Big Red Rallies for First on Day One of NCAA Championships

Ann Arbor, Mich.- The Nebraska men’s gymnastics team earned first place at Session I of the NCAA Championships. With a score of 324.894, Nebraska punched its ticket to compete for the NCAA trophy. Oklahoma came in second with a 323.460 and Penn State rounded out the qualifiers for 321.992. Asher Cohen nabbed the first spot on  still rings with a 14.20. Yanni Chronopoulos took third, and Chris Hiser took the fourth spot on rings. The Big Red took first place on vault with a team score of 57.166. Alex Nitache placed second, Chase Mondi placed third and Luke James was fourth to help secure the first-place finish for NU. 

 

First Rotation - Parallel Bars
Senior Chronopoulos opened up competition for Nebraska with a 13.133 on the parallel bars. Nathan York hit a 13.00 routine, and Cole Partridge had a 12.766 on the apparatus. Taylor Christopulos anchored on parallel bars, putting up a 12.766.  Despite challenges dismounting on parallel bars, NU posted a team score of 51.532 on the event, taking fourth place. 

 

Second Rotation - High Bar
Chronopoulos started off sharp on high bar, sticking his dismount and scoring a 13.10 for seventh. Partridge placed ninth for Big Red, nabbing a 13.066. Sophomore Max Odden, who is currently ranked fifth on high bar, hit a 13.133 for the sixth spot. CGA Regular-Season All-American Christopulos anchored his second event, hitting a 13.30 for fourth place. Nebraska scored 104.131 after the second rotation, knocking them down to the fifth spot.

 

Third Rotation - Floor Exercise
York went first on floor and notched a 13.00. Luke James made his third-straight appearance for Nebraska in the NCAA competition, posting a 13.40. Ranked No. 1 on floor, sophomore Chase Mondi stuck a stellar routine, earning a 13.933 for second place. Chris Hiser returned to the floor for the first time since February at the Cal, OU Tri-meet. The senior hit a career high of 13.30 to put Nebraska up into the fourth spot with a 53.633 in the event and a team score of 157.764 at the halfway mark. 

 

Fourth Rotation - Pommel Horse
Chronopoulos had a quality routine on the pommel horse with a 13.733, grabbing fifth place. Senior Travis Wong followed up with a 13.266. York kept up the momentum, scoring a 13.933 for third place. Christopulos rounded out the rotation with a 13.666 to place sixth. Nebraska stayed at the fourth spot with a 212.362 overall and a pommel horse score of 54.598. 

 

Fifth Rotation - Still Rings
James Friedman scored a 13.133, finishing in 10th place. Team captain Cohen stepped up big, sticking his dismount for a 14.20 and first-place finish. Chronopoulos, the reigning Big Ten Champion on rings, scored a 14.10 to get third place. Hiser completed the rotation, completing a fourth-place routine with a 13.933. Hiser’s score gave Nebraska a team score of 54.598 and the push to the third place spot at 267.728 overall headed into the final rotation. 

 

Sixth Rotation - Vault
James vaulted first, tying his career high of 14.20 for a fourth-place finish. York tied with Oklahoma’s Taylor Flores for the sixth spot, scoring a 14.10. Mondi hit another routine, sticking a 14.336 for third place. Nitache made his postseason debut as a Husker. He stuck his Yurchenko-style vault, sealing it with a second-place finish with a 14.50.  The Huskers' team score was 57.166, good enough for a 324.894 on the day and a first-place finish.

 

Up next, the Huskers will compete for the NCAA Championship trophy on April 19 at 5:30 p.m. (CT). The meet will be broadcast on ESPN2, with each event streamed on ESPN+.