NU Takes Second in West Point Open

West Point, N.Y.-  Nebraska battled in their first meet of the 2023 season competing against Penn State, Army, Navy, and Springfield in the West Point Open where they claimed second place on the first day of team competition. The Huskers ended with a final team score of 399.300. 

Nebraska claimed three event titles for the first day of competition. Donte McKinney took the title on high bar with a career-high score of 13.95. Cooper Giles earned the event title on pommel horse with a score of 14.10, and Taylor Christopulos put up a 14.70 on vault, good for the title.

Rotation One

The Huskers began the night on parallel bars where freshman Asher Cohen led the lineup scoring a 12.35. Sophomores Joey Pepe and Travis Wong followed notching a 12.70 and 13.60, respectively. James Friedman earned a 13.80 while senior Liam Doherty-Herwitz anchored the squad with a career-high 14.00. The Big Red finished the event with a 66.45 team score.

Rotation Two

Moving onto high bar, Donte McKinney highlighted the event after scoring a 13.95, tying his career-high, taking the event title. Taylor Christopulos followed notching a 13.45. Joey Pepe scored a 12.35 and Toby Liang earned an 11.35. Sophomore Zac Tiderman put down a 13.05 for the Big Red in his first Husker debut.

Rotation Three

Moving onto floor, freshman Nathan York posted a 12.75 as lead-off in the event. Chris Hiser earned a 12.50. Moritz Mueller notched a solid 13.90 for Nebraska. Toby Liang and Taylor Christopulos earned a score of 12.60 and 12.30 to conclude the third event of the night.



Rotation Four

NU maintained their momentum after moving to the fourth rotation on pommel horse where Cooper Giles impressed with strength by putting up a 14.10 coming off of a season-ending injury last season, good for the event title. James Friedman and Nathan York both earned a score of 12.70. Travis Wong notched a 13.20 and Taylor Christopulos anchored the Big Red with a 13.10 on horse.

Rotation Five

Nebraska transitioned to rings for the fifth rotation. Previous 2022 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Chris Hiser, impressed with a career-high 14.25 to build momentum for the Huskers. Asher Cohen followed with a 12.65, and James Friedman with a 13.70. Liam Doherty-Herwitz registered a career-high 13.85, and Mo Mueller concluded the event with a 13.50, also a career-high for the senior.

Rotation Six

NU showed vault for rotation six. Taylor Christopulos displayed his talent for the event notching a 14.70 to lead the squad, good for the event title. Liam Doherty-Herwitz put up a 14.45 for the Big Red. Donte McKinney scored a 13.70. Chris Hiser earned a 13.85 and James Friedman concluded vault with a 14.20 to end the first day of competition.

Battling a fellow Big Ten competitor throughout the meet, Nebraska took second place with a score of 399.300 behind Penn State’s 407.600 to conclude the West Point Open. Navy followed in third with 394.500, with Army scoring 390.150 and Springfield earning 361.750 respectively.

Up Next

The Huskers travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. to compete in the Rocky Mountain Open next weekend, Jan. 21. The competition is set to begin at 7:00 p.m. CT. Fans can follow @NebraskaMensGym on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter for live updates during the meet.