4 | nebraska men’s Gymnastics | 2013-14
Huskers Look to Continue Strength in Big Ten Conference, Grow in National Competition
With the loss of five key gymnasts, the
Huskers will look to best their ninth-place finish
at the NCAA Championships in 2013. Coach
Chuck Chmelka expects this year’s six seniors to
guide the new members of the team through the
season.
2014, Nebraska hopes to continue
In
improving on their performance within the
Big Ten. The conference’s excellence in men’s
gymnastics will continue to provide challenging
match ups for the Huskers. Chmelka said the
team should be familiar with the strength and
talent in the conference and be able to adjust
accordingly throughout the season.
“We really want to make sure that we don’t
repeat past mistakes,” said Chmelka. “We’re
entering our third year in the Big Ten now, so we
should really have a grasp on what we need to do
to excel and improve through the season. We’re
also looking to get more individual finalists at the
NCAA Championships this year.”
Senior Leadership
Nebraska’s six seniors are expected to hold
crucial roles within the team, both in and out of
the gym. Returning All-American Wyatt Aycock
and teammate C.J. Schaaf look to continue their
success in the all-around, as well as provide
leadership to the freshmen who will look to fill
their shoes. Donovan Arndt and Zach Hedval
add experience and a core foundation to the still
rings lineup, while Eric Schryver will continue
to lead the team on pommel horse, parallel
bars and high bar. Sidelined by an injury during
preseason, Mark Ringle will add guidance and
experience inside and outside the gym during
his recovery.
Junior Growth
The Huskers’ junior class has the ability to
make major contributions to the 2014 lineup.
Andrew House returns to the competitive scene
after two years of injury, hoping to make a splash
in postseason competition. Josh Ungar looks
to increase his part on the team’s competitive
lineup after earning his first-ever individual
event title on vault during the 2013 season.
Louis Klein competed regularly on five
events throughout the 2013 season (floor, rings,
vault, parallel bars, high bar) and earned two
individual event titles on floor throughout the
season. Klein’s first competitive season ended
with a second place finish on high bar at the Big
Ten Championships, earning him a medal and
second-team All-Big Ten honors.
Robbie Kocks looks to continue growing on
still rings, where he proved himself as a strong
leader during the 2013 season. Kocks consistently
scored above a 14.00 on the event and was a key
player at both the Big Ten Championships and
the NCAA Championships for the Huskers.
Grant Perdue looks to continue his nationallyrecognized excellence on floor and vault. The
junior will seek his third consecutive All-American
honor during the NCAA Championships in April,
looking to build on his floor and vault honors he’s
earned in the past two years.
Sophomore Strength
Sam Chamberlain will lead the three Husker
sophomores after earning All-America honors
on parallel bars in 2013. He finished third in the
nation and hopes to improve upon his scores on
parallel bars, as well as possibly floor and rings,
throughout the 2014 season.
One of Nebraska’s top competitors on
pommel horse, Ethan Lottman hopes to make
it into individual finals at both the Big Ten and
NCAA Championships this year after narrowly
missing them in 2013. While he’s a consistent
competitor on pommel horse, Lottman also
hopes to continue getting occasional exposure
on floor and high bar.
Ryan Irick returns to the Huskers after
getting his first taste of competition in 2013.
He competed on pommel horse at three meets,
as well as once on rings, earning him valuable
experience. Heading into 2014, Irick hopes to
contribute more and grow on both events.
Freshmen Talent
Redshirt freshmen Austin Epperson and
Coleman Tokar will lead the Huskers’ five new
members after having a year of training under
their belt. Epperson, a strong recruit from the
club level, will look to make his mark on the
college competitive scene after being sidelined
by a recurring injury before the 2013 season.
Epperson looks to compete on at least three
events with a possibility of growing into a five or
six event lineup.
Tokar will look to contribute on several
events as well after deciding to redshirt his
freshman year to perfect his technique. He is
capable of making an immediate impact on the
floor, vault and high bar teams while continuing
to work on perfecting skills and routines on
other events.
NU’s five true freshman bring excellent
depth to the Huskers across all six events. Connor
Adamsick will train on floor, vault and parallel
bars. He hopes to train and grow enough to
make the lineup later in the season for Nebraska.
strong recruit from Pinecrest, Fla., Antonio
A
Castro, is capable of starting on two or three
events immediately for the Huskers, eventually
progressing into the all-around competition by
t