Huskers Capture Regional Title

Lincoln, Neb. - In front of a boisterous Bob Devaney Center crowd of 2,632, the Nebraska women's gymnastics team earned a berth in the NCAA Championships by winning the South Central Regional Friday night, their second title in as many years. Nebraska tallied 196.20 points to better runner-up Oklahoma and claim its sixth NCAA appearance in the last seven years. The Sooners, who finished second with 194.925 points, will also compete at the national meet. Arizona finished third (194.825), followed by Penn State (194.775), Washington (194.45) and Illinois State (191.725). The top two teams and all-around competitors from each of six regional meets advanced to the NCAA Championships. In addition, event winners not qualifying with a team, who earned at least a score of 9.80, also advanced.

The Huskers, who started the evening with a bye, opened the meet bars, which has been their best event in 2001. Although the Huskers' total of 49.05 was their second lowest of the season, they were the only team to break 49 on the event. NU then headed to the balance beam, an event they excelled on at last week's Big 12 Championships. However on this night, Nebraska faltered, as two Huskers were unable to remain on the beam. After opening with three solid routines, highlighted by sophomore Bree Dority O'Callaghan's 9.85, Nebraska's next two competitors faltered, but freshman Alecia Ingram stepped up and showed why she was chosen Big 12 Gymnast and Newcomer of the Year. Despite following two falls, Ingram nailed her routine to earn a 9.85 and a share of second place. The Knoxville, Tenn., native also posted the best score on vault with a 9.875 en route to winning her eighth vault title of the season.

"She had three great routines tonight," Head Coach Dan Kendig said. "I can't tell you how crucial her beam routine was tonight for us."

But the best performance of the night may have belonged to freshman Tami Harris, who tied her career-high on floor with a 9.925 en route to capturing her second all-around title of the season. Harris tallied the second highest all-around total of her career with a score of 39.40, a mark that ranks tied for 19th on NU's all-time charts. With the Harris' victory, Nebraska has won the all-around in three of the last four years.

"I didn't concentrate on winning it," Harris said of the all-around victory. "It really came as a surprise."

The Huskers also received strong performances from sophomore Jess Wertz and O'Callaghan who both earned a 9.90s on floor.

Despite trailing for most of the meet, Kendig said he felt certain the team would pull through.

"You never know what can happen," he said. "I was confident in our abilities all night. I watched a lot and knowing the events that we had left, I knew we had some events that were being scored higher."

Nebraska and Oklahoma will join the other regional qualifiers, Alabama, Arizona State, Michigan, Stanford, UCLA, Georgia, Florida, Oregon State, Denver and Utah in Athens, Georgia, for the NCAA Championships April 19-21.