Champaign-Urbana, Ill.- The No. 5 Nebraska men’s gymnastics team hit the road where they took on No.7 Fighting Illini, only to fall short in defeat 395.250-411.550 on Sunday afternoon. Despite the loss, the Huskers collected four event titles during the competition. Taylor Christopulos took the floor title (14.65) and all-around title (81.85) Zac Tiderman collected the high bar title with his career-best score (14.35). Donte McKinney claimed the vault title (14.80), tying his career-best for the third time.
Floor
Freshman Nathan York jumpstarted the meet on floor against the Illini, taking fourth place (13.40). James Friedman followed with a score of 13.00, and Chris Hiser put up a 13.30. Moritz Mueller collected a 13.10. Christopulos anchored the event with a huge career-best score of 14.65, good for the event title. The Huskers collected a team-score of 67.450 on floor.
Illinois completed rotation one with a team score of 67.850.
Pommel Horse
The Huskers competed on pommel horse for rotation two, led by Travis Wong in fifth place (13.15). York came in with a 12.15, and James Friedman added a 12.20. Cooper Giles suffered falls in his routine, scoring an 11.45. Christopulos held the final spot in the lineup, putting up an 11.90. NU moved to the third rotation after earning a team score of 60.850 on horse.
Illinois’ Ian Skirkey took the title with a 14.75 and the team earned a 68.700 on the event.
Rings
Nebraska moved to rings for rotation three, collecting a team score of 66.350 on the event. Hiser led the lineup and earned a 12.75. Asher Cohen created momentum with a 13.40 for the Huskers, while Liam Doherty-Herwitz showed out with a second-place finish and score of 13.80, just .05 under his career-best. Friedman scored a 13.00. Christopulos took fourth to conclude the rotation (13.40).
Illinois finished with a 67.550 team score and Ashton Anaya earned the title on the event with a 14.30.
Vault
Zac Tiderman led off the rotation on vault for the Big Red taking fifth place (14.20). Doherty-Herwitz collected a 13.70. McKinney had a strong performance, tying his career-best, and sharing the vault title with Illinois’ Amari Sewell (14.80). Friedman collected a 13.60, while Christopulos took third place (14.75). The Huskers showed a 71.050 team score on the event.
Illinois posted a team score of 72.350.
Parallel Bars
Moving to parallel bars, NU faltered through the rotation after closing the event with a 61.250. Cohen (11.80), Joey Pepe (11.55), and Doherty-Herwitz (11.55) suffered significant deductions in the event. Friedman earned a 12.85 for the Big Red, and Christopulos capped the event with a 13.50.
David Pochinka of Illinois collected the title with a score of 14.30 and the Illini collected a 68.800.
High Bar
Nebraska came back alive on high bar for the final rotation, finishing with a 68.300 event score. Tiderman impressed with a first-place finish (14.35), marking a career-best. McKinney followed closely behind in second (14.20), just .05 below his career-best. Yanni Chronopoulos (12.70) and Toby Liang (13.40) also competed for NU. Christopulos was the final competitor, concluding the meet with a 13.65.
Illinois earned a team score of 66.30 on high bar for the final rotation.
Up Next
The Huskers will return to action for the final regular-season meet of the season in Lincoln, Neb., hosting Ohio State and Greenville on Friday, March 17. The meet will commence at 6:30 p.m. CT with a live video stream for B1G+ subscribers. Fans can follow @NebraskaMensGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet.
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