score in school history (428.700) against the Sooners and hope to build on that momentum in the Big-Ten Matchup on Saturday.
Iowa (3-8, 1-5) is ranked No. 7 in the GGA Poll and No. 6 in the Coaches Poll. The Hawkeyes are coming off a fourth-place finish against Minnesota, Illinois and Stanford on Feb. 13. One of the team’s most explosive gymnasts is senior Matthew Loochtan. Loochtan is ranked 13th nationally in the all-around and 10th in still rings. Another Hawkeye to watch is senior All-American Jack Boyle who finished sixth on high bar at the 2015 NCAA Championships. Iowa is led by head coach, JD Reive, who graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2000, where he was a member of the men’s gymnastics team. The Iowa and Nebraska match-up has been back-and-forth since the two teams first faced off in 1968. Saturday’s matchup will determine who has the temporary upper hand, as the series is currently tied 16-16-3.
Penn State (4-2, 1-2) holds the eighth spot in both polls. The team, coached by Randy Jepson, is coming off a 433.250-444.500 loss against Ohio State on Feb. 13. The Nittany Lions return three All-Americans this season, including seniors Trevor Howard and Alexis Torres and junior Leroy Clarke, Jr. Howard earned fourth place in the all-around at the NCAA Championships last season. Torres placed third at the 2015 NCAA Championships on still rings and currently ranks in the top 10 on floor (tied for ninth) and parallel bars (sixth). Clarke, Jr. claimed sixth place on parallel bars at the 2015 NCAA Championships and is tied for sixth place in the national rankings on still rings and ranks fifth on parallel bars. The Huskers have an overall record of 5-6 against the Nittany Lions. The teams last competed during the regular-season in 2014, where NU fell 426.050-432.100.
Saturday’s triangular is set to begin at 1 p.m. Live stats can be found at http://gymnastics.hawkeyesports.com. Fans can follow the action on Twitter (@NebraskaMensGym) or watch a live stream at www.ustream.tv/channel/nebraskamgym.