April 21, 2008

Lincoln, NE (UWIRE) -- The Nebraska men's gymnastics team wrapped up its season on Friday at the NCAA Championships in Palo Alto, Calif. The Cornhuskers finished fourth in their team session Friday and were unable to advance to the team finals on Saturday.

The Huskers posted a 343.30 score, 11 points behind third-place Michigan. Eventual national champion Oklahoma scored a 357.50, edging Penn State's 357.30 total. Nebraska's score was its third-highest of the season. NU Coach Francis Allen said that while his team was healthy, the Huskers couldn't seem to find the proper mindset in the national spotlight.

"It was a tense meet, and we just didn't hit many routines," Allen said. "When you hit 65 percent (of your routines) at the national championships, that's not good. You should be 85 percent or above. We weren't happy with that. We just weren't mentally prepared for it. We also had some guys that did well on a couple of events but they didn't get scored very well, so they didn't make finals."

Despite tough judging, four Huskers - Stephen Tetrault, T.J. Schmidt, Tony Maras and Anthony Ingrelli - made the individual qualifying session in at least one event. However, none was able to earn All-American honors by finishing eighth or higher.

In his final collegiate meet, Tetrault posted a 14.20 score on pommel horse. The mark was his third-best of the season, but it was not enough for the senior to advance to the individual championships held on Saturday night. In his fourth and final trip to nationals, Tetrault was unable to add to his total of three All-American honors.

Schmidt overcame an early slip-up on his pommel horse routine, but he was hurt for the mistake and received a 13.85 score. The junior posted a 14.45 score on parallel bars, but was again denied the chance to advance to finals. Ingrelli's 15.10 still rings score and Maras' 15.70 mark on vault weren't high enough for either to continue on to the individual championships.

Tetrault said neither the individual or team results were especially pleasing, but he was glad the team avoided a total collapse. Nebraska certainly showed improvement over its conference showing, when injuries devastated the Huskers.

"Of course, you're always disappointed when you don't make team finals when you think that you have a chance," he said. "We had a few stumbles, which you really can't have at the championships. We didn't fall apart, and we didn't crumble, so I'm happy about that. We pulled our weight and did as good as we could. I'm proud of what we accomplished."

The Huskers also took pride in their ninth-place overall team finish. Out of a 12-team field, ninth may not seem like much, but the result marked the first time since 2004 that NU finished above 10th. Nebraska finally overtook Iowa, a team that has consistently outscored Nebraska at the championships recently. The tide that the Huskers have been trying to turn all season may finally be going in their direction.

For now, though, the Huskers will take whatever they can get.

"We broke our streak of getting 10th (at nationals), which was nice," Tetrault said. "It was a small victory, but we're proud of it. We showed that we have progressed, and we're working toward a bigger goal."

(C) 2008 Daily Nebraskan via UWIRE