Anton Stephenson Earns Individual Title at Pac-12 Invitational

Berekely, Calif. --- Anton Stephenson claimed the individual event title on vault at the Pac-12 Invitational on Saturday with a season-best score of 14.75. As a team, the Nebraska men's gymnastics team placed second with a score of 408.800, which included a season-high vault score of 71.100. Stanford took first with 422.250, while Cal placed third (404.050) and Arizona State finished fourth (387.700).

Rotation 1 Nebraska started the night on high bar and got off to a great start. Jordan King led the team with a season-high score of 13.80. Jake Bonnay followed closely behind with 13.70 after a stuck landing. Chris Stephenson and Antonio Castro added 13.00 and 12.95, respectively. Daniel Leal scored 12.85, while Coleman Tokar finished with 12.65. The Huskers were in third place after rotation one with 66.30.

Rotation 2 The Huskers moved to floor where the team had a huge night, scoring 71.45 and taking second place from Cal after two rotations. All-Americans Austin Epperson (14.60) and Anton Stephenson (14.45) paved the way with Epperson hitting a season-best score. Chris Stephenson and Jake Bonnay each pitched in 14.35, while Connor Adamsick and Kyle King scored 13.70 and 13.55, respectively.    Rotation 3
NU competed on pommel horse for the third rotation. Antonio Castro (13.80) and Anton Stephenson (13.35) led the way for the Huskers. Jordan King finished with 13.10, while Kyle King notched 12.90 for his routine. Travis Gollott earned 12.55 and Adamsick added 12.50. As a team, Nebraska finished the event with 65.70 to remain in second place halfway through the meet. 

Rotation 4 Sanjaya Roy got the team rolling on still rings by sticking his landing and earning a career-high score of 13.65. Chris Stephenson followed with 13.50 and Heath Anderson scored 13.45. Alex Magsam pitched in 13.35, while Jordan King notched 13.00. Epperson, the anchor on the event, stuck his landing and was rewarded with a season-high 14.45. Nebraska scored 68.40 on the event and trailed first-place Stanford by just under nine points heading into the fifth rotation. 

Rotation 5 On vault, Nebraska scored a season-high 71.10. Anton Stephenson paved the way with a season-high 14.75. Kyle King and Leal added support with scores of 14.45 and 14.00, respectively. Leal's was a season-best score for the junior. Magsam grabbed 13.90, while Castro and Adamsick scored 13.60 and 13.50, respectively.

Rotation 6 The Big Red ended the night on parallel bars, where Hymanson was the top scorer after earning a 13.45 on the event. Leal followed with 13.40. Chris Stephenson and Epperson notched 13.20 and 13.15, respectively. Anton Stephenson and Kyle King added 12.65 and 12.30. As a team, NU finished with 65.85.

As a team, NU takes a few weeks off, not competing again until Feb. 26 at UIC at 2 p.m. In the meantime, Chris Stephenson and Hymanson will represent the Huskers at the prestigious Winter Cup on Feb. 16 and Feb. 18 in Las Vegas, Nev. Competition starts at 8 p.m. both days.