Senior Nathan York honored a Nebraska men’s gymnastics legend by claiming a conference title in his final competition in Lincoln.
York took home the parallel bars title at the Big Ten Championships at Pinnacle Bank Arena last week. The senior all-around competitor won his first Big Ten title, posting a 14.275 score to claim the gold medal.
“It means a lot to me,” York told Hail Varsity. “I think it just shows how hard I’ve worked in the gym throughout this year. When I was a freshman and sophomore, I was never really a p-bars guy. I barely knew the routine, so I think it just shows a lot of hard work that’s been put into this year and the offseason.”
York said that he felt the nerves during his routine.
“When I saw the score pop up, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I just did that,’” York said. “I bowed down in disbelief and I felt all the weight off my shoulders just leave, and it felt great.”
This season, the Huskers adopted the motto “For Jim,” honoring former Husker and longtime assistant coach Jim Hartung, who passed away in January. York said that he and Hartung had a close relationship, with the latter coaching him throughout his time at Nebraska.
“He’s meant a lot to me,” York said. “Ever since I set foot on campus, he took me in as his gymnast and he’s just made me so much better. He believed in me even when I didn’t think I believed in myself, and that really stuck with me. One year, (head coach) Chuck (Chmelka) actually wanted me to move to his group and Jim said no. He wouldn’t let me go, and that was something that stuck out to me, that he didn’t want me to leave his group and he saw something in me.”
The gymnasts are divided into three groups, with York belonging to Hartung’s group until his passing.
“It means a lot,” York said of winning the title for Hartung. “I think his belief in me made me realize that I can do it, because he said that the best event he liked to watch me on was p-bars. That just stuck with me and made me more motivated to continue to try my best on that event, and give it my all.”
York is no stranger to high-pressure environments. Before joining Nebraska, the Plainfield, Ill., native competed at the junior national championships, taking fifth on floor and sixth on pommel horse. York earned a 12th-place place finish in his age group, qualifying for the 2021 USA Championships.
At the 2021 USA Championships, York finished third on pommel horse and fourth on horizontal bars and in the all-around competition.
“I was very nervous I remember, because it was a big competition that decided the national team,” York said. “It was just very fun. I didn’t have super high hopes of making the national team since I qualified in 12th from it, and they only took the top three, but I actually did pretty good, and I got fourth out of 12 or 15 people, so it was just very exciting. From that moment I knew that I could probably make a college lineup.”
York joined Nebraska in 2023, leaning on his USA experiences to help him in his time with the Big Red.
“In college, it’s very high energy, and a lot of pressure on you to do the best you can,” York said. “That competition was basically the exact same thing, just without a team. It was just individually, so I think that pressure and atmosphere is what made me get ready for college.”
York helped guide the No. 4 Huskers to a second-place team finish at the Big Ten Championships, concluding the competition with a 320.700 cumulative score, behind only Michigan’s 323.500.
“We still have some areas we can improve on obviously, and we’re going to try to make those changes for NCAAs, but it does mean a lot,” York said. “Every year I’ve been here we’ve gotten third, so getting this second place means that we’ve made a change, and in the near future we will win it. I have high hopes for that.”
Now, York is turning his attention to the NCAA Championships. He said he’s hoping to become an All-American while focusing on improving all around.
“It’s going to be my last college meet ever, and just last meet in general, so the pressure will be on, but I’m just hoping that meet is just very fun, and I can go out with a bang on my last meet,” York said.
Nebraska will travel to Champaign, Ill., for the NCAA Championships on April 17 and 18. The meet is set to begin at 1 p.m. CT with the qualifying session airing on ESPN+ and the finals on ESPN2.