Huskers Fall Short in Tight Battle at Ohio State

Columbus, Ohio- The No. 3 ranked Huskers battled neck-in-neck on Sunday for their final regular-season meet in Columbus, Ohio where they fell against No. 6 Ohio State Buckeyes who claimed a share of the regular-season title. 

Sophomore Taylor Christopulos earned the vault title with a score of 14.50, and senior Charlie Giles claimed the pommel horse title with a career-high 14.90. The Huskers tallied a total of 4 season-highs and 3 career-highs at the Big Ten matchup against the Buckeyes.

Rotation One
The Huskers kicked off the meet on floor exercise where they collected a 66.800 overall. Dylan LeClair acted as lead-off for the squad, notching a 13.05. Chris Hiser scored a 12.85 and Taylor Christopulos notched a 13.25. Charlie Giles finished fifth overall with a 13.70, and Sam Phillips rounded out the rotation with a 13.95, finishing in second. 

The Huskers move into the second rotation behind the Buckeyes, 66.800-67.750.

Rotation Two
NU took on pommel horse for the second rotation, where they registered a running score of 133.150. Charlie Giles led the squad with a career-high 14.90, winning the event title. Donte McKinney earned a 13.20, a season-high, and Travis Wong earned a 13.45. Khalil Jackson scored a 11.65 and Taylor Christopulos collected a 13.15 on the event. 

Trailing behind Ohio State with a 136.050, Nebraska scored a 133.150 transitioning to the third rotation.

Rotation Three
Nebraska moved to still rings for the third rotation against Ohio State. The team tallied a running score of 199.900, led by Dylan LeClair who put up 13.70, finishing in third place. Moritz Mueller recorded a 12.85, while Sam Phillips earned a 13.65, a career-high for the junior. Liam Doherty-Herwitz followed with a 13.30. Dylan Young rounded out the Husker's lineup with a 13.25.

Nebraska moved into the fourth rotation following close behind Ohio State, 199.900-204.500.

Rotation Four
Big Red showed vault for the fourth rotation where sophomore Taylor Christopulos registered a 14.50, snagging the event title for Nebraska. Not far behind, Sam Phillips showed strength earning a 14.40 and Charlie Giles put up a 14.35. Liam Doherty-Herwitz scored a 14.30. Donte McKinney posted a 13.45 for the squad.

Moving into rotation five, Nebraska tallied a 270.900, trailing behind Ohio State with a score of 275.650.

Rotation Five
The Huskers transitioned into parallel bars for rotation five, where the squad earned a season-high team score of 68.400 on the event. Junior Sam Phillips registered a career-high score of 14.00, landing in second place overall. Dylan LeClair put up a 13.90 and Liam Doherty-Herwitz scored a 13.30. Dylan Young notched a season-best 13.30. Dillan King finished the rotation with a season-high 13.90 for the Huskers.

Moving into the final rotation of the afternoon, Nebraska stayed close behind Ohio State in a tight battle for the win, 339.300-340.200.

Rotation Six
In the final rotation, the Huskers rallied on high bar, led by Dillan King who registered a season-best 13.75. Dylan LeClair scored a 13.10, while Taylor Christopulos notched a 13.60. Donte McKinney put up a 13.60 and Sam Phillips rounded off the high bar rotation with a score of 13.30. NU put up a team score of 67.350, tied with their season-best on the event.

The Huskers finished only seven-tenths of a point behind the Buckeyes, falling short of victory in a tight loss with a final score of 406.650-407.350.

Up Next
Next up in the schedule for the Nebraska Cornhuskers is the Big Ten Championships. The two-day competition will take place at Penn State in College Park, Penn. on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2. The meet will begin at 6:00 p.m. CT on Friday.