Huskers Send Four Gymnasts to Winter Cup

Las Vegas, Nev. - Kyle King, Antonio Castro, Chris Stephenson, Josh Martin and Griffin Kehler of the Nebraska men’s gymnastics team have been invited to represent the Huskers at the prestigious Winter Cup in Las Vegas, Nev., and will get a shot at making the USA National Team. 2016 Olympians Sam Mikulak and Alex Naddour, along with reigning U.S. champion and World bronze medalist Yul Moldauer are also expected to compete. The competition is a two-day event and will feature 48 senior athletes competing in the Preliminary sessions on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. The top 28 will qualify for finals on Saturday, Feb. 17 at 7:15 p.m. Top finishers at the finals will be selected to compete for the USA National Team.

Redshirt freshman Martin qualified for Winter Cup at the Rocky Mountain Open in January where the team took first place. The Buffalo Grove, Ill., native took second in the all-around with 77.95. Martin finished 6th on pommel horse with a 12.90. Due to an injury, Martin will be unable to compete at this year's Winter Cup. 

Seniors King, Castro and Stephenson qualified for Winter Cup at the 2017 P&G Championships. King competed on floor, pommel horse, vault and high bar, with his best performance coming on vault with a combined score of 27.850. Castro competed on pommel horse, vault, and high bar, performing well on vault with a combined score of 27.799. Stephenson was the lone Husker to compete in the all-around, finishing in 16th place overall with a combined score of 160.500. Stephenson finished in fourth overall on floor with a combined score of 28.600.

“It’s such an exciting opportunity to represent Nebraska at a competition like Winter Cup,” Stephenson said. “I feel very blessed to be joining three of my teammates as we compete for a spot on the national team.” 

Kehler, a freshman, also qualified at the 2017 P&G Championships last year after finishing in fourth.  The Frisco, Texas native competed in two days of all-around competition and earned a combined score of 154.550. He entered the second day of competition in sixth place and improved to fourth overall. His best performance of the championships came on floor, where he finished in third with a combined score of 26.050 from his two performances. 

“Competing at Winter Cup is an amazing opportunity as we get to compete against the best gymnasts in the country,” Kehler said. “I’m excited to be competing with Nebraska on my chest and my teammates by my side.”

All four athletes will compete in the second session on Feb. 15 which begins at 6:30 p.m. (CT). The top 28 athletes from the preliminary sessions will compete in the finals on Feb. 17 at 7:15 p.m. (CT). Follow @NebraskaMensGym on twitter for updates during the competition. For more information about Winter Cup including results and videos, visit www.wintercup.com.