6 Daily Nebraskan Tuesday, April 12, 1983
By Patty Pryor
Gymnastics fans can expect to sec some incredible
things in the coming seasons from UNL's two freslunen
gymnasts, Chris Riegel and Wes Suter.
According to coaches and teammates, both freshmen
did more than their share in contributing to the Huskers'
fifth straight national championship last weekend at
Penn State.
During the compulsory round Thursday night, Riegel
scored his highest all-around ever, a 57.80, which put him
in third place, just five-tenths of a point behind senior
teammate Scott Johnson. He averaged a 9.32 in the last
four compulsory events, compiling a 39.40, compared to
a 39.05 for the same events by reigning champion Peter
Vidmar.
His final all-around score Friday night, also his highest
ever at 114.90, tied him for fifth place with UCLA's
Tim Daggett.
Husker Coach Francis Allen calls it "just doing what a
star should do."
Suter, who was originally slated as an all-arounder for
the NCAAs, had to be taken out of the lineup because of
a fractured finger suffered in practice the week before.
"Being in all-around would have been nice," he said,
"but now I just want to help the team out as much as I
can."
And that he did, scoring a 9.7 in both the vault and the
high bar, and a 9.45 in floor exercise during team
competition Saturday.
"That just tells you how tough he is," teammate
Johnson said. "He's an awesome gymnast who's going
to make a name for himself."
Riegel, too, was impressed with Suter's injury
hampered performance.
"When Wes broke his finger, I just said 'Oh no,' but
Wes is pretty tough. He really came through for us,"
Riegel said.
For both freslunen, the NCAA meet served as a sort
of homecoming. The two gymnasts (along with NU
junior Jim Mikus) worked out together in the same club
in Reading, Pa., for two years before Suter moved to
Reston, Va., in the sixth grade.
"1 could feel a lot of support in the (Penn State)
crowd," Riegel said. "There's a lot of my friends and
kids I've grown up through Region 7 boys' programs
with here."
Riegel said Reading had more gymnasts than any other
region in this NCAA meet.
"We tried to go after him " Penn State Coach Karl
Schier said of Riegel. "But he was much more interested
in going to Nebraska to follow his teammate Mikus."
Both gymnasts said they were growing more
comfortable as Husker gymnasts.
"I've been so used to competing just as Chris Riegel,
but. now, as part of Nebraska gymnastics, I feel like I
have an obligation to do well," Riegel said. "I could've
gone somewhere else and been No. 1, but I wouldn't
have had the same motivation."
"I definitely made the right choice," Suter said. "I
had a really good year until I broke my finger.
"When I first came here, I didn't think I'd be
competing at all," he said. "I thought maybe I'd make
one or two events by nationals, but I've gotten competi
tion in nearly every meet."
Both gymnasts said they were hoping to help become
the "backbone of the team," with the departure of
seniors Johnson and Phil Calioy.
"I know I have the potential," Riegel said, "and
I'm real happy that I'm getting more consistent."
"And we're both getting a lot stronger," Suter said.
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Clockwise from far left: Phil Cahoy
performs a handstand from the pike
during his floor exercise routine; Peter
Vidmar of UCLA performs on the pommel
horse; the Nebraska gymnastics team
hoists their trophy's alter winning a
record fifth straight title; Jim Mikus
during part of his pommel horse routine;
Chris Riegel performs on the parallel
bars; and Mikus is congratulated by team
mates after the completion of his high
bar routine.
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