Lincoln – Nebraska men’s gymnastics head coach Francis Allen announced Thursday the signing of four all-arounders set to become part of the 2006 Husker freshman class. 

Nebraska’s talented crop of newcomers for the 2006-07 season is led by all-arounder Kyle Shanahan out of Monument, Colo.  A product of the Colorado Training Center and coach Vitaly Marinitch, Shanahan has proven his versatility as an all-arounder throughout his career.  This past season, Shanahan received national recognition with an invitation to the Winter Cup in Las Vegas.  En route to that honor, he dominated the junior division of the 2004 U.S. Championships, finishing sixth in the all-around, third on vault and third on pommel horse.  In 2003, he finished second on the pommel horse at the Junior Olympic Nationals following a first-place high bar and eight-place all-around finish at the 2002 competition.

Complimenting Shanahan is the immense talent of Norman, Okla., native Josh Rusler.  A level 10 all-arounder at the prestigious Bart Connor School of Gymnastics, Rusler has spent the last 13 years training with some of the world’s top competitors.  He is a four-time state champion, two-time regional team member, and a former member of the Junior National team.

“Kyle (Shanahan) and Josh (Rusler) are among the five top all-arounders in the United States,” Allen said.  “They are truly bona fide all-arounders and are probably the best floor exercise recruits we’ve had in a very long time.”

Also signing with the Huskers is all-arounder John Robinson from the Weyandt’s Gymnastics Academy in Charlotte, N.C.  An extremely experienced gymnast, Robinson is a five-time Junior Olympic qualifier, and finished 59^th overall in the all-around at the 2004 J.O. Nationals.

“John (Robinson) is a very good all-around gymnast,” Allen said.  “He’s really great on the rings already, and I think with some polishing he’s going to come to college and end up being one of the top 10 all-arounders in the nation.”

Rounding out the Husker recruits is Tony Maras, a product of Midwest Gymnastics in Anoka, Minn.  Like Robinson, Maras exhibits remarkable talent on the still rings and placed first in his age group on the apparatus at the 2004 Junior Olympic Nationals.  Maras also finished ninth on the vault at the 2005 J.O. competition, making him a good match for Nebraska’s outstanding reputation as an elite vaulting program.

“Tony (Maras) really stars on the rings and that’s going to make him a great teammate with Robinson and some of the guys that we’re already using on the event,” Allen said.  “It will also be nice to know that we’ve got some vaulting talent coming up behind the guys that are already there.”

The group of four marks the largest recruiting class for Nebraska since the 2002 class that included current seniors Ray Hacker, Nic Matthews, Nick Moore and Derric Wood.  Although their chemistry has yet to be shown, Allen feels that the new crew is one of the best Nebraska has had in years and hopes their presence will put the Huskers back on the road toward national dominance.

“This is definitely the best class we’ve had come in a while,” Allen said.  “Getting them here is a major step for our program.  They’re going to be the nucleus for our next national championship.”