Nebraska Men Finish Fourth in NCAA Gymnastics Finals

Stanford wins fifth team title in a row, matching the Huskers' 1979-1983 streak

Joe Hudson | Apr 20, 2024

Nebraska's Sam Phillips finishes his routine on the rings Saturday. He earned All-America honors by placing seventh on high bar and eighth in the all-around. / Matt Lunsford-USA TODAY Sports

Aided by All-America performances by five Huskers, the Nebraska men's gymnastics team capped its 2024 season Saturday with a fourth-place team finish in the NCAA Finals in Columbus, Ohio.

Stanford ran away with the title and joined the Huskers as the only programs to win five championships in a row. Nebraska's streak of dominance occurred from 1979 to 1983.

The Cardinal's score of 425.324 Saturday was more than 5½ points ahead of runner-up Michigan's 419.689. Less than 1½ points separated the next three teams: Oklahoma (412.956), Nebraska (412.427) and Illinois (411.659), while Ohio State finished well back at 399.122.

Stanford was the team winner in four of the six events. The only other schools to win an event were Nebraska on high bar and Michigan on floor.

The final team standings and results on the floor, horse, rings, vault, parallel bars and high bar. / NCAA

Nebraska had no individual champions Saturday night, but five Huskers earned a total of 10 All-America honors by scoring in the top eight in their events. Taylor Christopulos finished second on floor, fourth on vault, third on high bar and sixth in the all-around. Zac Tiderman was second on high bar and seventh on vault. Cooper Giles and Asher Cohen were sixth on pommel horse and rings, respectively. Sam Phillips was seventh on high bar and eighth in the all-around.

Below are capsules of the Huskers' performances Saturday, courtesy of Nebraska Athletics.

Parallel Bars
The Cornhuskers began the competition on parallel bars where they tallied a team score of 65.166. James Friedman led off the rotation with a 13.40. Cole Partridge followed with a 13.60 for the squad, while teammate Asher Cohen notched a 13.333, respectively. Competing in the all-around competition, Sam Phillips scored a 12.80, following a fall. Taylor Christopulos, an all-around competitor, rounded off the event lineup with a score of 12.033, following a fall.

High Bar
The Nebraska squad rallied on high bar to earn a team score of 68.166 for the second rotation. Max Odden registered a 13.433 in 12th place for the Big Red, while teammate Partridge notched a 13.333, respectively. Zac Tiderman stuck a huge 13.90 for Nebraska earning second place overall. Phillips posted a solid 13.60, good for seventh position. Christopulos capped the rotation in third place with a strong score of 13.90.

Floor
NU sustained their energy in the third rotation as they transitioned to floor where they collected a team score of 69.333. Toby Liang made way for the Huskers after posting a 13.333. Luke James impressed with strength after earning a 14.10. Chase Mondi capitalized on the energy and posted a 13.60. Phillips scored a strong 13.80. Christopulos concluded the floor exercise with an electric 14.50 for Nebraska, finishing in second place overall.

Pommel Horse
The Huskers combined for a team score of 69.232 on pommel horse. Nathan York opened the rotation with a 13.666. Travis Wong registered a strong 13.966, while teammate Yanni Chronopoulos earned a 13.90, respectively. In his final collegiate appearance, Cooper Giles impressed after notching a score of 14.30 and claiming sixth place overall. Christopulos collected a 13.40, while Phillips closed the rotation with a 12.10, respectively.

Rings
The Big Red moved onto rings where they scored 67.598 as a team. Friedman opened the event with a score of 13.466. Wong earned a 12.60. Cohen put up a big score of 13.966 in sixth place. Chris Hiser stuck a strong 13.866 in tenth place. Phillips also stuck and earned a 13.70. Christopulos finalized the rotation with a score of 13.10.

Vault
Nebraska fired into vault in their final event rotation of the season where they collected a 72.932, their second-best team score on the event this season. Mondi steered the squad with an impressive 14.766 to lead off the event, earning a ninth-place finish. James earned a 14.30, while York collected a 14.066, matching his career-best score, respectively. Tiderman registered an electric 14.80 for the Huskers, taking seventh. Christopulos impressed after putting up a huge personal record of 15.00 and taking fourth. In his final appearance as a Husker, Sam Phillips registered a strong season-best 14.333, concluding the competition for the evening.

Nebraska fans cheer as the team competes on the high bar Saturday. / Matt Lunsford-USA TODAY Sports

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Published Apr 20, 2024|Modified Apr 20, 2024

JOE HUDSON

Joe Hudson has operated a Husker-related website since 1995 and joined forces with David Max to form HuskerPedia (later renamed HuskerMax) in 1999. It began as a hobby during his 35 years as a newspaper editor and reporter, a career that included stints at the Lincoln Star, Omaha World-Herald, Philadelphia Inquirer and Denver Post. In Denver, Joe was chief of the copy desk during his final 16 years at the Post. He is proud to have been involved in Pulitzer Prize-winning projects in both Philadelphia and Denver. Joe has been a Nebraska football fan since the mid-1960s during his childhood in Omaha. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in journalism and economics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1976. He resides a few freeway exits north of Colorado Springs and enjoys bicycling and walking his dogs in his spare time. You can reach him at joeroyhud@outlook.com.