Anton Stephenson Claims Third Consecutive B1G Ten Vault Title

Iowa City, Iowa - Anton Stephenson claimed the gold medal on vault at the 2019 Big Ten Championships Saturday night, becoming the Big Ten Vault Champion for his third consecutive year. The Fishers, Ind., native scored 14.80 to claim the title. The senior also placed fifth on floor with 14.125.

Three other Huskers competed in the individual event finals, including Evan Kriley, Evan Hymanson and Khalil Jackson. In the first rotation, Kriley competed first for the Huskers on pommel horse and finished with 13.725, earning him sixth place on the event. Stephenson followed with a floor routine that earned him 14.125.

After a brief break, competition on the final three events began. Freshman, Khalil Jackson, competed first on high bar (13.150). The Houston, Texas native tied for eighth on the event with Minnesota’s David Pochinka. Evan Hymanson competed next on parallel bars (14.025), earning fourth place. Stephenson finished the night off for the Huskers on vault where he notched his title-winning score (14.80).

Michigan’s Jake Moore claimed the floor title (14.65), while Ohio State’s Alec Yoder earned first on pommel horse with 14.875. On rings, Alex Diab (Illinois) finished first for the second consecutive year with 14.975. Penn State’s Sam Zakutney took gold on parallel bars (14.325), while Hamish Carter (Illinois) placed first on high bar with 14.175.

The Big Ten Annual Awards were also announced Saturday night. Anton Stephenson earned First-Team All-Big Ten, while Andrew Zymball claimed the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Randy Jepson (Penn State) won Big Ten Coach of the Year, while NU’s Anton Stephenson and Shane Wiskus (Minnesota) earned Big Ten Co-Gymnasts of the Year. Illinois’ Michael Fletcher was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Year while Michigan’s Cameron Bock collected Big Ten Gymnast-of-the-Championships accolades.