Huskers Falter in Illinois Dual

Champaign-Urbana, Ill.- Well. 5 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team went on the road to take on the No.7 Fighting Illini, but fell short in a 395.250-411.550 loss on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, the Huskers collected four event titles during the competition. Taylor Christopoulos took the floor (14.65) and the all-around title (81.85) Zac Tiderman collected the high bar title with the best result of his career (14.35). Donte McKinney won the vault title (14.80) and got her career best for the third time.

Floor
Freshman Nathan York started the meet on floor against the Illini and finished fourth (13:40). James Friedman followed by a score of 13.00 and Chris Hiser put 1:30 p.m. Moritz Mueller collected on 13.10. Christopulos anchored the event with a huge career best of 14.65, good for the event title. The Huskers posted a team score of 67.450 on floor.

Illinois finished the round with a team score of 67.850.

Pommel horse
The Huskers raced on the ponies horse from round two, led Travis Wong fifth (13.15). York came at 12:15 and James Friedman added 12.20. Cooper Giles fell in his routine and scored 11.45. Christopulos held the last place in the lineup and got a result of 11.90. NU advanced to the third round after earning a team score of 60,850 on the horse.

Illinois’ Ian Skirkey won the title in 14.75 and the team earned a 68.700 on the event.

The rings
Nebraska moved to rings for round three and amassed a team score of 66.350 for the event. Hiser led the lineup, earning a 12.75. Asher Cohen set the pace for the 13:40 Huskers, while Liam Doherty-Herwitz finished second with a score of 13.80, just 0.05 off his career best. Friedman made a 1:00 p.m. Christopulos finished the round fourth (13:40).

Illinois finished with 67.550 team points and Ashton Anaya earned the tournament title with a score of 14:30.

Vault
Zac Tiderman led the rotation on vault for the Big Red for fifth place (14:20). Doherty-Herwitz collected 13.70. McKinney had a strong performance, tying her career best and sharing the vault title with Illinois’ Amari Sewell (14.80). Friedman collected 13.60, while Christopulos finished third (14.75). The Huskers posted a team score of 71.050 in the event.

Illinois posted a team score of 72.350.

Parallel bars
Moving on to the parallel bars, NU faltered through the round after finishing the event with a 61.250. Cohen (11.80), Joey Pepe (11.55) and Doherty-Herwitz (11.55) suffered significant reductions from the event. Friedman earned a 12.85 for Big Red, and Christopulos finished the event with a 13.50.

David Pochinka of Illinois collected the title with a score of 14.30 and the Illini scored a 68.800.

A high bar
Nebraska came back alive on a high for the final round, finishing with a 68.300 on the event. Tiderman impressed with a first-place finish (14.35), which marked a career best. McKinney followed close behind in second (14.20), just .05 off her career best. Yanni Chronopoulos (12.70) and Toby Liang (1:40 p.m.) also competed for NU. Christopulos was the last competitor and finished the match with a time of 13.65.

Illinois earned team points in the final round with a 66.30 high bar.

Next
The Huskers return to action for the final regular season game of the season in Lincoln, Neb., hosting Ohio State and Greenville on Friday, March 17. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm CT with a live video broadcast on B1G+. subscribers. Fans can follow @NebraskaMensGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet.