Jan. 26, 2013
CHICAGO - The UIC men's gymnastics team hits the road for the first time this season, as they prepare to take on Nebraska on Sunday. Competition is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. (CT) at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb.
"The goal for the Flames will be similar to last weekend, build consistency," head coach Charley Nelson said. "I was really proud of our showing at the Windy City and I expect another step forward this weekend."
UIC's last competition came at the Windy City Invitational on Jan. 19. Despite a sixth-place finish, the Flames were able to show individual improvement on all events. Jason Gaides had best times on rings (13.750) and high bar (13.100), as Bryan Pusateri took floor (14.400), Joseph Hodges led pommel (14.400), Brett Valin controlled vault (14.550) and David Ishida claimed p-bars (14.450).
"Nebraska is a legendary program and they are very good at defending their house, so we will be underdogs going in. UIC will be making some adjustments to our routines to reach a little bit better consistency, even if that means trading some of our difficulty. We are also getting closer to full strength with the return of Justin Maxwell and the partial return of Dan Zerbel."
After taking second at the Rock Mountain Open on Jan. 12 and fourth at the Stanford Open on Jan. 19, Nebraska hosts UIC in its first home meet of the season.
The Flames last competed against the Cornhuskers in the 2010-11 season, when UIC finished behind Nebraska and Oklahoma at the Devaney Center while posting season-best scores.
